Habituation and sensitisation

Question 1

Name the ways that reflex behaviour changes (4)

Answer 1

Response becomes more/less vigorous, eliciting stimulus can become more/less likely to elicit a response, response can more/less effectively produce an outcome, stimulus can elicit a new respone

Question 2

Why does reflex behaviour change? (4)

Answer 2

Bodily injury/muscle fatigue, increases/decreases in physical strength, internal state/mood, learning as a result of experience

Question 3

List the 2 ways that organisms learn not to respond to stimuli

Answer 3

Nothing will be gained by responding, when it loses something e.g. time and money

Question 4

How can you determine whether decline in vigour is sue to learning or fatigue?

Answer 4

Wait for fatigue to wear off and then test to see if behaviour change persists (train-rest-retest protocol)

Question 5

Explain the 2 outcomes of the train-rest-retest protocol

Answer 5

Retention test where response vigour is restored or not restored

Question 6

If habituation has occurred during the train-rest-retest protocol, what does this mean decline is due to?

Answer 6

Habituation present = learning, no habituation = fatigue

Question 7

Describe the acoustic startle reflex

Answer 7

Rat jumps in response to loud and brief noise. Force exerted by rat is measured by instrumental noise, startle amplitude declines each day

Question 8

Does learning wear off?

Answer 8

No, has permanent changes

Question 9

Which reflex cannot be habituated?

Answer 9

Learning not to respond to a stimulus vestibular-ocular reflex cannot be habituated

Question 10

Describe reflex habituation

Answer 10

A learning process that leads to reduced responsiveness of a reflex as a result of repeatedly eliciting the response

Question 11

What is short-term habituation?

Answer 11

Learning process that effects last for less than an hour and can be established during one session on a single day

Question 12

Define dishabituation

Answer 12

Undoing habituation effect by the presentation of an intense, aversive stimulus.

Question 13

What is meant by behaviour potential?

Answer 13

Performances after the experience are different than before

Question 14

Accidental experience is when…

Answer 14

Experiences are consequences of being in a particular place at a particular time

Question 15

What is deliberate experience?

Answer 15

Deliberately doing something as to experience the doing of it, thinking the experience will enable you to perform better

Question 16

List the factors that change behaviour (5)

Answer 16

Performance, fatigue, alertness, motivation, fitness/strength

Question 17

Define synaptic depression

Answer 17

A reduction of synaptic strength

Question 18

Explain decline in vigour with repeated elicitation

Answer 18

Can be due to learning, fatigue and boredom wear off.

Question 19

What are habituation and sensitisation examples of?

Answer 19

Non-associative learning

Question 20

Define reflex threshold

Answer 20

Lowest strength of eliciting stimulus capable of a reflex

Question 21

What does sensitisation increase?

Answer 21

Sensitisation increases responsiveness

Question 22

What is meant by synaptic facilitation?

Answer 22

Increase in strength of synaptic connections

Question 23

List the 3 reasons decline isn’t due to habituation

Answer 23

Decline only observed when standing, short intervals, decline not reserved by presentation of a short sequence of aversive stimuli

Question 24

Explain the gill withdrawal reflex in Aplysia

Answer 24

Stimulation of gill which elicits withdrawal.

Question 25

Whether habituation or sensitisation has a greater effect depends on characteristics of stimuli experienced

Answer 25

Arousing/aversive = sensitisation, eliciting stimulus = habituation

Question 26

If the stimulus is important, is habituation or sensitisation activated?

Answer 26

Habituation process is activated and is stronger, so responsiveness will decline over repeated presentations

Question 27

Will habituation or sensitisation be activated if stimulus is slightly aversive?

Answer 27

Both activated and could cancel each other out, so no change

Question 28

If the stimulus is more arousing, will habituation or sensitisation be activated?

Answer 28

Sensitisation has more effect which leads to increase in responsiveness