Schneirla's School in Behavior, which has been around since at least the
30's of last century, represents a general approach to the study of behavior
that discredits the existence of "instincts".
You can find information about this school, among others, in *Principles of
Animal Psychology* (1935), by Maier & Schneirla. McGraw-Hill; *Principles of
Animal Psychology *(1964), by Maier & Schneirla, Dover; and *"Principles of
Animal Behavior"* (1969), by Tavolga. Harper & Row.

See also the article by Beach, Frank: "The descent of instinct". *The
Psychological Review* 62(6): 401-410 (1955), where the author traces the
origin of the concept of "instinct" to myth, religion, and wishful thinking,
instead of proper science.

Other than that science does not mean scientific consensus! The consensus at
one time was for a flat earth, (in the center of the universe), with the
sun, moon, and all the other polanets revolving around it, and all living
creatures on it created in 6 days, about 6,000 years ago.

In his popular book *The Double Helix* James Watson, (of DNA fame), gave
Rosalind Franklin, (whose research he exploited to crack the structure
of DNA), a shabby, undeserved treatment, that outraged her scientist-friends
who knew her well. Nonetheless, whenever I am advised that most scientists
today believe that honeybees have a "dance language", I have to give Watson
credit for having had the courage to state in that same book that: "Contrary
to the belief of journalists and the mothers of scientists most scientists
are not very bright".


Sincerely,
Ruth Rosin ("Prickly pear")

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