The document defines stimulus as any change in an organism's environment that causes it to react, and response as how the organism reacts to a stimulus through a change in behavior. It provides examples of stimuli and responses, and distinguishes between external stimuli from outside an organism and internal stimuli from within an organism. The document also explains the difference between learned behaviors developed through experience and instinctive behaviors animals are born knowing.

1. Sept 19, 2013
• I can define stimulus and response and
give examples.

2. Stimulus and Response
Why animals and plants do what they do
OR
A fancy way of saying cause and effect in
the animal world.

3. Catalyst
1. Find vocab card for stimulus.
2. Under more understanding describe a
situation in which you were immediately
scared and/or reacted quickly to
something. Write at least 2 sentences
describing your experience.

4. What is a stimulus?
Stimulus: any change in an organism’s
environment that causes the
organism to react.
It is a fancy way of saying “cause”.
Example: An animal is cold so it moves into the sun.

5. What is a response?
Response: how the organism reacts to
a stimulus and results in a change in
behavior.
It is a fancy way of saying “effect”.
Example: Getting a drink when you are thirsty.

6. Examples of stimuli and their
responses:
•
•
•
•
A rabbit gets scared so it runs away
You are feeling cold so you put on a jacket
A dog is hot so lies in the shade
It starts raining so you take out an
umbrella

7. Think – Pair - Share
Turn to your partner and
share two other stimuli
and their responses.

8. There are two types of stimuli:
External Stimulus
and
Internal Stimulus
(Create a t-chart with external stimulus
on one side and internal stimulus on
the other.)

9. External Stimulus
External stimulus: a stimulus that
comes from outside an organism.
Examples:
1. You feel cold so you put on a jacket.
2. A snake lunges at a rabbit so it runs away.
3. A dog feels hot so it goes to lay in the shade.

10. Internal Stimulus
Internal stimulus: a stimulus that comes
from inside an organism.
Examples:
1. You feel hungry so you eat some food.
2. A cat feels thirsty so it drinks water.

11. Write the sentence of each stimulus in the proper
column on your t-chart
(Discuss this with your table)
• You have a stomach ache and decide to
•
•
•
•
lay down.
A bird is thirsty and drinks some water.
A squirrel sees a cat and runs up a tree.
A lion gets hungry and eats a gazelle.
You see a spider and scream.

12. Animals can respond to stimuli in
two ways:
1. In a way that they develop with
experience. We call this learned
behavior.
OR
2. In a way that they were just born knowing
how to do. We call this instinct.

13. Learned behavior: a
response to a
stimulus that an
animal was taught.

14. A mother bear teaching her cubs to
fish

15. Teaching an animal a trick

16. Training a dog

17. Even you have learned behavior.
For example, you learned to read
and to talk.

18. Now instinctive
behaviors

19. Animals natural instinct is to run
away from danger. We call this the
need for safety.

20. Animals will naturally find or make
themselves a home because they
have a need for shelter.

21. Animals will naturally look for food
and water.

22. Animals that need to will naturally
migrate.

23. Animals instinctually know to store
their food for the winter.

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What is a stimulus?
What is a response?
Give one example of a stimulus and its
response.
What is an internal stimulus?
What is an external stimulus?
It is raining and you open up an umbrella. Is
this an internal or external response? Justify
your answer.
What is learned behavior?
What is an instinct?
When a rabbit runs away from a wolf is this
learned behavior or instinct? Justify your
answer.