Reflex Reversal - an Instructive Phenomenon

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Reflex Reversal - an Instructive Phenomenon

Journal Title: Antropomotoryka. Journal of Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences - Year 2004, Vol 14, Issue 27

Abstract

As a starting point for the discussion presented in this paper there has been taken the reflex reversal phenomenon, but instead of behaviourism, searching only for stimulus-reaction connections, as a basis for analysis of this phenomenon has been adopted cognitivity, allowing for construction of hypothetical mechanisms of creation of sensory-motor patterns. One of their possible mechanisms could be situational reflex diversification, being a more general model than reflex reversal. It has been assumed that behaviourism is already to great extent impoverished and scientists should search for solutions of contemporary motor science problems also in other intellectual trends. One of them could be cognitive psychology (cognitivity), dealing with internal processes of motor control, which cannot be investigated by analyzing only the stimulus-response associations. Use was made of the Bernstein's assumption, which identifies the learning process with decreasing of freedom degrees. However, there was also presented possible mechanisms of pre-increasing the number of freedom degrees, mainly due to situational reflex diversification. The freedom degrees could be here identified with simple sensory-motor patterns termed basic skills or with attractors in theory of chaos approach. The multiplication of such freedom degrees can be described by means of logistic equation and depicted by bifurcation diagram called Feigenbaum, known in the theory of deterministic chaos. Then, perceiving the learning as decreasing the number of freedom degrees, the process has been identified with rejection of basic skills useless for building a given complex sensory-motor capability. Such a process of formation of a complex sensory-motor capability has been termed ascending - from most primitive reflexes, through their situational diversification, to rejection of unnecessary basic skills and construction of a voluntary and useful sensory-motor capability. It has been supposed that the ascending mechanism can be responsible for so called first motor apogee at the age of about 5. Another hypothetical mechanism could consist in building of a given sensory-motor capability with use of already mastered basic skills, and then automation of the resulting structure, or sensory-motor pattern. Such a mechanism, determined as descending (from imagining a desirable sensory-motor capability, through its practical construction of basic skills to melting by automation), can be regarded as responsible for so called second motor apogee.

Authors and Affiliations

Wacław Petryński

Keywords

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