The Nature of Elicited Behavior Elicited Behavior Behavior

The Nature of Elicited Behavior • Elicited Behavior: Behavior in response to a stimulus – Because of preexisting organization of the nervous system – From the simplest reflexes to the most complex behavior sequences • Reflexes consist of eliciting stimulus and corresponding response – provide rapid behavioral adjustment to environmental events likely to be encountered. – The response rarely occurs in the absence of the stimulus – Reflex Arc (simple reflex) is mediated by minimum of three neurons • Sensory Neuron • Interneuron • Motor Neuron • However not all reflexes are simple reflex arcs with simple circuits • startle reflex • Jump when you hear a loud sound, • requires complex circuits including auditory circuit, processing circuit and motor circuit each of which contains several neurons • More complex behaviors such as running away from a grizzly bear • consists of a combination of reflexes including hormonal, emotional and cognitive processing to the extent that it is difficult to determine the role of reflexes.

The Principles of Learning and Behavior, 7 e by Michael Domjan Copyright © 2015

Functional value of some common reflexes • Withdrawal Reflex; pulling away from painful stimulus • Patellar Reflex is a stretch reflex that is part of a large set of proprioceptive signals • Startle reflex (video) is a whole body response to a sudden stimulus • Pupil dilation/contraction in response to light intensity • Much of the behavior repertoire of new infants (sucking, head turning, respiratory occlusion reflex) • Some reflexes in infants disappear with maturation • Moro reflex when the head is released suddenly the arms should move sideways with the palms up and the thumbs flexed • Sucking reflex: sucking when the area around mouth is touched • Startle reflex: pulling arms and legs in after hearing loud noise • Step reflex: stepping motions when sole of foot touches hard surface

Functional value of some common reflexes • Much of the behavior repertoire of new infants (sucking, head turning, respiratory occlusion reflex) • Others are precursors to mature behavior • Rooting Reflex when you stroke the baby's cheek. The infant will turn toward the side that was stroked and begin to make sucking motions with the mouth • Grasping reflex occurs if you place a finger on the infant's open palm. The hand will close around the finger • And yet others are examples of reflexes that last into adulthood • Blinking reflex -- blinking the eyes when they are touched or when a sudden bright light appears • Cough reflex -- coughing when the airway is stimulated • Gag reflex -- gagging when the throat or back of the mouth is stimulated • Sneeze reflex -- sneezing when the nasal passages are irritated • Yawn reflex - yawning when the body needs more oxygen • Power Point Presentation on Infant Reflexes and Stereotypies

Modal Action Pattern • Fixed action patterns (Lorenz and Tinbergen) – develop independently of the rearing environment and continue to completion even in the absence of guiding stimuli. – Fixed-action-pattern of egg retrieval by greylag goose. – archaic terminology replaced by modal action pattern • Modal Action Pattern (MAP) Reflexive response sequences peculiar to a specific species – – Sexual behavior such as nest building in birds or fish Territorial defense such as guarding a boundary from intruders Aggression such as parents attacking intruders Prey capture such as wolves chasing and catching deer • MAP can be simple or complex and how they occur can depend on the feedback from the external environment – Simple egg retrieval – More complex courtship behavior includes the interaction of male and female

Fixed action pattern Modal action pattern Egg retrieval by greylag goose. Fixed action patterns are given independently of the rearing environment and continue to completion even in the absence of guiding stimuli.

Modal Action Pattern • MAP are elicited by Sign Stimulus or releasing stimulus – Herring gull chicks peck at a red spot on parent's bill – Tinbergen and Perdeck, (1950) Experiments where a yellow stick with red spots acts as a stimulus. – Threshold for eliciting behavior varies with circumstances • the same stimulus can have varying effects depending upon the physiological • motivational such as hunger • hormonal influences such as breeding season – These patterns are not done exactly the same each time performed • Supernormal stimulus – artificially exaggerated sign stimulus that elicits an unusually vigorous response – is the most effective stimulus for eliciting behavior may not be those that occur under natural conditions • Timbergen 1948 Osytercather Supernormal Sign Stimuli using large eggs • Artificial Eggs used by Baerends & Kruijt

Sign Stimulus Tinbergen and Perdeck, (1950) Herring gull chicks use a moving red spot on bill as a sign stimulus to recognize their mother. A yellow stick with red spots acts as a supernormal stimulus.

