Chapter 2 - Elicited Behaviour, Habituation and Sensitization

Question 1

What can learning not be attributed to?

Answer 1

illness, injury or maturation

Question 2

What was Descartes view on reflexes?

Answer 2

they are automatic, innate and invariant

Question 3

Describe the study performed by Epstein (1992) on habituation and sensitization?

Answer 3

• lemon drops were given to half the participants
• lime drops were given to the other half of participants
• both groups showed a decrease in salivation and hedonism after several trials
• when the stimulus changed from lemon to lime, there was a spike in salivation and hedonism once more
• • habituation occurred (meaning repeated exposure to a stimulus does not illicit the same response (like Descartes thought)
• changing the stimulus produces a recovery of both (meaning reflexes are not invariant, and that REFLEXES ARE STIMULUS SPECIFIC)

Question 4

What is habituation?

Answer 4

A progressive decrease in the vigour of elicited behaviour that may occur with repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus - we can stop noticing it’s there

Question 5

What is habituation an example of?

Answer 5

Non-associative learning and is the simplest form of memory

Question 6

What can the frequency of the eliciting stimulus influence?

Answer 6

The duration of the habituation effect (like the startle response)

Question 7

Describe the study performed by Leaton (1976) on the startle response of rats

Answer 7

• presented 1 tone per day - rats showed long term habituation
• presented 1 tone/3 seconds - rats showed short term habituation
• presented 1 tone per day - rats showed spontaneous recovery

Question 8

How is spontaneous recovery different than the original response?

Answer 8

It is never as high as the original response

- spontaneous recovery is due to the same stimulus being presented

Question 9

Is sensory adaptation or fatigue the same thing as habituation?

Answer 9

No

Question 10

What is sensitization?

Answer 10

An increase in the vigour of elicited behaviour that may occur with repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus (we show an exaggerated response to a normal stimulus because of repeated exposure to it)

Question 11

Describe the study performed by Davis (1974) on sensitization in rats

Answer 11

• measured startle response of rats with differing levels of background noise
• at 60 dB: habituation occurred
• at 80 dB: sensitization occurred

Question 12

Describe the study performed by Bashinski (1985) on habituation in babies?

Answer 12

• presented babies with either a 2x2 checkered board or a 12x12
• 2x2 babies habituated
• 12x12 babies showed interest and then habituated

Question 13

Why do repeated presentations of a stimulus sometimes produce habituation and other times sensitization?

Answer 13

habituation and sensitization are mediated by distinct underlying neural processes

Question 14

What are the two distinct underlying processes outlined by Groves and Thompson (1970)

Answer 14

1. habituation process: S-R system
   - shortest neural pathway
   - ex. reflex arc
   (always activated when a stimulus is present)
2. sensitization process: state system
   - parts of the NS that determine an organism’s level of responsiveness
   (not always activated when a stimulus is present)
   - both processes may be activated at the same time
   - behavioural outcome is the net result of both habituation and sensitization processes
   - known as the dual process theory of habituation and sensitization

Question 15

Fill in the blank. Habituation is a _____ _______ response.

Answer 15

Stimulus specific

Question 16

Fill in the blank. Sensitization is based off ________ _______.

Answer 16

Physiological arousal.

Question 17

Describe the importance of the aplysia californica.

Answer 17

Dr. Eric Kandel demonstrated that these snails can learn

• tactile or electrical stimulation of the siphon causes withdrawal of the gill and siphon
  
  • repeatedly touching the siphon results in a smaller response (habituation)
• periodically touching the siphon (no habituation) results in a consistent response (equivalent processes)
  
  • provide an intense stimulation (activates state system) makes for a stronger response (suggests sensitization)

Question 18

What are the implications of the findings which came from studying the aplysia californica?

Answer 18

1. S-R system activated each time an external stimulus is presented
2. as a consequence of the S-R circuitry, habituation is stimulus specific
3. the state system is involved in certain circumstances
4. the state system can interact with numerous S-R systems so sensitization effects can generalize (can cause sensitization effects over many stimuli)
5. both habituation and sensitization decay over time

Question 19

Can the dual process theory be applied to emotional behaviour?

Answer 19

Yes

• strong emotional responses tend to be bi-phasic (ex. something that makes you happy will make you sad when it is gone)
• the primary emotional reaction to a stimulus tends to become weaker with repeated stimulation
• weakening of the primary reaction is often accompanied by a strengthening of the after-reaction

Question 20

Describe the opponent process theory of habituation and sensitization.

Answer 20

Outlined by Solomon and Corbit (1974)

• the emotional response to an eliciting stimulus is the product of two processes:
  1. a-process: the initial response to the stimulus (almost always initiates b-process)
  2. b-process: generates an opposite emotional response

Question 21

What is the underlying assumption to the opponent process theory?

Answer 21

Neurophysiological mechanisms maintain homeostasis