together with niko tinbergen, lorenz formed the idea of an innate releasing mechanism to explain instinctive behaviors (fixed action patterns). building on the ideas of william mcdougall, lorenz developed this into a "psychohydraulic" explanation of the motives (reasons) of behavior. another contribution is his work on imprinting. his influence on a younger generation of ethologists, as well as his books, were important in bringing ethology to the attention of the general public.