PSYC 2330 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Startle Response, Supernormal Stimulus, Reflex Arc

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2330
• Professor: Francesco Leri

Document Summary

Habituation and sensitization are important because they are potentially involved in all learning procedures. Most behaviour occurs in response to stimuli. Simplest form of elicited behaviour reflexive behaviour. Reflex: involves two closely related events: an eliciting stimulus and a corresponding response, stimulus and response are linked, presentation of the stimulus is followed by the response and the response rarely occurs without the stimulus. Specificity of the relation between a stimulus and its reflex response is a consequence of the organization of the nervous system. Suckling in infants one of the most prominent reflexes in infants. Startle reactions to loud noises) are evident in many species. But other forms of elicited behaviour occur in just one species or in a small group of related species. Modal action patterns (maps): response sequences that are typical of a particular species. Species-typical maps have been identified in many aspects of animal behaviour including sexual behaviour, territorial defence, aggression, and prey capture.