Supernormal stimulus

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/supernormal-stimulus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the human relevance?Explains susceptibility to junk food, pornography, and potentially aesthetic preferences in art
2. Why do birds sometimes choose fake eggs over their own?Because the fake eggs are bigger, brighter, or have more patterns, they trigger the bird’s instinct to incubate eggs more strongly, so the bird may prefer the fake one.
3. How can supernormal triggers affect our food choices?Food that has a lot more sugar, salt, or fat than natural foods can feel extra tasty, so we might eat too much of it and it can hurt our health.

Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM): A neurological or physiological mechanism that triggers a fixed action pattern in response to a specific stimulus.
Sign Stimulus: A specific external stimulus that triggers a fixed action pattern or innate behavior.
Ethology: The scientific study of animal behavior, particularly in natural environments.