Determining Factors in Reflex Response

Let us continue to adhere strictly to our physical point of view regarding response, and endeavor to arrive at a preliminary understanding of the factors which must determine its specificity. The reader is reminded that the concept of response specificity (as defined by Holt) comprises the identification, or selection of a particular kind of reaction (behavior) as a constant function, or accompaniment of a particular object which acts so as to stimulate the nervous system. Reduced to mathematical form, the specificity is represented by a functional equation, such as R & f (O), where O is the object and R is the effector reaction. Although such response functions can seldom be expressed in quantitative form, their logical nature is not affected by this limitation. The statement: "Johnny always cries when he sees a dog, is a functional formulation of this sort which indicates the specificity of Johnny's response to a dog.