Which term describes innate behavioral patterns that are common across species?

• A. Intrinsic Motivation
• B. Extrinsic Motivation
• C. Instincts
• D. Drive

Answer: (C)

Innate behavioral patterns that appear across many species are called instincts. These are inborn, genetically influenced ways of behaving that don’t require learning, and they often show up in similar forms in different animals, helping with basic survival tasks like feeding, avoiding danger, or caring for offspring. The other terms describe why someone does something rather than what they do by nature: intrinsic motivation is doing something for internal satisfaction, extrinsic motivation is about external rewards or pressures, and drive is an internal state that energizes behavior.