It became a distinct discipline in the 1930s with zoologists Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen and Karl Von Frisch.
Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen rejected theories that relied on stimuli and learning alone, and elaborated on concepts that had not been well understood, such as instinct.
They promoted the theory that evolution had placed within creatures innate abilities and responses to certain stimuli that advanced the thriving of the species.
In 1943, Lorenz devoted much of his book, Die angeborenen Formen moglicher Erfahrung, to human behavior.
[2] The other founders of ethology, Niko Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch, received a Nobel Prize in 1973, for their overarching career discoveries concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behavior patterns.
Other important concepts of zooethology—e.g., territoriality, hierarchy, sensitive periods in ontogenesis—are also useful when discussing human behavior.
If we consider the most highly developed means of communication, language and speech, which is found in humans alone, the question arises as to the biological foundation of this species-specific behavior and perceptual skill.
Based on theories, concepts and methods that have proved successful in animal ethology, it looks at human behavior from a new viewpoint.
But since ethologists have been relatively unaffected by the long history of the humanities, they often refer to facts and interpretations neglected by other social sciences.
The advent of the theory of evolution in the 19th century brought no easy solution to the problem of nature and nurture, since it could still be "solved" in either a continuous or discontinuous manner.
Ethologists follow a specific set of steps when studying an organism: These steps fall in line with Tinbergen's "On Aims of Methods of Ethology"[9] in which he states that every study of behavior must answer four questions to be considered legitimate: Diversity is an important concept in ethology and evolutionary theory, both genetically and culturally.
This cycle results in diverse cultural representations that ultimately add to the survival of the human species.
This approach is important as a way to build a bridge between biological and social sciences, which creates a better understanding of human ethology.