In testing a hypothesis that "territorial defense in European robins is a fixed action pattern that is released by the sight of orange feathers," researchers found that robins defended their territory by attacking a ball that was about the size of a European robin that had an orange patch. Which of the following would be the best test of the hypothesis that the color was the cue that triggered the defense response?
A) Repeat the experiment using a blue patch instead of an orange patch.
B) Cover the eyes of the robin before placing the ball with the orange patch near the bird.
C) Repeat the experiment by using a ball that was twice the diameter and had the original orange patch.
D) Repeat the experiment by using a ball that had an orange patch that was twice the size of the original orange patch.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Testing with a different color (blue) instead of orange would directly assess if the color is the specific cue triggering the territorial defense response, by seeing if the reaction changes with a different color.

In Testing a Hypothesis That "Territorial Defense in European Robins