Blooket Social Psychology Practice Test

Instincts are biologically determined, innate patterns of behavior that tend to appear across a species when the right cues are present. These behaviors are built into biology, do not require learning, and help with survival or reproduction. They’re triggered automatically by typical environmental signals—think of migration in birds, nest-building, or parental care patterns—and are often quite consistent within a species. While learning can shape how some instinctive behaviors are carried out, the underlying pattern is inherited and relatively fixed.

Drive-Reduction Theory describes how motivation arises from internal tensions (drives) created by needs, pushing behavior to reduce those tensions, rather than describing fixed, species-wide behavior patterns. Motivation is a broad term for the reasons behind actions, not a specific innate pattern. A social trap involves strategic decision-making in situations where individual incentives can harm the group, which is not about biology or innate behavior.