Elicited Behavior

Review:

Pavlov interested in the reflex.

Often called the reflex arc Connection of sensory neuron to motor

neuron (often

intermediating neurons)

Elicited Behavior

More complex behavior:

Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs)

Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen Aka: modal action patterns

GP Baerends

Releasing stimuli aka: sign stimuli, eliciting stimuli,

releasers Innate releasing mechanism (perceptual

& motor programs in brain)

A complex response to simple stimuli

A simple rule of thumb governs this beetle’s mating behavior

Input from the world behavioral output

Fixed Action Pattern defined…

1. ‘characteristic’ (aka, stereotypic), low variance behavior usually has functional significance (i.e.,

feeding, reproduction, defense)

2. specific eliciting stimulus initiates behavior

3. not easily altered by environmental perturbations

4. insensitive to consequential reinforcement contingencies

Begging behavior by a gull chick

Fixed Action Patterns

Processing of signstimuli and activationof response processedby brain.

The source of energy (motivation) in Lorenz’s model

Human Fixed Action Patterns

Human Fixed Action Patterns:

• Lots of FAPs in newborns (impt for survival)

• Feeding / eating motor patterns Suckling in infants (mammals)

• Newborn prehensile hand reflex (grasping objects) Can even support the infant’s weight!

(do NOT try this at home!)

Human Fixed Action Patterns

Human Fixed Action Patterns:

• Yawn contagion

• Emotional displays Eibl-Eibesfeldt: Film Archive of Human

Ethology Example – eyebrow flash

Human Fixed Action Patterns

Human Fixed Action Patterns:

• Yawn contagion

• Emotional displays Eibl-Eibesfeldt: Film Archive of Human

Ethology Example – eyebrow flash

All basic emotions? Ekman’s facial expression categories

Universal Facial Expressions of Emotion

Human Fixed Action Patterns

Human Fixed Action Patterns:

• Fearful / defensive responses Startle response, eyeblink reflex perceptual detection of snakes

fear-conditioning to snakes

• Reproductive behavior Copulation – motor responses Attraction / arousal

Makeup, surgical enhancement emphasizes sign stimuli

Elicited Behavior Changes with Repeated Presentations

Habituation & Sensitization

Elicited Behavior Changes with Repeated Presentations

Groves and Thompson’s Dual-Process Theory of habituation & sensitization (p.48)

concurrent diff brain mechanisms

humans show both habituation and sensitization visual attention in infants flavor perception startle responses

Habituation and Sensitization

Habituation and Sensitization

Habituation and Sensitization

sensitization

habituation

Habituation and Sensitization

habituation test subtle cognitive phenomena in babies example: the other-race effect

• 3.5 mo old Caucasian infants detect a change in a facial stimulus better when in own race

• habituate to face of same or different race

• change features of face by adding 30% features of other race

Habituation and Sensitization

habituation & sensitization in human flavor perception

Sensitization in potentiated startle is cue-specific

• Ss told either pleasant or unpleasant picture could be followed by shock (never was)

• response = blinking to a puff of air

• blinking greater to pleasant pics if told shock may come

• blinking ALWAYS great to unpleasant pics

• SENSITIZATION

Pavlovian Conditioning = elicited behavior

Bell Food Drool

Bell Food Drool

• Pavlovian conditioning = animal responds to conditioned stimulus Similar to FAP (CS ~ sign stimulus)

cp, operant conditioning behavior emitted, not elicited willful?? hmmm...

Drool

Pavlovian Conditioning = elicited behavior

In the real world, we use Pavlovian conditioning to alter basic animal behavioral behaviors to our advantage

The Nature of Stimuli and Responses

• What Makes a Good CS? US? Initial responses to the stimuli

US biologically relevant “endogenous” or “instinctive”

No train CS neutral (absent) response

Salience US: faster learning CS: faster learning also

Why?

Belongingness

• “Bright-noisy/sweet water expt” Garcia & Koelling (1966) More on this later in the semester… For now… some cues go together

What determines the nature of the CR?

• S-R response to US (Stimulus-Substitution Theory)

URCR

CR will be very similar to UR…

What determines the nature of the CR?

• S-R response to US (Stimulus-Substitution Theory)

• Attention? Physical Setting? Sign tracking / autoshaping (Hearst) Approach-Withdrawal Responses

Long-box

• Nature of the CS Holland (1977) head-jerking / orientation

CS modality Duration of CS

What Determines the Nature of the CR?

Some Useful Videos

• autoshaping in pigeons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cacwAvgg8EA

• autoshaping with grain vs water:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50EmqiYC9Xw

• inefficient “long box” autoshaping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnJPPaiJG6Y

• orienting (rearing) and head-jerking in rats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WQFygY-qZM

What Determines the Nature of the CR?

• Opponent-Process Theory Sometimes the CR will be the opposite of the

UR Homeostasis

Allows animal to counteract perturbations of homeostasis (e.g., physiological drug effects)

Drug tolerance Cravings Drug overdoses not always overdoses!

Opponent-Process Theory

Opponent-Process Theory

Opponent-Process Theory

First dose 100th dose