Chapter 2: Elicited Behavior, Habituation, & Sensitization PDF | Psychology

CHAPTER 2: ELICITED BEHAVIOUR, HABITUATION, & SENSITIZATION PSYCO 381, FALL 2024 CHAPTER 2 OUTLINE Elicited behaviour Effects of repeated stimulation Dual-process theory of habituation & sensitization Habituation & sensitization of emotions & motivated behaviour ...

CHAPTER 2: ELICITED BEHAVIOUR, HABITUATION, & SENSITIZATION PSYCO 381, FALL 2024 CHAPTER 2 OUTLINE Elicited behaviour Effects of repeated stimulation Dual-process theory of habituation & sensitization Habituation & sensitization of emotions & motivated behaviour  Behavioral System Paradigm- based on Hogan 1988 All potential motor outputs of an All potential sensory organism- including motor input (which inputs of an organism could also be considered a sensory input) Sensory Motor Stimuli 1 output 1 Sensory Central Motor Stimuli 2 mechanism(s) output 2 Sensory Motor Stimuli 3 output 3  Behavioral System Paradigm- based on Hogan 1988 Sensory Motor Stimuli 1 output 1 Sensory Central Motor Stimuli 2 mechanism(s) output 2 Sensory Motor Stimuli 3 output 3  ELICITED BEHAVIOUR Occurs in response to environmental stimuli Examples: Pupils constrict when exposed to bright light Withdrawal response to touching something hot Food in mouth elicits salivation Sneeze if particle of dust enters your nose  ELICITED BEHAVIOUR Simplest form: Reflexive behaviour Eliciting stimulus Response REFLEX ARC Stimulus pathway Response pathway Domjan, 2015 EXAMPLE: KNEE-JERK Slater, Ethology  WHAT ARE ELICITED BEHAVIOURS GOOD FOR, ANYWAY? Reflexes are adaptive Contribute to an animals well-being or survival Examples: Eye blink reflex Dog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_zdjL51qoU Gag reflex Head turning in infants Respiratory-occlusion reflex in infants  MODAL ACTION PATTERNS (MAP) Species-typical response patterns or “instincts”; genetically programmed MAPs seen for: Feeding behaviour Sexual behaviour Territorial defence Catching prey  MODAL ACTION PATTERNS (MAP) Occur in sub-sets of animals Classic example: Egg-rolling response Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUNZv-ByPkU&playnext=1&list=PLF9CD787EE7D98EC0  ELICITING STIMULI FOR MAPS Which stimulus is responsible for the MAP? Alcock, 2005 Herring gull Sign stimulus: A feature or combination of features that elicit (release) the behaviour Exaggerating the sign stimulus results in a supernormal stimulus  SUPERNORMAL STIMULI IN STICKLEBACKS stickleback Male sticklebacks guard their nest & territory Can elicit aggression with a model  EXPLOITED MAPS Baby cuckoo (right) begs for and receives food from foster bird (left) Sign stimuli: red gaping and begging calls Alcock, 2005 ELICITING STIMULUS Threshold for stimulus to elicit behaviour varies according to animals state Hungry vs. satiated (daily cycle) Breeding season (seasonal cycle) Reproductive cycle in humans (lunar cycle)  HOW DOES IT WORK IN NATURE? Sequences of behaviours (species-typical) Appetitive behaviours: Early in the sequence Less stereotyped May be shaped by learning Consummatory behaviours: Late in sequence Highly stereotyped (have specific eliciting stimuli)  AN EXAMPLE OF BEHAVIOURAL SEQUENCES Natural sequences of behaviour Foraging General search (appetitive) Focal search (appetitive) Handling and ingesting (consummatory) Found ‘em! Where are nuts? General search mode: non- Focal search mode: directed behaviour localized behaviour HABITUATION  REPEATED STIMULATION: HABITUATION AND SENSITIZATION Descartes: Reflex response occurs the same way every time. NOT TRUE! Repeated stimulation can alter the behavioural response: Habituation Sensitization HABITUATION Decrease in response intensity with repeated stimulus presentations  ELICITED BEHAVIOUR & REPEATED STIMULATION Experimental examples: 1. Salivation and taste ratings in people 2. Visual attention in human infants 3. Startle response in rats  1. SALIVATION & TASTE RATING IN PEOPLE Measured saliva Measured output over trials hedonic ratings over trials Flavour A Flavour A Epstein et al. (1992) gave subjects lemon or lime juice  WHAT DO THESE RESULTS TELL US? Elicited behaviour is not fixed Response decrease is stimulus specific Fatigue? Habituation effect: Flavour B decrease in vigor of elicited behaviour that occurs with repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus 2. VISUAL ATTENTION IN INFANTS Human infant visual fixation (Bashinski et al., 1985) Over trials, infants fixated longer to complex rather than simple stimuli  STIMULUS SPECIFICITY Stimulus specificity provides a powerful tool for testing subjects that cannot talk. It allows us to “ask” the animal if it can discriminate between two stimuli.  3. THE STARTLE RESPONSE VIDEO, courtesy of Dale Swartzentruber, Ohio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfu0FAAu-10 Wesleyan University Rest Period Leaton, 1976 Long-term habituation Short-term habituation Spontaneous recovery: return of responding following habituation  SENSITIZATION Occurs when you are already aroused (e.g., loud background music) Underlying arousal of the subject is important in whether habituation or sensitization occurs!  