Contents
A program of behavior is an algorithm of actions to achieve the desired or get rid of the undesirable.
How behavior programs are formed
Behavior programs are:
Congenital (instinctive) — are inherited. Within the same species, different programs of behavior can be inherited.
Accidentally acquired — as a result of learning or random actions of the organism (human, animal)
Acquired consciously — as a result of training, own experience or own conclusions.
The Structure of the Behavior Program
The behavior program includes:
- representation of the reality that one does not like
- a cycle of actions to be taken in response to this reality
- expected desired reality.
At the same time, the formation of the expected reality cannot be fully called the goal, since it (the expected reality) is not always recognized as a goal (and sometimes it is not realized at all). Often the expected reality is getting rid of the negative reality.
That is, the presence of a behavior program does not cancel the stimulus-response scheme. The reaction to any stimulus is always expedient, at least because it is aimed at avoiding the stimulus, that is, a person or animal does not act randomly, but in a directed way. But it is directed — negatively, towards avoiding the unwanted, towards achieving a picture in which there is simply no unpleasant stimulus.
The goal is something that is formulated positively, that is, there is a specific picture with specific criteria and expectations that are not limited to the absence of one stimulus.
Physiological mechanisms of implementation
Behavior programs are formed in the CNS with the participation of memory mechanisms based on the perception of the surrounding reality.
The program of behavior is implemented through the formation of the Action Result Acceptor (ARA) (according to P.K. Anokhin). The acceptor of the result of an action is formed in the brain from several intercalary neurons united in one network.
ARD compares what is desired with what has been achieved.
If the desired coincides with what has been achieved, the behavior stops.
If the desired part does not match, the behavior continues or is corrected.
In the event that the desired categorically does not match, either an exploratory reaction is launched or the current behavior continues and becomes more pronounced.