action pattern
Psychology and Zoology
noun
A behaviour or sequence of behaviours elicited in response to a particular stimulus or situation; specifically (more fully fixed action pattern, modal action pattern) a rigid sequence of such behaviours which is innate, highly stimulus-dependent, and runs to completion once elicited.
Origin
1920s; earliest use found in Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
- diriment impediment
- dirk
- Dirksen, Everett M.
- dirndl
- dirndl skirt
- dirt
- dirtbag
- dirt bike
- dirtboard
- Thembu
- theme
- the meat (or filling) in the sandwich
- the Mendips
- the Menorah
- theme park
- the Met
- the Metaphysicals
- the Met Office
- the Midas touch
- the middle of nowhere
- the Middle Way
- the Midlands
- the mile-high club
- the minute (or the minute that)
- Themis