- A type of animal used for the purpose of investigating the reflexive response
- These animals have their spinal cord surgically disconnected from their brain

Spinal Animals 

- Reflex variability is based on the neural pathway that they take part in 
- Some reflexes have short pathways that link the dorsal roots (which transmit sensory information) and ventral roots (which possess muscle fibers) 
- Other reflexes have longer pathways, which connect specific regions of the brain with the spinal cord, or various regions of the spinal cord together 

Types of Reflexes 

- A chain of reflexes cannot account for our normal behavior, because they lack an ability to anticipate or plan for a certain response 
- In speech, individuals may mess up a word because they are thinking about a sound they will make later on 
- When reflexes trigger one another, this problem would not occur, because there is no sense of planning, but only reactionary events  

Reflexes and Behavior 

Reflexes are a type of unlearned behavior characterized by a motor or neural reaction to a specific stimulus in the environment. They are relatively simple, involve the activity of specific body parts and systems, and are mediated by more primitive centers of the central nervous system, such as the spinal cord and the medulla.

Characteristics of Reflexes

- A simple response to a certain stimulus that is not learned by the organism through experience

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- When thinking about how a behavior is initiated, researchers have questioned whether it is reflexive (meaning it is caused by a chain of events without intentionality) or planned (which is defined by a motor plan)

Sequence of Initiating Behavior 

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

- A series of commands targeted to the muscles, which occurs before a behavior has been initiated 
- Illustrates that everyday behavior is planned, although commands may change based upon the outside response to a behavior 
- Can be measured with electromyography 

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