Final answer:
The phrase refers to 'learned behavior' which is acquired through experience and interaction with the environment, enabling adaptation to changing conditions. Learned behaviors are more adaptable than instinctive behaviors and play a crucial role in human and animal life. Humans use learning to adapt to new situations, such as learning new routes or adjusting driving in different weather.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term you're referring to, ”an integrated series of learned behaviors designed to cope with the natural and social environments,” encapsulates the concept of learned behavior. Learned behaviors are contrasted with instinctual or innate behaviors, which are present at birth. Unlike innate behaviors, learned behaviors are acquired through interaction with the environment and through experience. This adaptability is key to surviving in changing conditions and is particularly significant in humans, who display a remarkable capacity for learning. Humans use learned behaviors to adapt to new situations, such as moving to a new home and learning the new route to school, as opposed to being constrained by genetically programmed instincts. The flexibility of learned behaviors can be seen in the way drivers adjust their driving habits based on road conditions, highlighting the adaptive advantage of such behaviors.
Certain behaviors, while having an instinctual basis, are shaped through learning and experience, allowing individuals to better respond to their environmental context. The evolution of complex interactions between humans and their environment underscores the importance of learning in our adaptive strategies. The myriad ways in which behaviors can be learned, including habituation, imprinting, conditioning, and cognitive learning, underline the role of experience as influential in behavior modification.