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 The experiment with the sea slug’s behavior choice (to withdraw its mouth or not) is interesting in that it shows how corollary discharge signals can influence what the nervous system does in response to input signals. For the sea slug, the input was banging on its mouth, and the output was retraction of the mouth. However, retraction does not occur if the nervous system is inhibited by the corollary discharge signals from the CPG that is used to grind its teeth. If this occurs, the mouth will stay out. Given this scenario, it is possible to account for aspects of choice using corollary discharge signals and CPG’s. However, I am not convinced that this is adequate enough to characterize what we mean by choice in human beings. It seems like there is much more involved than an inhibitory effect when we choose. For instance, when we are deciding what kind of car to buy, there are a lot of factors to consider: how safe is it? Is it fuel-efficient? Do I want a car that is fuel-efficient? Is it aesthetically pleasing? How much can I sell it for later? These are just some of the questions one might ask. If the sea slug module is correct, then where is the inhibitory factor in this decision? And what about those decisions that we make in a split-second, the ones that most people refer to as instinct? Humans make instinctual choices all the time, and they occur so fast that if there is indeed an inhibitory factor, it must occur at top speed. Right now, I seem to be having a hard time understanding how behavioral choice in humans can be explained in this manner.

On a different note, I had never considered the idea of set points and negative feedback loops in the nervous system or how much of our daily patterns are influenced by these. But this makes so much sense to me now, especially in terms of how the body reacts to disruptions/perturbations to its normal pattern of functioning. Our body’s response to fever is a great example of this: the body has a set point for temperature, but in the presence of an infection, this set point is increased to fight the infection. Although our bodies are warm/hot, we shiver because our body temperature is now below the new set point and it is trying to reach it. Our nervous system is acting in such a way as to adjust to the changing internal environment. This process however, is not in the realm of what the I-function can do. Going back to choice, there are choices that can be made in the absence of the I-function (i.e. maybe instincts), but there are also instances in which the I-function is necessary for explaining human behavior and choice. Maybe further exploration into the involvement of the I-function in choices outside of biological processes would help explain what we refer to as human choice, those decisions that are made every day that do not concern the functioning of our bodies.