Do People Have Instincts? Interview a Human Parent An “instinct” is an inborn pattern of behavior. It is something an animal can do without having to learn. As you learn about each stage of the monarch life cycle, keep a list of all the things monarchs do by instinct. Then explore examples of human instincts. Do parents teach their babies to smile, or do babies smile by instinct? Do parents teach them to roll over, crawl, sit, stand or walk—or do babies do any of these things by instinct? Throughout history and around the globe, these human behaviors generally occur during the first year of life. Interview a parent about a baby they watched to develop. (Maybe the baby was you!) Record the dates each of the events below occurred for the first time; an estimated date is fine. Ask the parents which behaviors they taught and which seemed to occur by instinct. For taught behaviors, ask the parents to describe their teaching. Finally, compare notes with other classmates as you answer the journaling questions below. Date: Baby’s Firsts _____ Smiles _____ Rolls over from stomach to back _____ Sits without support _____ Crawls _____ Stands without support _____ Takes first steps _____ Eats solid food _____ Drinks from a cup Try This! Journaling Questions Which of these behaviors do you think are learned? Which behaviors do you think are instinctual? Why? Did the behaviors occur in the same order for all of the babies studied by the class? How far did the dates range between individuals for the various behaviors? Try This! Observing Chose a baby animal. Compare its development to that of the human baby. Also compare the role the parents play. How much of the behavior do you think is learned? Which behaviors do you think must be instinctual? Copyright 2003-2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form