It’s hypothesized that an individual’s reflex integration level directly correlates with their Sprike scores—a term devised to describe the inverse of jerk, which is the rate of change of acceleration. Higher Sprike values indicate a more smoothly regulated acceleration change rate. Background information and a detailed explanation of Sprike are available in these posts:
SPRIKE: DESCRIPTION AND DISCUSSION
Sprike measurements are specifically relevant within the context of movement – the defining trait distinguishing animals from all other life forms.
REFLEXES
Animals’ ability to move evolved alongside a rudimentary form of cognition, still utilized today in what we term reflexes. For land-based animals, these reflex actions are profoundly influenced by navigating within gravity. Gait development is ideally honed before the age of 7. This developmental phase aligns with the growth of connective tissue and is directed by what could be termed an intricate motor directive program, extending beyond simple reflexes, including the connective tissue matrix.
Reflexes are innate or learned automatic responses to stimuli that occur via reflex arcs without conscious thought. While innate reflexes, like the knee-jerk or withdrawal reflex, remain relatively stable throughout life, their responsiveness can alter due to factors such as aging, which may slow reflexes, neurological conditions that can disrupt them, or physical conditioning that might enhance them. Conversely, learned or acquired reflexes evolve with experience—like the automatic finger movements of a pianist or a driver’s instinctive responses to road conditions.
Reflexes are your body’s way of reacting without conscious thought—like retracting your hand from a hot surface. They keep you safe and aid in learning new skills. Doctors use reflex testing to assess the health of your nervous system and to detect issues with your musculoskeletal system. Some reflexes, named after the doctors who discovered them, like the Babinski reflex, provide valuable diagnostic information.
Although the basic structure of reflex arcs remains unchanged, the performance of reflex responses can be modified by learning, conditioning, and adaptation. Furthermore, higher brain functions and learning can suppress or amplify reflex actions, exemplified by the use of meditation to modulate stress responses.
SUMMARY
To summarize, the core architecture of reflex arcs does not significantly develop after birth, but reflex efficiency, strength, and reaction times can be influenced by a host of variables and may evolve with age, learning, and training.
The hypothesis presented here proposes that reflex development can be assisted by using Sprike feedback, for example as is offered with the free:
SPRIKE APP
and that the degree of effectiveness of a reflex function can be evaluated by the relative absence of Jerk (a derivative of acceleration), or Sprike.
REFLEX DEMONSTRATION
Demonstrations such as the Hand Grasp can illuminate the connections between postural dynamics and cognitive processes.
HAND GRASP DEMO VIDEO HERE
RENAMING REFLEXES PROPOSITION
It would be helpful to rename reflexes from the person who identified them to their functional role. For example, the Babinski reflex is named for Dr. Joseph Babinski. But it would be more helpful to call it by its structure/functional role, I.E: “Foot/Lateral Stabilization” because that’s what it does.
Renaming reflexes would make it easier to understand their function. It would also demystify dysregulation within movement dynamics and simplify the correlating therapeutic interventions.