Function
When an individual encounters a novel environmental stimulus, such as a bright flash of light or a sudden loud noise, he or she will pay attention to it even before identifying it. This orienting reflex seems to be present early in development, as babies will turn their head toward an environmental change. From an evolutionary perspective, this mechanism is useful in reacting quickly to events that call for immediate action.
Read more about this topic: Orienting Response
Famous quotes containing the word function:
“My function in life is not to be a politician in Parliament: it is to get something done.”
—Bernadette Devlin (b. 1947)
“The intension of a proposition comprises whatever the proposition entails: and it includes nothing else.... The connotation or intension of a function comprises all that attribution of this predicate to anything entails as also predicable to that thing.”
—Clarence Lewis (1883–1964)
“No one, however powerful and successful, can function as an adult if his parents are not satisfied with him.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)