1. Innate Behaviours

2. Behavioural Systems Complexity Observe behavioural “endpoint” Reductionism Constituent elements Simple systems interact producing complex outcomes Gestält

3. Why Study Innate Behaviours? Evolved –Learned behaviours have roots in innate behaviours –Parallels between learned and innate behaviours Some innate behaviours modifiable Types of innate behaviours –Homeostasis, reflexes, tropisms, modal action patterns, reaction chains

4. Elicited Behaviours Behaviour occurs in reaction to an environmental stimulus For example: –Face moving stimulus in peripheral vision –Sneeze if inhaling dust, a bug, etc.

5. Homeostasis Internal balance of the body Drives Regulatory drives

6. Osmotic Homeostasis Regulating body H 2 O level Example: at a party –Eat peanuts/popcorn/chips Increase salt concentration –Thirsty...drink beer Increases H 2 0; dilutes salt concentration –But, alcohol = diuretic Pee...decreases H 2 0; increases salt concentration even more –Thirsty... drink more beer Pee even more; salt concentration increased again –Etc. Solution? Drink water!

7. Control System Comparator Reference input Actual input Action system Output Feedback system (closed-loop system) Response lag

8. Blood Salinity Comparator Output Eat peanuts! Action System Actual input Eat more peanuts! Drink water! Reference input

9. Reflexes Stereotypic movement patterns Reliably elicited by appropriate stimulus Survival benefit

10. Principles C.S. Sherrington Spinal animals (dogs) Threshold for activation Latency until response Irradiation of response

11. Reflex Arc Monosynaptic –One sensory and one motor neuron Polysynaptic –One or more interneurons connect sensory and motor neurons –Interneurons allow processing and/or inhibition within spinal cord –All but simplest reflexes

12. Patellar Reflex Monosynaptic –Patellar tendon struck –Stimulates stretch sensory receptors (muscle spindles) –Triggers afferent impulse in sensory nerve fiber of femoral nerve leading to L4 of spinal cord –Sensory neuron synapses directly with motor neuron, conveying efferent impulse to quadriceps Necessary for walking without conscious thought en.eikipedia.org/wiki/File:Patellar-knee-reflex.png Animation

13. Pupillary Light Reflex Controls diameter of pupil –Greater light --> pupil contracting –Lower light --> pupil expands Cranial nerves; two sensory, two motor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ciliary _ganglion_pathways.png

14. Tropisms Orientation or movement of whole organism Kinesis –Movement random with respect to stimulus Taxis –Non-random (directed) movement with respect to stimulus Control systems

15. Simple Agent Body Propulsion system Sensor + - Excitatory or inhibitory

16. Movement: Environment Perfectly homogenous Non-homogenous

17. Kinesis + Homogenous Locally cool so stops slowerfast + Locally cool so stops Non-homogenous

18. Only Slightly More Complex Agent Body Propulsion system Sensors + - Excitatory or inhibitory + -

19. Taxis + + + +

20. - - - -

21. What Would This Do? + + + +

22. Modal Action Patterns Originally “fixed”; variable to some degree Species specific, often state dependent Sign stimulus activates a dedicated neural network (innate releasing mechanism) Go to completion in sequential

23. MAPs Graylag goose –Rolls displaced egg near its nest back with beak –Sign stimulus: displaced egg –Remove egg during sequence –Goose keeps pulling head back as if egg was there –MAP videoMAP video www.cerebromente.org.br/n09/fastfacts/comportold_I.htm

24. Supernormal Stimuli Extreme version of sign stimulus Size Colouration Preference for supernormal stimuli Sometimes detrimental

25. Beetles on the Bottle Gwynne & Rentz (1983) Male Jewel beetles (Julodimorpha bakewelli) Colour and reflection of bumps on bottle as supernormal stimuli for female beetle

26. Mimicry Code-breaking Brood parasitism Cowbird, cuckoo Noisier, more energetic behaviour Conveys urgent need for food Reed warbler feeding cuckoo Wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_action_pattern

27. Reaction Chains Initiated by a particular stimulus Progression condition dependent Starts with most appropriate behaviour in chain Can end before chain complete

