A student described an incident in which a man attacked a pedestrian and a bystander came to his rescue. The student suggested that the incident provided evidence of "an aggressive instinct and an altruistic instinct."
The class argued back and forth and finally turned to the instructor for guidance. What would a psychologist have to say about the topic of the class discussion?
a) "A more likely explanation for the behaviors involves the needs hierarchy."
b) "Only two instincts have been identified in human beings and they are not aggression and altruism."
c) "Although instincts occur in some lower animals, in humans we cannot rule out learning explanations for such behaviors."
d) "In order to understand these behaviors, we need to know about the participants' optimum levels of arousal, not instincts."
C
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