startle responsen.
/ˈstɑːtl rᵻˌspɒns/, U.S. /ˈstɑrd(ə)l rəˌspɑns/, /ˈstɑrd(ə)l riˌspɑns/ An involuntary reaction to a sudden stimulus; spec. = startle reflex n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > [noun] > involuntary, caused by emotion
startc1330
startling1572
sursault1598
jump1879
startle response1933
the world > life > biology > biological processes > action of nervous system > [noun] > reflex action > type of
ankle jerk1882
spinal reflex1898
research knee-jerk1899
Hoffmann('s) reflex1900
unconditioned reflex1906
startle reflex1917
startle response1933
1933 Univ. Iowa Stud. Child Welfare 7 103 To loud, sudden noises a fairly consistent ‘startle’ response has been observed very early.
1963 D. Rethlingshafer Motivation as Related to Personality vii. 135 Extreme hunger also enhanced the degree of the startle response to an auditory stimulus.
1997 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 21 Oct. f4/3 In normal subjects, the ‘startle’ response was greater when the noise was heard while viewing an unpleasant picture.
2012 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 279 1905/1 Inter-individual difference and intra-individual stability have recently been demonstrated in startle-response durations in the beadlet sea anemone.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1933