Phylogeny

Phylogeny refers to the inherited evolutionary history of an organism and its species, which influences its behavior. In behavioral terms, phylogenic behavior is automatic, reflexive, and shaped by natural selection over generations, rather than learned through individual experience.

Example

A baby reflexively grasps an object placed in its hand. This grasping behavior is not learned but is instead a phylogenic response, meaning it is inherited from the evolutionary history of the human species, where grasping reflexes may have served a survival function for early humans and their ancestors.

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