28. Reaction Chain Stimulus Action (behaviour) Outcome (new stimulus)

29. Reaction Chain S1A1 S3 A2 S2 A3 S4 A4

30. Sequential Organization Functionally effective behaviour sequences Non-random Appetitive behaviour –Early components of sequence Consummatory (i.e., completion) behaviour –End components of sequence

31. Variability to Fixed Appetitive behaviours –Can take a variety of forms dependent upon situation Consumatory behaviours –Highly stereotypic

32. E.g., Foraging General search mode Focal search mode Food handling Injestion General to specific

33. Habituation and Sensitization Simplest form of Learning

34. Habituation Decrease in a response following repeated stimulus presentation Note: not everything that results in a decrease in response is habituation Sensitization Increase in a response following repeated stimulus presentation

35. Time Course Habituation –Short-term Seconds to minutes When many stimuli presented frequently –Long-term Hours to days When fewer stimuli presented less frequently Sensitization –Short-lived –Seconds to minutes

36. Stimulus Specificity Habituation –Quite stimulus specific –Stimulus generalization of habituation Sensitization –Not very stimulus specific –But not totally generalizable (e.g., sensitization to shock only generalizes to other exteroceptive cues)

37. Spontaneous Recovery Post habituation or sensitization Return of original level of responding Due to passage of time

38. Dishabituation Quickly restores response after habituation Exposure to extraneous stimulus Essentially, sensitization Habituation and sensitization working in opposition

39. Sensory Adaptation Temporary change in neural response to a stimulus as a result of the preceding stimulus Habituation is response specific; sensory adaptation is not

40. Response Fatigue Due to use neurons or muscle fibers no longer functioning optimally or at all Habituation is stimulus specific, response fatigue is not

41. Physiological Mechanisms of Habituation Neurologically simple Seen across species Example: Aplysia

42. Aplysia Gill-Withdrawal Reflex sensory receptor sensory neuron interneuron motor neuron gill withdrawal muscle

43. Synaptic Effects of Habituation Decrease in excitatory conductance No change in postsynaptic sensitivity Reduced neurotransmitter release Decrease in active zones

44. Neurochemical Level: Calcium

45. Learning Through Habituation Learning without new axons/synapses Chemical change at synapse Plasticity

46. Opponent-Process Theories Assumes two opposing components Observable behaviour Net sum of two underlying processes

47. Dual-Process Theory of Habituation Groves & Thompson (1970) Competitive Habituation process and sensitization process Behaviour of habituation or sensitization is the net sum effect of the two processes

48. + - S Net H + - S H HABITUATION SENSITIZATION

49. Habituation Process S-R system Shortest neural path connecting sense organs to muscles Reflex arc Activated with each presentation of eliciting stimulus

50. Sensitization Process State system Nervous system components determining organisms general level of responsiveness Only activated by arousing events Altered by drugs, emotional experiences

51. Implications S-R system activated by each stimulus that elicits a response –Each activation is stimulus specific –S-R activation and resultant habituation process universal features of elicited behaviour State system only activated by particular stimuli –Not stimulus specific Both processes decay with time --> spontaneous recovery

52. Emotions Solomon & Corbit (1974) Emotional reactions are biphasic Primary reaction becomes weaker with repeated stimulations Weakening of primary reaction accompanied by strengthening of after reaction Change with experience

53. Examples Christmas –Excitement and depression –Young –Older –Incidence of suicides post-holidays Drug tolerance Thrill seekers Romance

54. OPT of Motivation Homeostatic theory Underlying neurophysiological mechanisms Emotional stability Emotion-arousing stimuli pushes emotional state out of stability

55. Processes Primary (a): –Quality of emotion with stimulus Opponent (b): –Elicited by primary process –Opposite emotion

56. OPT of Emotional Response 0 Intensity of primary affect Intensity of affective after- reaction Hedonic Scale peak of primary affective reaction adaptation phase steady level peak of affective after-reaction decay of after-reaction stimulus Time

57. Habituation Intensity of primary affect Intensity of affective after- reaction Hedonic Scale 0 stimulus Time 0 Intensity of primary affect Intensity of affective after- reaction Hedonic Scale stimulus Time

58. + - same bigger sooner