THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EARLIEST 



MANIFESTATIONS OF CONDITIONING 



IN THE MECHANISM OF LEARNING^ 



E. Grastyan 



In the electrophysiological investigation of the temporary connection 

 there are at least as many incongruous observations between behavioural 

 and electrical manifestations as there arc consistent ones. The significance 

 of these inconsistencies, however, is at least as important as that of the 

 consistencies, since they disclose the limitations of our classical methods 

 of observation. 



In the majority of our experiments we are looking for electrical corre- 

 lates of well-defined types of behaviour. Sometimes, however, our 

 attention is first attracted by a definite and consequent electrical change 

 which has no conspicuous behavioural correlate, or has a correlate which 

 was concealed, or one which we had not hitherto regarded as important. 

 Sometimes phenomena, which from a behavioural aspect seem to be 

 identical, prove to be distinct in the course of the electrophysiological 

 investigation. In other cases the boundary of well-separated behavioural 

 manifestations becomes indistinct from the aspect of the electrical events. 

 I am convinced that behind these discrepancies the possibilities of further 

 development lie and that they deserve special attention. Let me demon- 

 strate the problem with some concrete observations. 



According to the classical Pavlovian conception, the orientation retlex 

 represents a typical unconditioned phenomenon. This view is nowadays 

 generally accepted. According to this assumption the orientation reflex 

 can easily be elicited by every new, unknown stimulus. The essence of the 

 reaction consists of characteristic movements by means of which the 

 animal turns with all of his receptors towards the situation or the source of 

 the stimulus in order to ensure a better acquaintance with it. The orienta- 

 tion reflex was also called a 'what is it reflex' by Pavlov. This, I think, 

 expresses the essence of the reaction better than its accepted English 

 equivalent, the orientation reflex, which does not imply necessarily the 

 idea of motion. Below I will use the orientation reflex in this Pavlovian 

 sense. 



1 A part of this study was carried out under a Fellowship from the Foundations' Fund tor 

 Research in Psychiatry at the Department of Anatomy, University of California at Los 

 Angeles. 



R 243 



