Types of behaviors
(Learned vs. Unlearned)
Reflexes
• Primitive, automatic response of the body to a
stimulus
Infant Reflexes
• Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (disappears
after 1st year)
• Grasp Reflex (disappears after 5-6 months)
• Plantar Reflex (disappears by 1st year)
Reflexes to try…
• Cover one eye for one minute – REFLEX of
pupil dilation
• Clapping in front of fast – REFLEX to blink
• Blow on face – REFLEX to hold your breath
• Face in water – REFLEX of slowed heart rate
Conditioned Responses
• Primitive learned response that links a
behavior and a stimulus
Conditioned Responses to try…
• Each time I say “Write” make a mark on your
paper
Habit
• A repeated behavior that has become
engrained (hard to change)
Habits to try…
• Divide your paper in half
• Write “normal hand” on top of one column
and “other hand” above the other
• Write your name as many times as you can in
15 seconds with your normal writing hand
• Write your name as many times as you can in
15 seconds with your other hand
Habits to try…
• Write the following three sentences but do
NOT dot any “i” or cross any “t”s
Habits are often useful in allowing routine
activities to be carried out quickly. But most of
us have some habits we would like to break.
Breaking a habit is not a simple thing to do.
Trial and Error Learning
• An animal learns to repeat responses to have
a desired outcome
Trial and Error to try…
• Complete each maze, one at a time
• Time it takes for you to complete each maze
• Cover the previous maze so you cannot see it
Reasoning
• Using judgment, thinking and memory to
determine behavior in a new situation
Reasoning to try…
• There are four separate, equal-sized boxes
• Inside each box there are two separate small
boxes
• Inside each of the small boxes there are three
even smaller boxes
• How many total boxes are there?
Reasoning to try…
• The dots represent nine bears in a square
enclosure at the zoo.
• Build two more square enclosures within this
one so that each bear gets its own pen.