VISUAL ATTENTION IN HUMAN INFANTS: HABITUATION AND SENSITIZATION Sensitization effect Sensitization effect: increase in the vigor of the elicited behavior that results from repeated presentations of eliciting stimulus or Habituation effect exposure to a strong extraneous stimulus Adapted from Bashinski et al., 1985  ADVANTAGES OF HABITUATION There are SO many stimuli in our environments Through habituation & sensitization we learn which stimuli to ignore and which to respond to  REMEMBER THIS EXPERIMENT? Could apply these principles to: 1. Increase enjoyment of eating 2. Decrease enjoyment of eating How could this be accomplished? (Apply the principle here) Relation between attention & taste habituation  FUNCTIONAL HABITUATION Deecke et al. (2002) examined habituation to predator vocalizations in harbour seals Seals need to avoid mammal-eating killer whales in the wild Tested harbour seal behaviour in response to three stimulus classes: i. Familiar mammal-eating whales ii. Familiar fish-eating whales iii. Unfamiliar fish-eating whales KILLER WHALE VOCALIZATIONS Mammal-eaters Familiar fish-eaters Unfamiliar fish-eaters FUNCTIONAL HABITUATION EXAMPLE DEECKE ET AL. 2002 Statistical comparison among 3 playback types Positive means more seals were visible post-playback * Seals responded less to familiar fish-eating whales Treated playbacks of familiar- Familiar Familiar Unfamiliar mammal eaters and unfamiliar mammal- fish- fish- fish-eaters as the same eaters eaters eaters (known (known not- (unknown) dangerous) dangerous)  WHAT IS NOT HABITUATION? Sensory adaptation: Reduction in sensitivity of the sense organs caused by repeated or excessive stimulation Fatigue: Decrease in behaviour due to repeated or excessive use of muscles  WHAT IS NOT HABITUATION? Classical conditioning (Pavlovian) is an associative change from no response to a response Habituation is a non-associative change in reflexive responding More on this next week/today? (Ch. 3)! SENSITIZATION, DISHABITUATION & DUAL PROCESS WHY IS IT GOOD TO BE PLASTIC IN BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSES TO ELICITED STIMULI? Habituation and Sensitization effect are end products of processes that focus behaviour to respond to important stimuli  DUAL-PROCESS THEORY OF HABITUATION AND SENSITIZATION This is an underlying (neural) process that is presumed to cause the behaviours that are habituation and sensitization effects Two processes Habituation process: produces decrease in behaviour Sensitization process: produces increase in behaviour These processes are not mutually exclusive DUAL-PROCESS THEORY OF HABITUATION AND SENSITIZATION: THEORETICAL GRAPH S = Sensitization process H = Habituation process Net = Net effect (measured response) Domjan (2006)  EFFECTS VERSUS PROCESSES Habituation process does not necessarily lead to habituation (and vice versa for a sensitization process) Effects = observable behaviour Processes = mechanisms underlying observable behaviour What effect is observed depends on the relative strength of the processes at work 42 SPECIFICALLY: HABITUATION EFFECTS AND PROCESSES (DOMJAN 2010) Habituation Effect: A progressive decrease in the vigor of elicited behaviour that may occur with repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus. Habituation Process: A neural mechanism activated by repetitions of a stimulus that reduces the magnitude of responses elicited by that stimulus. 43 SPECIFICALLY: SENSITIZATION EFFECTS AND PROCESSES (DOMJAN 2010) Sensitization Effect: An increase in the vigor of elicited behaviour that may result from repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus or exposure to a strong extraneous stimulus. Sensitization Process: A neural mechanism that increases the magnitude of responses elicited by a stimulus. 44 WHERE DO THESE PROCESSES OCCUR? Habituation process S-R system: shortest neural pathway that connects the sense organ to the muscle to produce an elicited response Always activated when eliciting stimulus is present Stimulus specific Sensitization process State system: neural structures that determine the general level of arousal an organism is experiencing Not always activated Not stimulus specific EFFECT OF A STRONG EXTERNAL STIMULUS Changing the stimulus can reinstate responding Also reinstate responding by sensitizing the organism – known as dishabituation Special case of sensitization (as opposed to “pure” sensitization of a non-decremented response) 46  VISUAL ATTENTION IN INFANTS: DISHABITUATION Extraneous stimulus (75dB tone) Dishabituation Habituation 47 APPLIED DUAL-PROCESS THEORY: ACOUSTIC STARTLE IN RATS Dishabituation: Rapid decay of Activation of S-R sensitization back to & State system habituation levels after a small number of trials primarily habituation via S-R system Dishabituation video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x-2WoyXPSM&has_verified=1 Groves & Thompson (1970) Psychol. Rev. STARTLE RESPONSE IN RATS “PURE SENSITIZATION” habituation via S-R system sensitization via state system STIMULUS SPECIFICITY INTRODUCTION TO SONGBIRDS Learn their songs and calls from a model Analogous to human speech learning Songs and