Our nervous system is a complex mechanism of interaction of neurons that send impulses to the brain, and it, in turn, controls all the organs and ensures their work. This process of interaction is possible due to the presence in humans of the basic inextricable acquired and innate forms of adaptation - conditional and unconditional reactions. Reflex is the conscious response of an organism to certain conditions or stimuli. Such a coordinated work of nerve endings helps us interact with the outside world. A person is born with a set of simple skills - this is called the innate reflex. An example of this behavior: the ability of a baby to suckle a mother’s breast, swallow food, blink.
Human and animal behavior
As soon as a living creature is born, it needs certain skills that will help ensure its vital functions. The body is actively adapting to the outside world, that is, it develops a whole range of focused motor skills. This mechanism is called the behavior of species. Each living organism has its own set of reactions and innate reflexes, which is inherited and does not change throughout life. But the behavior itself is distinguished by the method of its implementation and application in life: congenital and acquired forms.
Unconditioned reflexes
Scientists say that the innate form of behavior is the unconditioned reflex. An example of such manifestations is observed from the moment a person is born: sneezing, coughing, swallowing saliva, blinking. Such information is transmitted through the inheritance of the parent program by centers of reflex arcs that are responsible for reactions to stimuli. These centers are located in the stem part of the brain or in the spinal cord. Unconditioned reflexes help a person quickly and accurately respond to changes in the external environment and homeostasis. Such reactions have a clear delimitation depending on biological needs.
- Food.
- Indicative.
- Protective.
- Sexual
Depending on the species, different creatures have different reactions to the outside world, but all mammals, including humans, have a sucking skill. If you attach a baby or a baby animal to the mother’s nipple, a reaction will immediately occur in the brain and the feeding process will begin. This is the unconditioned reflex. Examples of eating behavior are inherited from all creatures that receive nutrients from their mother’s milk.
Defense reactions
These types of reactions to external stimuli are inherited and are called natural instincts. Evolution has laid down in us the need to protect ourselves and to take care of our safety in order to survive. Therefore, we have learned to instinctively respond to danger, this is the unconditioned reflex. Example: Have you noticed how the head is tilted if someone lifted a fist over it? When you touch a hot surface, your hand twitches. This behavior is also called the instinct of self-preservation: it is unlikely that a person in their right mind will try to jump from a height or eat unfamiliar berries in the forest. The brain immediately starts the process of processing information, which will make it clear whether it is worth risking your life. And if you even think that you don’t think about it, the instinct immediately works.
Try to put a finger to the baby’s palm and he will immediately try to grab it. Such reflexes have been developed for centuries, however, now the child does not really need such a skill. Even in primitive people, the baby clung to his mother, and so she endured it. There are also unconscious innate reactions that are explained by the connection of several groups of neurons. For example, if you hit the knee with a hammer, it will twitch - an example of a two-neural reflex. In this case, two neurons come into contact and send a signal to the brain, forcing them to respond to an external stimulus.
Delayed reactions
However, not all unconditioned reflexes appear immediately after birth. Some arise as needed. For example, a newborn baby practically does not know how to navigate in space, but after about a couple of weeks he begins to respond to external stimuli - this is an unconditioned reflex. Example: a child begins to distinguish between mother’s voice, loud sounds, bright colors. All these factors attract his attention - an indicative skill begins to form. Involuntary attention is the starting point in forming an assessment of stimuli: the baby begins to understand that when the mother speaks to him and approaches him, most likely, she will take him in her arms or feed him. That is, a person forms a complex form of behavior. His crying will draw attention to him, and he consciously uses this reaction.
Sexual reflex
But this reflex refers to the unconscious and unconditional, it is aimed at procreation. It occurs during puberty, that is, only when the body is ready for procreation. Scientists say that this reflex is one of the strongest, it determines the complex behavior of a living organism and subsequently launches the instinct for the protection of its offspring. Despite the fact that all these reactions are initially peculiar to humans, they are launched in a certain order.
Conditioned reflexes
In addition to the instinctive reactions that we possess at birth, a person needs many other skills in order to better adapt to the outside world. Acquired behavior is formed both in animals and in people throughout life, this phenomenon is called "conditioned reflexes". Examples: at the sight of food, salivation occurs, while observing the diet, a feeling of hunger occurs at a certain time of the day. Such a phenomenon is formed by a temporary connection between the center of the analyzer (sense of smell or vision) and the center of the unconditioned reflex. An external stimulus becomes a signal for a certain action. Visual images, sounds, smells are able to form lasting connections and give rise to new reflexes. When someone sees a lemon, salivation may begin, and with a sharp smell or contemplation of an unpleasant picture, nausea occurs - these are examples of conditioned reflexes in a person. Note that these reactions can be individual in each living organism, temporary connections are formed in the cerebral cortex and send a signal when an external stimulus occurs.
Throughout life, conditioned reactions can occur and also disappear. It all depends on the needs of the person. For example, in childhood, a child reacts to the appearance of a bottle of milk, realizing that it is food. But when the baby grows up, this object will not form an image of food for him, he will react to a spoon and a plate.
Heredity
As we have already found out, unconditioned reflexes are inherited in every species of living creatures. But conditional reactions only affect complex human behavior, but are not transmitted to descendants. Each organism "adapts" to a particular situation and its surrounding reality. Examples of congenital reflexes that do not disappear throughout life: food, swallowing, reaction to the taste of the product. Conditional stimuli constantly change depending on our preferences and age: in childhood, when a child sees a toy, he experiences joyful emotions, during the process of growing up, for example, visual images of a film tape cause a reaction.
Animal reactions
In animals, as in humans, there are unconditional innate reactions, and acquired reflexes throughout life. In addition to the instinct of self-preservation and food production, living things also adapt to the environment. They develop a reaction to the nickname (pets), with repeated repetition, a reflex of attention appears.
Numerous experiments have shown that it is possible to instill in a pet many reactions to external stimuli. For example, if you call the dog with a bell or a certain signal at each feeding, he will have a strong perception of the situation, and he will immediately react. In the process of training, encouraging the pet to fulfill the command with his favorite treat creates a conditioned reaction, the dog walking and the type of leash signals a fast walk, where he needs to cope - examples of reflexes in animals.
Summary
The nervous system constantly sends a lot of signals to our brain, they form the behavior of humans and animals. The constant activity of neurons allows you to perform familiar actions and respond to external stimuli, helping to better adapt to the world around us.