Motivation and Programming in Labor

What stages does the central architecture of the functional system of a behavioral act according to P.K. Anokhin include?

The central architectonics of the functional system of a behavioral act according to P.K. Anokhin is described through the following stages and blocks: afferent synthesis — the first, initiative stage, integrating dominant motivation, memory, situational and triggering afferentation; decision making — the nodal moment of switching from synthesis to the action program; formation of the action result acceptor — prior to action, a model of the future result with parameters of the "due" is formed in the CNS; efferent synthesis — the central organization of the executive action, proceeding under the constant control of the action result acceptor apparatus and culminating in the formation of the action; action — the signal from the action program goes to the muscle and causes contraction; reverse afferentation and feedback information about the result — information from receptors about the actually obtained result goes back to the CNS and into the comparison block; matching in the ARA/ES block — comparison of the forecast with reality: upon coincidence, the action stops, upon mismatch, amendments are made to the action program and the cycle repeats until the result is achieved.

Which brain structures act as pacemakers for biological motivations?

The key pacemaker of motivation is the hypothalamus (Hypothalamus). At the initial stage of the emergence of a biological need, specific subcortical structures are activated: the amygdala participates in the emotional coloring of the need, and in the hypothalamus, humoral signals associated with changes in blood composition are transformed into nerve excitation. Hypothalamic centers have connections with the limbic system and reticular formation, and through them — with the cerebral cortex; the motivational excitation arising primarily in the hypothalamus widely spreads to almost all areas of the brain.

What happens in the CNS when the parameters of the real result do not match the action result acceptor?

When the parameters of the real result do not match the action result acceptor, a mismatch is detected, causing an orienting-investigatory reaction and a negative emotion. The negative emotion tunes the organism to overcome obstacles, after which behavioral correction begins to achieve the goal:

• Afferent synthesis is restructured based on the orienting reaction.
• A new, often "bypass," decision is made.
• A corrected action result acceptor is built.
• A new executive action is formed.

This cyclic process repeats until the expected and real parameters completely match.

What components make up the stage of afferent synthesis?

The stage of afferent synthesis includes the integration of four types of excitations: dominant motivation — the leading energetic component built on the basis of metabolic needs and determining the goal of behavior; situational information — information about the external environment and conditions continuously entering the CNS via exteroceptors; memory — the component of afferent synthesis utilizing past experience associated with the satisfaction of this motivation; genetic and individually acquired memory are indicated in behavior organization; triggering afferentation — a specific stimulus, external stimulus, or command triggering a behavioral reaction or action at a given moment.