1. Elicited behavior, Habituation, and Sensitization

2. Non-Associative Learning/Behavior
Elicited behavior - reflex, modal action pattern.
Repeated stimulation - habituation, sensitization.
Emotional behavior - pattern of affective dynamics.

3. Elicited Behavior
Reflex - Response elicited by a specific stimulus. Salivation, knee jerk, etc.

4. Elicited Behavior
Modal Action Pattern (MAP) – Orderly sequence of reflexive behaviors.
Concept put forth by ethologists Tinbergen and Lorenz.
Species typical behavior, e.g., feeding, mating, social behaviors, etc.
Evolutionarily important behaviors, “instinctive”
Elicited by complex array or sequence of stimuli.
Elicitation can depend on motivation (“action-specific energy”)

5. Modal Action Pattern Video of egg retrieval in goose
What is the sign stimulus?

6. MAPs in Humans?
Lorenz claimed that caring for young (and the associated affective responses) are MAPs.
The sign stimuli are:
Head large in proportion to the body
Protruding forehead large in proportion to the size of the rest of the face
Large ears and eyes below the midline of the head
Small nose
Short thick extremities
Rounded body shape
Soft elastic body surfaces
Round protruding cheeks

9. Stephen Jay Gould on the evolution of Mickey Mouse

10. Supernormal stimulus
An accurate 3-dimensional model of a herring gull's head (a), and a 'supernormal' bill (b).

11. Supernormal stimulus

12. Supernormal stimuli? v.

13. Repeated stimulation

14. Repeated stimulation
Elicited behavior is not plastic, but can change with repeated stimulation.
Habituation effect
Decreased response with repeated stimulation.
Sensitization effect
Increased response with repeated stimulation.

15. Habituation effect
Response
Trials

16. Habituation movie
Rat hears a series of loud bursts of noise

17. Dishabituation

18. Dishabituation effect
Response
Trials

19. Dishabituation movie Rat hears a series of loud high-pitched noises,
Followed by a loud lower-pitched noise,
Followed by another series of loud high-pitched noises

20. Spontaneous recovery
Retention Interval
Response
Trials

21. Location of habituation processes
Sensory
adaptation
Habituation
Fatigue

22. How is habituation different from sensory adaptation and fatigue?
Sometimes the habituated response will not recover after for a long time. (Long Term Habituation)

23. Habituation will be slower for stimuli which have a higher salience (i
Habituation will be slower for stimuli which have a higher salience (i.e., intensity)

24. Dishabituation following the presentation of a novel stimulus.

25. Generalization gradient of a habituated response.

26. Short-Term v. Long-Term Habituation
Days
Day 12
Day 13
Leaton (1976)

27. Sensitization effect
Response
Trials

28. Sensitization
In general Sensitization effects can be influenced by similar parameters as habituation.
However, generalization is greater in Sensitization.
Following exposure to cutaneous pain, rats’ reactivity to a wide range of auditory stimuli is increased.
Sensitization can be thought of as “arousal”.

29. Sensitization “arousal” effect
Sensitization Movie

30. Habituation and Sensitization in Aplysia

43. Sensitization Pathway
Increased serotonin release

44. Dual-Process theory of Habituation and Sensitization
2 underlying processes exist
1) A Habituation process
2) A Sensitization process
The observable behavior is the sum of these two processes.
The habituation effect is observed when the
habituation process is greater than the sensitization process.

45. Dual Process examples
Habituation effect
Sensitization effect

46. Groves and Thompson (1970)
S-R System: Habituation is thought to occur in the
reflex arc.
State System: Sensitization is thought to occur in the part of the nervous system that determines general responsiveness.

47. Infant attention

48. Looking
Time
Trials

49. Emotional responses

50. Opponent Process Theory of Motivation

51. Changes in complex emotional responses
Explains:
Drug addiction – tolerance and withdrawal
(?) Marriage – boredom and bereavement