Final answer:
Sign stimuli that control human behavior include visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile cues that can elicit both innate and learned responses. Signal detection theory illustrates our perception and response to important stimuli against background noise. Both instinctual and learned behaviors are crucial for interactions within species, exemplified by various animal communication methods. The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
Sign stimuli involved in the control of human behavior include a range of cues that elicit innate or learned responses. These can be visual cues, auditory signals, olfactory triggers, and tactile sensations. Behaviors themselves are responses to these stimuli and can be classified as either instinctual or learned.
Instinctual behaviors, like mating behaviors and communication methods, do not change drastically with the environment, while learned behaviors, such as imprinting and habituation, can be strongly influenced by environmental changes and can involve processes like acquisition, extinction, stimulus discrimination, and stimulus generalization.
Motivation and perception are interconnected; for instance, when someone is expecting an important phone call, they may perceive their phone ringing even when it is not. This is explained by signal detection theory, which describes an organism's ability to detect a meaningful stimulus against a backdrop of noise.
Similar principles apply to learning and the generalization or discrimination of stimuli. For example, Pavlov's dogs were conditioned to respond to specific stimuli, like a bell, and could distinguish between that and unrelated stimuli, demonstrating learned responses to specific signals.
Similarly, animals communicate using signals like the red belly of a three-spined stickleback which elicits aggression in males and a mating response in females. These signals are often a mix of innate and learned behaviors, and they are crucial for interactions within a species.
Understanding these stimuli and responses is key to comprehending the complexities of animal behavior, including that of humans.