lecture 6 Flashcards
aversive stimulus applied AFTER habituation results in
reflex responsiveness/vigour Is RESTORED
Dishabituation undoes the effects of prior habituation
what happens to reflex responsiveness / vigour after aversive stimulation if is has NOT previously been habituated
responsiveness and vigour increases= reflex sensitisation
sensitisation occurs mainly in
defensive reflexes , avoidance and related reflexed like orienting and startle reflexes
sensitisation is the opposite effect
to habituation and is responsible for dishabituation - undoing the effects of habituation
sensitisation differs from habituation
occurs quickly - reaches maximum quickly and fewer stimuli are needed
non specific - effects of habituation are confined to the elicited response but sensitisation affects all defensive avoidance and relatedness
sensitisation exhibits both
short and long term forms
short term
a SINGLE aversive stimulus may be sufficient to produce a short term sensitisation effect that lasts from a few minutes to a few hours
more aversive stimuli are needed to produce a
noticeable effect
long term
repeated sessions separated by several hours produce a long term effect that can last days/weeks
dual process theory
2 simultaneously active process - habituation and sensitisation
opposite effects -
habituation - reduces reflex responsiveness
sensitisation - increases reflex responsiveness
the dual process theory proposes that
habituation is always engaged by an eliciting stimulus
sensitisation process may be engaged- depends upon how aversive/arousing the stimulus is
when an eliciting stimulus is presented both processes
are engaged , depend on which process has the larger effect
if the eliciting stimulus is NON AVERSIVE
the habituation process proceeds and the responsiveness of the reflex declines
if the eliciting stimulus is AVERSIVE
habituation process is still automatically engaged but its effects are COUNTERACTED by a STRONGER SENSITISATION process- so responsiveness INCREASES
No stimulation
neither process is engaged
non aversive
habituation engaged
sensitisation weakly engaged
aversive
sensitisation is strongly engaged
habituation weakly engaged
what happens if both processes have equal strengths
both processes engaged but CANCEL each other out
reflex responsiveness does not change
what is the neural basis of reflex habituation
habituation effects are observed in very simple neural circuits in simple animals like sea slugs and worms
gill withdrawal reflex
reflex mediated by a simple neural circuit
connectivity is both mono and disynaptic
Sensory neuron connects
monosynaptically with the motoneuron
interneuron disynaptically
a brief tickle of the siphon elicits a
rapid gill withdrawal
a few tickles repeated with an ISI inter stimulus interval will
quickly habituate the response