HPS111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Palmar Grasp Reflex, Moro Reflex, Mammalian Diving Reflex
WEEK 2: Heritability, reflex and instinct
Reflex and instincts
Automatic behaviours, behaviours that are outside an organism’s voluntary control, aren’t learned
Reflexes- simple, automatic and near-instantaneous response to stimuli, knee jerk reflex
Instincts- innate (wired in) tendencies to demonstrate common patterns of behaviours in response
to stimuli
Basic and pure, still influence us, essential for survival
Reflexes are immediate, instinct are more complex.
Fight flight freeze response- autonomic nervous system
Spinal reflex- autonomic nervous system
Comparative psychology
Babies can learn, diving reflex, they will reflex to swim
Rooting reflex- babies turn their head to face an object stroking the cheek
Sucking reflex- babies suck on anything that touches the roof of the mouth
Behaviours and reflexes are for something.
Palmar grasp reflex- babies grabbing anything that the palm of the hand touches
Moro reflex- babies respond to loss of support by reaching out arms, and pulling them back in and
crying
Theory- hypotheses, proposition, idea, a testable explanation of a phenomenon that is consistent
with all available evidence
Law- a description of a phenomenon that is consistent and reliable under experimentation
Hypotheses- a prediction or provisional explanation of a phenomenon
The theory of evolution can be used to explain these child reflex, those who had these reflex survive
and thrive
We share reflexes with other animals
Evolutionary model of behaviour
These are primitive and basic, but they help us survive
Evolutionary theory can explain the reflexes maybe?
Evolution- an account of how and why we have different species, over history groups of animals
have become more specializes for their conditions, have characteristics that help their forbears
survive and reproduce, survival of the fittest
Selection pressure- a factor that influences the rate of survival or fertility of a population
Backwards looking, based on previous generation
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Automatic behaviours, behaviours that are outside an organism"s voluntary control, aren"t learned. Reflexes- simple, automatic and near-instantaneous response to stimuli, knee jerk reflex. Instincts- innate (wired in) tendencies to demonstrate common patterns of behaviours in response to stimuli. Basic and pure, still influence us, essential for survival. Babies can learn, diving reflex, they will reflex to swim. Rooting reflex- babies turn their head to face an object stroking the cheek. Sucking reflex- babies suck on anything that touches the roof of the mouth. Palmar grasp reflex- babies grabbing anything that the palm of the hand touches. Moro reflex- babies respond to loss of support by reaching out arms, and pulling them back in and crying. Theory- hypotheses, proposition, idea, a testable explanation of a phenomenon that is consistent with all available evidence. Law- a description of a phenomenon that is consistent and reliable under experimentation. Hypotheses- a prediction or provisional explanation of a phenomenon.
