Psych 110: Chapter 2

Front 1

a process

Back 1

same as primary process in the opponent process theory of motivation

Front 2

afferent neuron

Back 2

a neuron that transmits messages from sense organs to the central nervous system (sensory neuron)

Front 3

appetitive behavior

Back 3

behavior that occurs early in a natural behavior sequence and serves to bring the organism into contact with a releasing stimulus

Front 4

b process

Back 4

same as opponent process in the opponent process theory of motivation

Front 5

consummatory behavior

Back 5

behavior that serves to bring a natural sequences of behavior to consummation or completion. Consummatory responses are usually species typical modal action patterns

Front 6

dishabituation

Back 6

recovery of an habituated response as a result of a strong extraneous stimulus

Front 7

drug tolerance

Back 7

reduction in the effectiveness of a drug as a result of repeated use of the drug

Front 8

efferent neuron

Back 8

a neuron that transmits impulses to muscles. Also called a motor neuron

Front 9

fatigue

Back 9

a temporary decrease in behavior caused by repeated or excessive use of the muscles involved in the behavior

Front 10

focal search mode

Back 10

the 2nd component of the feeding behavior sequence, following general search, in which the organism engages in behavior focused on a particular location or stimulus that is indicative of the presence of food. Focal search is a form of appetitive behavior that is more closely related to food than is general search

Front 11

food handling mode

Back 11

the last component of the feeding behavior sequence, in which the organism handles and consumes the food. This is similar to what ethologists referred to as consummatory behavior

Front 12

general search mode

Back 12

the earliest component of the feeding behavior sequence, in which the organism engages in nondirected locomotor behavior. General search is a form of appetitive behavior

Front 13

habituation effect

Back 13

a progressive decrease in the vigor of elicited behavior that may occur with repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus

Front 14

habituation process

Back 14

a neural mechanism activated by repetitions of a stimulus that reduces the megnitude of responses elicited by that stimulus

Front 15

interneuron

Back 15

a neuron in the spinal cord between the afferent (or sensory) neuron and the efferent (or motor) neuron in the reflex arc

Front 16

modal action pattern

Back 16

a response exhibited in much the same way by most, if not all, members of a species. MAP are used as basic units of behavior in ethological investigations of behavior

Front 17

motor neuron

Back 17

same as efferent neuron

Front 18

opponent process

Back 18

a compensatory mechanism that occurs in response to the primary process elicited by biologically significant events. The opponent process causes physiological and behavioral changes that are the opposite of those caused by the primary process. Sometimes referred to as the b process.

Front 19

primary process

Back 19

The first process elicited by a biologically significant stimulus. Sometimes referred to as the a process

Front 20

reflex arc

Back 20

neural structures, consisting of the efferent (sensory) neuron, interneuron, and afferent (motor) neuron, that enable a stimulus to elicit a reflex response

Front 21

reinforcer

Back 21

a stimulus whose delivery shortly following a response increases the future probability of that response

Front 22

releasing stimulus

Back 22

same as sign stimulus

Front 23

sensitzation effect

Back 23

an increase in the vigor of elicited behavior that may result from repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus or from exposure to a strong extraneous stimulus

Front 24

sensitization process

Back 24

a neural mechanism that increases the magnitude of responses elicited by a stimulus

Front 25

sensory adaptation

Back 25

a temporary reduction in the sensitivity of sense organs caused by repeated or excessive stimuluation

Front 26

sensory neuron

Back 26

same as afferent neuron

Front 27

sign stimulus

Back 27

a specific feature of an object or animal that elicits a MAP in another organism. Also called releasing stimulus

Front 28

spontaneous recovery

Back 28

recovery of a response produced by a period of rest after habituation or extinction

Front 29

S-R system

Back 29

the shortest neural pathway that connects the sense organs stimulated by an eliciting stimulus and the muscles involved in making the elicited response

Front 30

state system

Back 30

neural structures that determine the general level of responsiveness, or readiness to respond, of the organism

Front 31

supernormal stimulus

Back 31

an artificially enlarged or exagerrated sign stimulus that elicits an unsually vigorous response