Reflexes and Behaviours

Question 1

What is a reflex?

Answer 1

A simple response to a stimuli: removing foot from stepping on something hot/sharp.

Question 2

What is a reflex arc?

Answer 2

The pathway of a reflex action through the nervous system.

Question 3

What is the pathway?

Answer 3

Stimulus: receptor: sensory neuron: relay neuron in CNS: motor neuron: effector (muscle)

Question 4

What are simple reflexes?

Answer 4

Automatic: do not require learning.

Question 5

What do reflexes enable us to do?

Answer 5

Respond quickly to a stimuli that could harm us.

Question 6

Why are responses rapid?

Answer 6

They use fixed pathways that do not involve the brain making a conscious decision: relay neurons are in CNS, but brain not involved if stimulus is below neck.

Question 7

Relay neurons in the CNS connect with other neurons that run to the brain, so we:

Answer 7

• know what’s happened after the reflex action has occurred
• override an action: keeping hold of a hot object when you’d rather not drop it: brain changes message to motor neurons, keep hold of item.

Question 8

What can be instinctive or learned?

Answer 8

Certain behaviours that animals have to help them survive in the environment.

Question 9

What are instinctive behaviours controlled by?

Answer 9

Reflex responses: woodlice moving away from light. Simple animals have simple nervous systems: can’t learn behaviours.

Question 10

What is conditioning?

Answer 10

A reflex response to a stimulus can be learned by introducing an unrelated stimulus in association with the first.

Question 11

Ian Pavlov’s work with dogs:

Answer 11

• dogs produce saliva to sight, smell, taste of food
• Pavlov rang bell before giving food: process repeated
• dogs produce saliva at sound of bell: without food
• associated bell with food.

Question 12

John B. Watson’s study with 8 month old Albert:

Answer 12

• Albert liked the white rat
• A was shown rat while noise made him cry
• A shown rat and cried when no noise was played.

Question 13

What is the bell in Pavlov’s experiment?

Answer 13

Bell = secondary stimulus
Food = primary stimulus
Second stimulus has no direct connection with primary stimulus.

Question 14

What are conditioned reflexes?

Answer 14

A simple form of learning that helps people/animals survive: plants bright colours with plant is poisonous helps animals to not eat is.