calls are critical to their survival oSongs: territory defense, mating oCalls: variety of functional roles, e.g., maintain contact, sound alarm 51 HABITUATION: STIMULUS/LOCATION SPECIFICITY IN NATURE Shettleworth (1998) Played back songs to territorial males Varied previous experience with song (1) known neighbour (2) unknown stranger Behavioural Measure Varied location of playback Singing responses of (1) territory boundary focal male (2) within territory Falls & Brooks (1975) Can. J. Zool. HABITUATION: STIMULUS/LOCATION SPECIFICITY IN NATURE Falls & Brooks (1975) Can. J. Zool. Within territory Shettleworth (1998) ❖ Ignore known individuals when they are located where they are supposed to be N = neighbour S = stranger ❖ respond when they are in threatening 53 location  Songbird brain has specialized areas for learning, production and perception of vocalizations Bolhuis et al. (2010) Nat. Rev. Neurosci. HABITUATION OF NEURAL RESPONSE Examined whether the immediate early gene response the NCM changed with repeated presentation of same song Male zebra finch song video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaC6D1cW1Hs Mello et al. (1995) J. Neurosci. HABITUATION OF NEURAL RESPONSE Decreased response in NCM with repeated presentations of the same song Mello et al. (1995) J. Neurosci. Mello et al. (1995) J. Neurosci. training test S1 = song 1 S2 = song 2 Birds heard one stimulus (or silence) for 2.5 hours (training), then they heard a second stimulus (or silence ) for 30 minutes (test) APLYSIA EXAMPLE DEVELOPMENT OF HABITUATION, DISHABITUATION, AND SENSITIZATION IN APLYSIA Why do we think that these are separate processes? Different developmental time courses would suggest different processes Marine slug Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz3rq3HQxFM&feature=related SIPHON WITHDRAWAL REFLEX IN APLYSIA: METHODS Habituation training: Water jet directed at siphon Behavioural measure: siphon contraction Rankin & Carew (1987) J. Neurosci.  Siphon withdrawal reflex in Aplysia: Methods Dishabituation training: Tail shock (after individual is habituated) Behavioural measure: siphon contraction Rankin & Carew (1987) J. Neurosci. SIPHON WITHDRAWAL REFLEX IN APLYSIA: RESULTS Habituation is intact at stage 9 (as soon as siphon develops) Gets better with age Dishabituation is intact at stage 10 (4-7 days later) Rankin & Carew (1987) J. Neurosci.  Siphon withdrawal reflex in Aplysia: Methods II Sensitization training: Tail shock (before habituation training) Behavioural measure: siphon contraction Rankin & Carew (1987) J. Neurosci.  Gill/Siphon withdrawal reflex in Aplysia: Results No sensitization in stage 11 Depressed responding post tail- shock Sensitization develops by late stage 12 Increased responding post tail- shock Rankin & Carew (1988) J. Neurosci.  Gill/Siphon withdrawal reflex in Aplysia: Summary Different developmental time courses Suggests that Habituation, Dishabituation, and Sensitization are separate processes Rankin & Carew (1987, 1988) J. Neurosci. COMPLEX EMOTIONAL REPONSES ELICITING STIMULUS AND COMPLEX RESPONSES Emotions oSimples (taste) oComplex (love, fear, etc.) Drug addiction oTolerance o withdrawal EMOTIONAL RESPONSES AND AFTER EFFECTS Biphasic One emotion during the eliciting stimulus Opposite emotion when eliciting stimulus is terminated Change with experience Drug tolerance: Decline in the effectiveness of the drug with repeated exposures OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY OF MOTIVATION Characteristics of emotional responses Biphasic Primary becomes weaker with repeated stimulation Accompanied by a strengthening after-reaction Lead to OPTM Homeostatic theory OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY OF MOTIVATION Primary or a process – the emotional state in the presence of the stimulus Opponent or b process – the opposite emotional reaction, elicited by the a process Emotional changes are the net effect of the two processes (does this remind you of something)? 70 OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY OF MOTIVATION: MECHANISMS Initial Stimulus Exposure Observed behaviour (emotion) Underlying processes Eliciting stimulus OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY OF MOTIVATION: MECHANISMS After Extensive Exposure Observed behaviour (emotion) Underlying processes OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY OF MOTIVATION: EXAMPLES The New Economy  WHY DRUG ADDICTION? ACCORDING TO THE OPTM Sustain use to alleviate opponent effects that are experience when the stimulus (the drug) is withdrawn Drugs are taken not to feel good, but rather, to not feel bad! Caffeine & energy levels as well Review Environmental stimuli can elicit behaviour; that behaviour can be modified by habituation and sensitization Eliciting stimuli that do not arouse an organism will, over repeated presentations, lead to weaker responses Eliciting stimuli that are intense and arouse an organism will lead to stronger responses Responding to eliciting stimuli represents the net effects of habituation and sensitization processes Opponent processes are mechanisms that keep initial emotional responses balanced