1. Chapter 2: Elicited behavior, Habituation, and sensitization
behavior is a reaction to a stimulus in the environment.
Food  salivation
Bright light pupil dilation.

2. The simplest form of elicited behavior is the reflex.
Components of a Reflex Arc
All reflex arcs have five essential components
1. receptor
reacts to a stimulus.
2. The sensory (afferent) neuron
conducts message to CNS
3. The integration center
consists of one or more synapses in the CNS.
4. The motor (efferent) neuron
conducts from CNS to an effector.
5. The effector,
muscle fibers or glands,
contracts or secretes.

4. The reflex arc just described = simplest situation.
Often other neural connections are involved.
Notice that the Reflex arc does not require any willful conscious act 
Thus - elicited

5. Animals with reflexive tendencies had an advantage
Reflexes appear to have evolved to protect the well being of the organism.
withdrawal from pain
eyeblink
pupillary reflex
Sneeze, cough, vomit
patellar reflex
rooting reflex.
salivation
release of digestive fluids.
Animals with reflexive tendencies had an advantage

6. Ethology and Modal Action Patterns
Ethologists study the role of behavior within the context of species-specific behaviors.
This is in contrast to the general processes approach used by most psychologists
Ethologists
behavior is generally instinctive.
often study animals in the wild rather than the laboratory

7. Consummatory behaviors
behaviors that are crucial for survival.
feeding, courting, reproducing, and care for offspring.
innate, genetically determined survival behaviors.
For Example
Imprinting.
Konrad Lorenz
 Why do geese imprint, but other birds/animals (robins) do not?
Precocial vs Altricial?

8. 1. The object must be moving
Ethologists try to find the variables that are responsible for eliciting the behavior.
imprinting = two important factors.
1. The object must be moving
doesn’t matter if it is living or not
ultra lights
2. The imprinting must occur within a critical period
(13-16 hours after hatching).
Critical Period for learning some things for humans?
language

9. Modal Action Patterns. (MAP’s) MAPs vs Reflexes
modern Ethology abandoned the term instinct
MAPs vs Reflexes
MAPs are
more complex
consist of a long series of reflex-like acts
more variable, though still stereotypic
less likely to be evident at or soon after birth.

10. In addition, to qualify as a MAP, a behavioral sequence must meet four specific criteria according to Moltz (1963)
1. Stereotyped
occurs the same way each time
2. continue to completion once begun
difficult to disrupt
3. latent period
once completed, some time must pass before behavior appears again
4. innate
the animal must perform the full integrated behavioral sequence the first time its elicited

11. Like Reflexes MAPs are highly adaptive Protection from predators
Cat – arch back, fluff hair, hiss
Protection against the elements
Migration
hibernation
getting food
Pigs rooting
spider webs
courtship and mating
Big Horn Sheep
Ducks
care for young
Birds
Nests
Gathering food
Wasps that capture spiders

12. Modal Action Patterns are released by a sign stimulus
a specific environmental event that triggers an MAP
Female pheromones often trigger mating behavior in males
The sign stimulus works like a key to unlock an innate releasing mechanism
innate releasing mechanism
a neural mechanism that is stimulated by a sign stimulus.
controls the modal action pattern

13. Examples Geese with Eggs Birds feeding young Herring gull studies
Rolling away?
What if it slips on way back?
stereotyped
Larger eggs?
Supernormal stimuli
Birds feeding young
Cowbirds
Herring gull studies
Which beak works best?

21. Do humans exhibit Modal Action Patterns?
sleep?
Stereotyped?
continue to completion once begun?
latent period?
Innate?
emotions?
sex?

22. Effects of Repeated Stimulation
Descartes thought that a reflexive response would occur the same way each time it was elicited
However – elicited behavior are not invariant
Habituation.
repeated exposure to a stimulus reduces responding to that stimulus.

23. Habituation is a very simple form of learning
Very useful tool for understanding animal and infant behavior.
Can you distinguish between “ba” and “pa”
Infants?
Used suck rate as response
Pacifier with an embedded switch

24. As simple as habituation is, it can be used to tell us a lot about a nonverbal organism
Other race effect
Caucasian infants (3.5 months old)
Group 1 (Caucasian faces)
shown a Caucasian face until habituated
Group2 (Asian faces)
Shown an Asian face until habituated
Test
Both groups shown novel faces
New Caucasian face for group 1
New Asian face for group 2

25. Other-race effect in Caucasian infants

26. Repetitive stimulation does not always cause habituation.
HOWEVER,
Repetitive stimulation does not always cause habituation.
sometimes you get sensitization.
My father and motorcycle
emotional response
flee
do not habituate
likely to be more responsive to other stimuli.
tap on the shoulder
drop a wrench. 
My dog and car AC

27. Davis (1974)
sensitization and habituation to the same stimulus.
110 db noise = loud.
Gp1 = rats housed in a quiet chamber = 60 db
Gp 2 = rats housed in a loud chamber = 80 db
One of the groups decreased their startle response to the 110 db noise after repeated presentations.
The other group increased their startle response to the 110 db noise after repeated presentations.
Which group is which?
What phenomenon does each group demonstrate?

28. What determines whether we get habituation or sensitization?
Dual process theory
Two simultaneous processes
S-R system
Reflex arc
State system
Involves additional parts of the nervous system that regulate levels of arousal

29. The S-R system and State system are additive – but in opposite directions
The more active system will determine whether habituation or sensitization is displayed
Example
Checkerboard study in book.
Infants shown checkerboards
4 x 4
12 x 12

31. Habituation versus Sensory Adaptation and Response Fatigue
Bright light – blinded
Loud noise – can’t hear
Response Fatigue
Too tired to move

32. Figure 2. 13 – Diagram of a simple reflex
Figure 2.13 – Diagram of a simple reflex. Sensory adaptation occurs in the sense organs, and response fatigue occurs in effector muscles. In contrast, habituation and sensitization occur in the nervous system.

33. Characteristics of Habituation Habituation is response specific
Some parts of responding may habituate – but others continue to operate.
Announcement while taking a test
Look up
orienting response
quickly habituates
You will likely still be listening however = other response
Listening not habituated
Habituation is stimulus specific
Stop responding to one thing, but if there is a change in the stimulus the habituation goes away.
Dishabituation

34. Time course for habituation
Short-term = seconds to minutes
Long-term = may persist for many days
Leaton (1976)
Startle response in rats to loud high pitched tone