Lecture 2 Flashcards
What is the simplest unit of unconditioned behaviour?
a reflex
what is a reflex?
a stereotyped pattern of movement of a part of the body that can be reliably elicited by presenting the appropriate stimuli
can involve only one gland or set of muscles
What is a startle response?
a defensive reaction to a sudden, unexpected stimulus - involves the automatic tightening of skeletal muscles as well as various hormonal & visceral changes
what is an orienting response?
we automatically position ourselves to facilitate attending to a stimulus - can involve a relatively major body movement, such as when we automatically turn in response to unfamiliar noise behind us
what is reflexive behaviour commonly considered as?
an automatic and invariant consequence of the eliciting stimulus - however we know that the responses don’t occur with the same vigour every time
is elicited behaviour flexible or inflexible?
flexible
why is reflexive behaviour modifiable?
so we can focus on relevant stimuli and not react to unimportant stimuli
if a stimulus is relevant we tend to
not habituate
if a stimulus is irrelevant we tend to?
habitiuate
what are the two things that regulate our reflex responses
habituation & sensitisation
what is the habituation effect
a progressive decrease in the vigour of an elicited response that may occur with repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus
what is the sensitisation effect
an increase in the vigour of elicited behaviour that may result from repeated presentation of the same stimulus
what are the general principles of habituation
- the course of habituation -
- the effects of time -
- relearning effects
- effects of stimulus intensity
- effects of stimulus frequency
- effects of over learning
- stimulus generalisation
- effects of exposure to a second stimulus
discuss 2. the effects of time to habituation
following habituation, if the stimulus is withheld for some period the response will recover. Cases in which significant spontaneous recovery does & does not occur are called short and long term habituation
discuss 1. the course of habituation
decrements in responding from trial to trial
discuss 3. relearning effects
while habituation may disappear over a long period of time, it should proceed more rapidly in a second series
discuss 4. effects of stimulus intensity
habituation is stronger when stimulus intensity is weaker
discuss 5. effects of stimulus frequency
high versus low stimulus frequency and decline in responding
discuss 6. effects of overlearning
further learning can occur when there is no longer any change in observable behaviour (below-zero habituation) to increase long-term retention to habituation
discuss 7. stimulus generalisation
the transfer of habituation from one stimulus to new but similar stimuli is generalisation
discuss 8. effects of exposure to a second stimulus
this may result in the recovery of a previously habituated response (dishabituation)
What are the general principles of sensitiation
- sensitisation effects are influenced by the same stimulus intensity and time factors that govern habituation phenomenon
- sensitisation may also be short term (decay as a result of time without stimulation) or long-term
- unlike habituation, sensitisation is not stimulus-specific e.g. shell shocked soldier
Why does repeated exposure to certain stimuli sometimes result in habituation and sometimes in sensitisation?
intensity of the stimulus: a low intensity stimulus typically results in habituation, while a high intensity stimulus typically results in sensitisation
the evolutionary/adaptive significance of the stimulus
are habituation & sensitisation associative/non-associative learning?
non-associative,