Supernormal Sign Stimuli A supernormal sign stimulus is one that mimics and “outdoes” normal sign stimuli.

Baerends & Kruijt Supranormal Egg Retrieval Model Value

Modal Action Patterns in humans? • Eating behavior • Odor and taste of food • Visual cues of food • Social and Sexual behavior • • ? ? Cosmetics, Perfume, Clothing Tactile: touch Olfactory: pheromones Visual: Eyebrow flash • Defensive Action Pattern p 34 • Supra-normal stimuli effects on Humans • Art, advertising, toys etc. • Head size of dolls • Body shape in art • Color, size, shape, movement in advertising

Supra-normal stimuli in Humans

Sequential Organization of Behavior • Responses are organized into functionally effective behavior sequences • Distinctions made by early ethologists: – Motivated behavior (foraging for food) involves appetitive behavior (early components) • • beginning of sequence less stereotyped can take on a variety of different forms depending on the environment Bring the organism into contact with stimuli that release (elicit) consummatory behavior – Consummatory behavior (end components) • highly stereotyped • and species-specific modal actions patterns • elicited by specific releasing stimuli

Sequential Organization of Behavior • Examples: Foraging, Mating , Sexual activity, Territorial Defense and Aggression • Humans: Foraging • Appetitive: Type and method of food preparation varies across cultures • Consummatory: chewing and swallowing the same across cultures • Humans: Aggression • Appetitive: Threatening behavior varies across cultures • Consummatory: Hitting and hurting consistent across cultures • Foraging behavior organized into modes: (Timberlake 2001) • general search mode • focal search mode • food handling mode • Awareness of sequential organization of behavior in a given species is important because learning effects depend on which component of the behavior sequence is being modified.

Guarding Dog • Anatolian Shepherd – originated in the Anatolia region of central Turkey – responsible for guarding livestock without human assistance • Training a livestock-guarding dog is primarily a matter of raising the dog with sheep to establish a social bond between sheep and dog • Neoteny: retain puppy like characteristics – – licking the muzzle of an adult play wrestling barking when something new or strange approaches absence of predatory behavior

Effects of repeated stimulation • Elicited behavior change with experience – Does not occur exactly the same every time an elicited stimulus is encountered – Varies in intensity (and form) – Varies in duration • Reflexive behavior changes with repeated presentations of eliciting stimulus • Salivary response in humans • Startle Response in Rats • Habituation effects: – Decrease in responsiveness with repeated exposure to a particular eliciting stimulus. – Stimulus specific • Affected by novelty or familiarity and complexity of stimulation

Effects of repeated stimulation • Salivation and Hedonic Ratings of Taste in People • Repeated taste of lemon or lime see Figure 2. 4 • • • Group one taste of lemon every 2 minutes for ten trials and then lime on trial 11 Group two taste of lime every 2 minutes for ten trials and then lemon on trial 11 Decreased salivation across ten trials Lower hedonic ratings across ten trials Recovery on trial 11 • People find the taste of food to be less intense or pleasant the more often they eat that food • Attention to the taste stimulus • Distraction will reduce amount of habituation – Eating with friends – Using electronics while eating • Habituation to the taste of lemon yogurt see figure 2. 5 • Individual difference in habituation to taste • Habituation in average weight women • Less habituation in overweight women

Effects of repeated stimulation • Visual Attention in Infants –Present visual stimuli to infants see Fig 2. 6 • Either 4 X 4 or 12 X 12 pattern • Present eight times for ten seconds at ten second intervals –Habituation effect to the 4 X 4 pattern see Fig 2. 7 –Sensitization followed by habituation to the 12 x 12 pattern –The more complex visual stimulus reduced habituation

Effects of repeated stimulation • Facial familiarity in infants see Figure 2. 8 • Phase one: habituation to the photos of the face • group one familiarized to facial frontal view • group two familiarized to facial side view • Phase two: • each group tested with face in the other view – Group one tested with side view – Group two tested with frontal view • also tested with photos of familiar face or novel face • Infants looked at the novel faces more then the familiar faces • • Novelty produces dishabituation Evidence that infants can distinguish familiar from novel faces even with different orientation of the face