Principles of Learning: Innate Behavior Patterns and Habituation

What is the comparator?

A comparator that receives 2 types of input reference input and actual input.

What is the disturbance?

A disturbance influences from outside the system.

What is a fixed action pattern?

A fixed action pattern is a more complex series of instinctive behavioral sequences.

How do reaction chain differ from fixed action pattern?

A reaction chain differs from a fixed action pattern because it has more variables and is more adaptable.

What is a reaction chain?

A reaction chain is a sequence of behaviors that progressions from one behavior to the next depending on the appropriate external stimulus.

What is the reference input?

A reference input is a conceptual input.

What is a sign stimulus?

A sign stimulus initiates a fixed action pattern, and is very specific.

What is a supernormal stimulus?

A supernormal stimulus is an unrealistic model that can sometimes elicit a stronger response that the actual sign stimulus.

What are the a-processes in the opponent process theory?

A-processes is the primary process in the opponent process theory, it is fast-acting, rises to maximum and remains there as long as the stimulus is present, when the stimulus ends this process decays quickly.

What is the actual input?

An actual input measures some actual physical characteristic of the present environment

What is a aplysia?

An aplasia is a large marine snail with a simple nervous system.

What is the output?

An output is the product of the action system.

What is biphasic emotions?

Biphastic emotion occurs during the eliciting stimulus and the opposite emotion is observed when the stimulus is terminated. (ex: happy when drinking, irritable after.)

What is course of habituation?

Course of habituation is the responses from trial to trial and how they are first very large and progressively become smaller. There is short term which results in habituation quickly but has a spontaneous recovery. Long term which a habituated response will not recover after a long time.

What happens with fatigue?

Fatigue is when muscles cannot respond. (not-habituation)

What is habituation?

Habituation is a type of non-associative learning that illicit a decrease in response to a stimulus following repeated presentation of that stimulus. (learned irrelevance)

What is innate behavior? What criteria is needed for a behavior to be innate?

Innate behavior is a behavior that is not learned (breathing, pump blood through its veins, regulate temperature, ability to flee from predators, etc.) The fiour criteria for a behavior to be innate are unlearned, invariant, universal, and adaptive.

What is kineses?

Kineses means the direction of movement is random in relation to the stimulus. (predators)

What is plasticity?

Plasticity is a change in nervous system's ability to change as a result of experience or stimulation.

What is a reflex?

Reflexes are stereotyped pattern of movement of a part of the body that can be reliably elicited by presenting the appropriate stimulus.

What is the relearning effects of habituation?

Relearning effects are when habituation proceeds more rapidly if re-introduced to previously habituated stimulus.

What is sensitization?

Sensitization is a type of non-associative learning that illicit an increase in the strength of an elicited behavior. (ex: soldiers under attack become more responsive to sound of artillery shells near by.)

What happens with sensory adaption?

Sensory adaption causes sensory receptors to not be able to respond. (not-habituation)

What is the spontaneous recovery in habituation?

Spontaneous recovery is the re-emergence of a habituated response after a delay.

What is stimulus generalization?

Stimulus generalization is a transfer of habituation from one stimulus to new but similar stimuli.

What is stimulus specificity?

Stimulus specificity causes dishabituation which refers to recovery of habituated stimulus following the presentation of a novel stimulus. Habituation is stimulus specific.

What is taxes?

Taxes is direction of movement bears some relation to the location of the stimulus.

What is the action system?

The action system causes change in the system.

What is the b-process in the opponent process theory?

The b-process is the opponent process, it is triggered by activity of a-processes, more sluggish to decay, and counteracts a-process.

What are the characteristics of a fixed action pattern?

The characteristics of a fixed action pattern are: part of behavioral repertoire of all members of a species, suitable experiments have confirmed that the animals ability to perform the behavior is not a result of prior learning, and in a sequence of behavior it occurs in a rigid order regardless of whether they are appropriate in a particular context.

What is the control system theory, and the 6 important components of this theory?

The control system theory provides a framework for goal directed systems. A characteristic that is common to many behaviors is that they appear to be purposive. The 6 components of the control system theory are comparator, reference input, actual input, action system, output, and disturbance. (in that order)

What is effects of over-learning?

The effects of over-learning are below-zero habituation is when learning still occurs even if response to a stimulus has completely disappeared and long term habituation .

What are the effects of stimulus intensity?

The effects of stimulus intensity is how fast habituation occurs. In weak stimuli habituation proceeds more rapidly, and if the stimulus is very intense habituation will not occur.

How does the functioning of these circuitry change following habituation of the gill-withdrawal reflex?

The functioning of this circuitry changes after habituation because less neurotransmitters are mediated by a reduced calcium influx. Neurons that undergo change during habituation are on the circuit. Changes take place within the reflex circuit rather than being the result of new inputs from elsewhere in the nervous system.

What are the general principles of habituation?

The general principles of habituation are: course of habituation (short/long term), effects of time (spontaneous recovery), effects of stimulus intensity, effects of over learning, stimulus generalization, and stimulus specificity (dishabituation).

What is the gill-withdrawal reflex in aplysia?

The gill-withdrawal reflex in aplysia is the habituation that occurs when repeatedly touching the siphon resulting in a smaller response in gill-withdrawal.

What are the neural circuitry in the behavior of aplysia reflex?

The neural circuitry in the behavior of aplysia reflex is stimulus is introduced to syphon the sensory neuron sends the message to the motoneuron which causes the gill-withdrawal.

How does the opponent process theory explain drug tolerance?

The opponent process theory explains drug tolerance as habituation to primary drug reaction, which results in the effectiveness of a drug with repeated exposure. Habitual drug users do not enjoy taking the drug as much a new users, with this decline in the primary drug reaction is the growth of the opponent after-reaction. (withdrawal)

What is the opponent process theory?

The opponent process theory is dual processes (habituation/sensitization). Subjects response to stimulus change are simply as a result of repeated presentation. Emotional reaction weakens, while others are strengthened. Primary reaction weakens with repeated exposure, after-reaction strengthens.

Why fatigue and sensory adaption is not habituation?

The reason why fatigue and sensory adaption is not habituation is because they are produced outside the nervous system in sense organs and muscles.

Why study aplasia in habituation?

The reason why the aplasia studies occurred is because it is believed that physiological mechanisms of habituation and sensitization may be similar in different species.

What is the reflex arc?

The reflex arc represents the fewest number of neural connection necessary for reflex action.

What is the simple system approach?

The simple system approach is the strategy of studying fairly primitive creatures, which have nervous systems that are smaller and less complex.

How do these processes change across repeated exposure to a stimulus according to the opponent process theory?

These processes after repeated exposure change by b-process becomes stronger and takes longer to disappear.

What is tropism?

Tropism is movement or change in orientation of an entire animal.