Evolution and General Process Theories of Habituation.
Abstract
Twenty-nine existing theories of habituation were reviewed briefly and classified under one of three general categories: general-conceptual, brain structures/neural systems, or synaptic modifications. Most of these theories were characterized as general process in nature, and their major underlying assumptions were found to be faulty in certain fundamental respects. An alternative theoretical framework was proposed, in which habituation and its associated underlying mechanisms are viewed as specific evolutionary elaborations resulting from specific selection pressures acting upon the physiological system(s) underlying a given response. Finally, the conceptual and methodological implications of the evolutionary approach, and its advantages, were discussed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0770496
Entities
People
- Bruce C. Leibrecht
- Henry R. Askew
Organizations
- United States Army Medical Research Laboratory