SENSING&RESPONDING: stimulus elicited behaviour Flashcards
define stimulus elicited behaviour
behaviour produced as an involuntary and immediate consequence of sensory stimulation
define internally initiated
behaviour initiated by something happening in the nervous system (voluntary or involuntary)
define stimulus elicited
behaviour initiated by stimulation of sensory receptors
define reflex
elicited by proximal stimulation
define proximal stimulus
energy of force that impinges on sensory receptors and evokes a change in membrane potential
define distal stimulus
perceived object, structure, substance, state or event in the environment which are the causes of proximal stimulation
characteristics for effective stimulation
start suddenly and rapidly reach a high intensity
give an example of stimulus elicited behaviour by proximal stimulation
pupillary light reflex
- pupils dilate in response to a decrease in light level & constrict in response to increase
what is the proximal and distal stimuli in the pupillary light reflex?
proximal = light level
distal = light source
define autonomic reflex
mediated by ANS, involved in regulating physical state
define skeletomotor reflex
involves skeletal muscles, allows us to move body parts and act voluntarily
what are modal action patterns?
exhibition of distinctive behaviours elicited by a very specific type of stimuli
what distinguishes modal action patterns and reflexes?
in modal actions, identification of the distal stimulus is required
define triggered response / releasing mode
stimulus triggers response in discrete fashion
- response is stored and released by stimulus
define driven response / driving mode
stimulus drives response continuously
- neural activity is evoked by the eliciting stimulus which drives muscle contraction
characteristics of driving mode
- duration = if eliciting stimulus persists, so does response
- amplitude = intense stimuli create larger responses
- variation = strength change of stimulus leads to change in response vigour
