How are they distinguished?
2007-01-24 07:19:11 · 2 answers · asked by Joe P 1 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
An instinct is a congenital/ hereditary or inborn to tendency to perform an activity without conscious thought; more prevalent in the lower animals than in humans, instincts include birds' migratory patterns and salmon, eels, and sea turtles returning to the sites of their births to reproduce. A reflex is just a muscular or neural reaction to a stimulus such as your knee-jerk response to the doctor's striking your shin beneath the patella with his rubber hammer or the choke reflex which occurs when your airway becomes blocked by food or water. Reflexes can be life-saving responses while instincts are life-generating activities.
2007-01-24 07:33:24 · answer #1 · answered by Lynci 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Instincts come from your brain, and are a natural, human, personal, or anmimalistic reaction to some stimuli, and can be prevented or suppressed by intelligence.
A reflex is something that is invonlutary. Linking an action or stimulus to a reaction or response.
2007-01-24 07:38:20 · answer #2 · answered by GBlue 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