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The startle reflex is a defensive response elicited by the sudden onset of an intense stimulus, particularly in auditory, tactile, or visual modalities. In humans, acoustic startle is most frequently measured, and is characterized by rapid onset muscle movements in response to a burst of auditory stimulation, as described by Davis (1984, p. 289): “blinking of the eyes, forward head movement […] widening of the mouth and occasional baring of the teeth, raising and drawing forward of the shoulders, abduction of the upper arms, bending of the elbows, pronation of the lower arms, flexion of the fingers, forward movement of the trunk, contraction of the abdomen, and bending of the knees.” The posture thus induced may help protect against the receipt of a blow, which would normally be associated with the sudden and intense excitation of multiple senses.
Introduction
The startle reflex is a defensive response...
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References
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Elsey, J.W.B., Kindt, M. (2018). Startle Reflex. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_461-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_461-1
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