PSYB38 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Moro Reflex, Immanuel Kant, Startle Response
Document Summary
Declared that psychology perhaps can never become a proper natural science because its phenomena cannot be quantified. =like any science, key is to clearly define problems and devise precise experiments to measure and test them. Became fully convinced that human behaviour can be understood and explained best in physiological terms rather than mentalist terms. Analysis of behaviours and reactions was the only objective method to get insight on human actions. Behaviours elicited by prior stimuli and are not affected by their consequences. =reflexive behaviours eg. blinking, salivation, arousal, startle, fear (heart racing, sweating, freezing) Innate, eg. loud bang -> startle, food -> salivation. Eg. a lightbulb is a neutral stimulus, so it doesnt elicit any feelings. However, a microphone is a unconditioned stimulus that can result in startle. If you couple these together, and use them enough times on a person, then the next time they see a lightbulb, they would immediately be startled -> learned stimulus -> conditioned.
