Reflex Conditioned of Higher Orders

A conditioned reflex of higher orders is a reflex that occurs when reinforced by previously developed conditioned stimuli.

Conditioned reflexes of higher orders are formed on the basis of already existing conditioned reflexes. For example, if a dog has developed a conditioned reflex to a bell (salivation at the sound of a bell), then this bell can become a conditioned signal for developing a new conditioned reflex - for example, approaching a bowl of food.

Thus, the initial neutral stimulus (the bell) becomes a first-order conditioned signal, and is then used as a reinforcing stimulus to form a second-order conditioned reflex. The number of such “orders” of conditioned reflexes can be very large.

Conditioned reflexes of higher orders underlie complex forms of learning and behavior characteristic of humans and higher animals. Their study is important for understanding the mechanisms of formation of complex forms of behavior, memory and thinking.

A conditioned higher order reflex is the body’s response to a received stimulus in the presence of a previously expressed reaction of the body. This is due to the fact that in the process of evolution, animals receive the necessary nutrients and protection from adverse factors that were previously of high importance to them. Thus, when an animal receives a stimulus and responds to it, its nervous system remembers this connection between the stimulus and the subsequent reaction, and in the future, any repetition of this stimulus can cause a similar reaction. Such reflexes can form very quickly and can occur at any level of the animal. However, such reflexes do not require direct contact with the source of the stimulus and can be evoked through its simulation or even a memory image. For example, if a dog is accustomed to responding to the sound of a house door opening, it may jump even after seeing only a picture of the same door on the wall. This is caused by a certain mechanism in the nervous system that connects visual associations with previously formed reflexes.

The higher order reflex is important for studying the mechanisms that regulate animal behavior. It also shows how high a capacity the nervous system has