PSY352H5 : Ch. 2 study guide

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18 Jan 2011
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Controlling behavior: the role of the nervous system. It should be obvious from the previous chapter that the behavior of an animal is a complex affair and one that requires a high degree of control and coordination. Of course it must also require information about both the individual"s surroundings and its internal state. Although some hormone-mediated short-term control does take place, the proximate (short- term) control of behavior is largely the job of the specialist cells of the nervous system. ***at a proximate level the behaviors animals perform are controlled in part by the activity of the nervous system. This network of specialized cells provides a means of rapid information transfer within the animal, linking sensory input to central processing and motor responses. ***many types of behavior can be described as reflexes, relatively simple involuntary responses to stimuli. In some cases these stimuli (releasers) are very specific, in other cases they are more general.