Superstimulus 403425 212473644 2008-05-14T23:13:05Z ChristinaT3 4277394 Image added [[Image:Venus_von_Willendorf_01.jpg|right|thumb|[[Venus of Willendorf]], statue exaggerating body and breast stimuli. ]] A '''superstimulus''' or '''superreleaser''' is an exaggerated version of a [[stimulation|stimulus]] to which there is an existing response tendency, or any stimulus that elicits a response more strongly than the stimulus that normally releases it. The concept is derived from [[ethology]]. [[Konrad Lorenz]] observed that birds would select for brooding eggs that resembled those of their own species but were larger. [[Niko Tinbergen]], following his extensive analysis of the stimulus features that elicited food-begging in the chick of the [[Herring Gull]], constructed an artificial superstimulus consisting of a red knitting needle with three white bands painted round it; this elicited a stronger response than an accurate three-dimensional model of the parent's head (white) and bill (yellow with a red spot). Lorenz and Tinbergen accounted for the superreleaser effect in terms of the concept of the [[innate releasing mechanism]]; however this concept is no longer widely used. The core observation that simple features of stimuli may be sufficient to trigger a complex response remains valid, however. It is sometimes argued that phenomena such as [[sexual fetish]]es and the taste for [[junk food]] can be partially explained as examples of superstimulation. Modern artefacts may activate [[instinct]]ive responses which evolved in a world without shiny fabrics or double cheeseburgers, where shiny skin was a sign of health in a prospective mate, and fat was a vital nutrient. An episode of the [[PBS]] science show [[NOVA]] showed an Australian beetle species whose males were sexually attracted to large and orange females—the larger and oranger the better. This became a problem when the males started to attempt to mate with certain beer bottles that were just the right color. The males were ''more'' attracted to the bottles than actual females. [[Category:Ethology]] [[ja:超正常刺激]]