Which of the following statements is false? a. ethologists believe that animal behavior is based on instinct. b. comparative behaviorists believe that animal behavior is based on the environment. c. today, most scientists believe instinct is more important than environment in animal behavior. d. pavlov's dog experiment proved both nature and nurture concepts are important in animal behavior.

The false answer is: C. Today, most scientists believe instinct is more important than environment in animal behavior.

Both factor contributes to animal behavior.

Ethology is field of behavioral biology which explains that animal behavior is innate, or instinctive. On the other hand, comparative behaviorists believe that animal behavior is largely learned and affected by environment.

Pavlov’s dog experiment proved that dogs can learn to pair their innate potent reflex (salivation when they see food) with neutral stimulus (such as bell ring).