Neural Mechanisms In Behavior

In the past fifteen years there has been considerable interest in neural circuits that initiate behavior patterns. For many types of behaviors, this involves decision-making circuits whose primary elements are neither purely sensory nor motor, but represent a higher order of neural pro cessing. Of the large number of studies on such systems, analyses of startle circuits compose a major portion, and have been carried out on systems found throughout the animal kingdom. Startle has been an im portant model because of the reliability of the behavioral act for laboratory study and the accessibility of the underlying neural circuitry. However, probably because of the breadth of the subject, this material has never been reviewed in a comprehensive way that presents the elements com mon to startle circuits in the different animal systems in which they occur. This book presents a diversity of approaches based on a broad back ground of animal groups ranging from the earliest nervous systems in cnidarians to the most recently evolved and advanced in mammals. The behaviors themselves are all short latency, fast motor acts, when consid ered on the time scale of the organism, and involve avoidance or evasion, although in some cases we do not yet completely understand their natural role. These behaviors occur in response to stimuli that have sudden or unexpected onset.

This book is the product of a two-day symposium held at the University of Texas, Austin, in March 1978. There was double motivation for our hosting a symposium on neural mechanisms in behavior. The 1977-1978 academic year marked both the 50th anniversary of the Department of Psychology at Texas and the 30th anniversary of the famous Hixon Symposium organized by the longest serving member of the department, LLOYD JEFFRESS. PHILIP GOUGH, then chairman of the department, suggested that the department celebrate these two historic events, and honor itself in the process, by holding the first of a series of symposia on topics in experimental psychology. Approval and initial funding for this enterprise came from ROBERT KING, then Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences; additional funds were pro vided by the Program in Cognitive Science of the Sloan Foundation. Proceeds from the sale of this volume will all pass into a fund to help support subsequent symposia and volumes. At 50 we are clearly a young department, even for a psy chology department, but psychology was at least nominally present from the beginning of The University of Texas in 1883. Then, courses in psychology were offered in the School of Philosophy and had wonderful titles, such as "Mental Science (Strictly Speaking). " In 1898, the first experimental psychology course was offered. (Or at least it was intended to be offered; the catalog indicated that it was contingent upon the availability of necessary equipment.

In the past fifteen years there has been considerable interest in neural circuits that initiate behavior patterns. For many types of behaviors, this involves decision-making circuits whose primary elements are neither purely sensory nor motor, but represent a higher order of neural pro cessing. Of the large number of studies on such systems, analyses of startle circuits compose a major portion, and have been carried out on systems found throughout the animal kingdom. Startle has been an im portant model because of the reliability of the behavioral act for laboratory study and the accessibility of the underlying neural circuitry. However, probably because of the breadth of the subject, this material has never been reviewed in a comprehensive way that presents the elements com mon to startle circuits in the different animal systems in which they occur. This book presents a diversity of approaches based on a broad back ground of animal groups ranging from the earliest nervous systems in cnidarians to the most recently evolved and advanced in mammals. The behaviors themselves are all short latency, fast motor acts, when consid ered on the time scale of the organism, and involve avoidance or evasion, although in some cases we do not yet completely understand their natural role. These behaviors occur in response to stimuli that have sudden or unexpected onset.

Neural Mechanisms of Goal-Directed Behavior and Learning provides information pertinent to the neuronal mechanisms of motivation and learning. This book focuses on the theoretical frameworks within which researchers analyze specific problems. Organized into six parts encompassing 39 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the problem of goal-directed behavior that occupies a central position in psychology. This text then examines the behavioral investigations that are directed at delineating the role of contiguity and determining the possible mechanisms of reinforcement in classical defense and reward conditioning. Other chapters consider the homeostatic regulation of various functions, such as nutrition, temperature, respiration, blood pressure, and fluid and electrolyte balance. This book discusses as well the effects of experimental treatments on memory. The final chapter deals with the relationship between perception and memory. This book is a valuable resource for psychologists and scientists. Graduate students in behavioral neuroscience will also find this book useful.

This book is the product of a two-day symposium held at the University of Texas, Austin, in March 1978. There was double motivation for our hosting a symposium on neural mechanisms in behavior. The 1977-1978 academic year marked both the 50th anniversary of the Department of Psychology at Texas and the 30th anniversary of the famous Hixon Symposium organized by the longest serving member of the department, LLOYD JEFFRESS. PHILIP GOUGH, then chairman of the department, suggested that the department celebrate these two historic events, and honor itself in the process, by holding the first of a series of symposia on topics in experimental psychology. Approval and initial funding for this enterprise came from ROBERT KING, then Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences; additional funds were pro vided by the Program in Cognitive Science of the Sloan Foundation. Proceeds from the sale of this volume will all pass into a fund to help support subsequent symposia and volumes. At 50 we are clearly a young department, even for a psy chology department, but psychology was at least nominally present from the beginning of The University of Texas in 1883. Then, courses in psychology were offered in the School of Philosophy and had wonderful titles, such as "Mental Science (Strictly Speaking). " In 1898, the first experimental psychology course was offered. (Or at least it was intended to be offered; the catalog indicated that it was contingent upon the availability of necessary equipment.

This book examines three decades of research on behavioral inhibition (BI), addressing its underlying biological, psychological, and social markers of development and functioning. It offers a theory-to-practice overview of behavioral inhibition and explores its cognitive component as well as its relationship to shyness, anxiety, and social withdrawal. The volume traces the emergence of BI during infancy through its occurrences across childhood. In addition, the book details the biological basis of BI and explores ways in which it is amenable to environmental modeling. Its chapters explore the neural systems underlying developmental milestones, address lingering questions (e.g., limitations of studying BI in laboratory settings and debatable benefits of self-regulatory processes), and provide recommendations for future research. Key areas of coverage include: Animal models of behavioral inhibition. Social functioning and peer relationships in BI. Attention mechanisms in behavioral inhibition. BI and associative learning of fear. Behavioral inhibition and prevention of internalizing distress in early childhood. The relations between BI, cognitive control, and anxiety. Behavioral Inhibition is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students across such fields as developmental psychology, psychiatry, social work, cognitive and affective developmental neuroscience, child and school psychology, educational psychology, and pediatrics.