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After reading this article you will learn about the kinds of body organs that influence the behaviour of an individual.
For the purpose of understanding the role of the body and its organs we may classify the body organs into three categories, the receptors, the effectors and the connectors. The receptors are those organs whose main function is to receive impressions and stimulations from the outside world or from within the body.
Thus the sense organs like the eyes, the ears, the nose, the skin etc. are known as receptors because they are directly concerned with receiving light, sound, smell, temperature and other changes in the outside world. Similarly, there are other sense organs side the body which respond to internal chemical and physiological changes.
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The effectors are those organs which are primarily concerned with actions. These organs function in such a way as to enable the organism to adjust itself to the stimuli received by the receptors. Effectors consist of muscles and glands.
The response of the organism begins with the activity of the receptor organs and ends in the activity of the effector organs. The third category of organs known as connectors serve to connect the functioning of the receptor organs and effector organs. Sometimes these are directly connected and at other times the connection is not direct. The connection goes through a series of coordinating and integrating processes.
These coordinating and integrating functions occur at different levels of complexity. Such functions are performed by the central nervous system. It is obvious that the receptors or sense organs, the effectors or muscles and glands and the central nervous system are very closely involved in behaviour.
In fact, the receptor organs themselves are parts of the nervous system. But in the actual functioning of these receptors, effectors are also involved. The reader, however, should bear in mind that this distinction is only schematic. For example, when we see an object with our eyes, it also involves the activities of the muscles of the eye. Similarly, some muscles also perform sensory functions or receiving functions.
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In some forms of behaviour, the time-gap between receiving external impressions through the receptors and action by the effectors is so short that it is very difficult to separate receptor, connector and effector components. Such behaviour where action is instantaneous is known as a reflex action. Such an action has an innate response pattern and is found in lower organisms also. At the human level, however, reflex actions are very few in number and essentially occur only in emergency situation (i.e. when there is a threat).
It may be pointed out that most of our reflex actions take place even without our being aware of them. Reflex action provides an example of an almost direct link or connection between the receptors on the one hand and effectors on the other. Our reflex actions are coordinated at the level of the spinal cord.
Other forms of behaviour, however, are not so quick and instantaneous; they are also not innate as reflex responses are. These are acquired through learning and practice and involve a greater degree of connector processes which occur at the level of the brain and other centres of the central nervous system.
It was pointed out that reflex actions are basically innate but it has been shown by experiments that reflex responses can be linked to stimuli other than those which have an innate and natural connection. This process of connecting a reflex response to a new stimulus is known as conditioning.