A systems view of the orienting reflex.

According to Pavlov's observations, the orienting reflex is a specific response to a specific stimulus, bound together in a cause and effect relationship, and having the capacity to specifically inhibit or suppress weaker, conditional reflexes. Contemporary psychophysiological research has added to the definition the well-replicated fact that the total reaction to a novel stimulus is a highly generalized increase in variability that temporarily appears in many basic and vital physiological functions--"organismic uncertainty." A systems view of the orienting reflex may be used to complement Pavlov's understanding.