orienting response
Quick Summary
Psychology is the scientific study of mental states, processes, and behavior in humans and other animals. It is a broad field that includes both a profession of practitioners and a growing science focused on the mind, brain, and social behavior.1
Early in the 19th century, psychologists began to study attention, building on philosophical ideas about how new thoughts connect with existing ones. Wilhelm Wundt distinguished between the broader field of awareness and the focused point of attention, suggesting the latter could hold about six items. William James described attention as the mind taking possession of one of several possible objects or thoughts, emphasizing its role in perception, memory, and reaction time.2
The concept of the "orienting response" emerged from the work of Ivan Pavlov, describing observable signs of attention in animals like pricked ears and head turns, along with physiological changes. Stereotyped responses, on the other hand, are unlearned behavioral reactions to environmental stimuli that are genetically determined and have evolved to aid survival. These can range from simple reflexes to complex instincts.23
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- attention19th-century roots
…usually referred to as the orienting response. In dogs and other animals this includes such signs of attention as pricked-up ears, head turned toward the stimulus, increased muscular tension, and physiological changes detectable with instruments. Further influence came from work on reflexology by one of Pavlov’s competitors, Russian Vladimir M.…
Read More…usually referred to as the orienting response. In dogs and other animals this includes such signs of attention as pricked-up ears, head turned toward the stimulus, increased muscular tension, and physiological changes detectable with instruments. Further influence came from work on reflexology by one of Pavlov’s competitors, Russian Vladimir M.…
Read More - attentionPhysiological changes
…out of Pavlov’s research, the orienting response to novel stimuli has come to be characterized by a broad complex of physiological changes. These include changes in heart rate, in the electrical conductivity of the skin, in the size of the pupils of the eyes, in the pattern of respiration, and…
Read More…out of Pavlov’s research, the orienting response to novel stimuli has come to be characterized by a broad complex of physiological changes. These include changes in heart rate, in the electrical conductivity of the skin, in the size of the pupils of the eyes, in the pattern of respiration, and…
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