Reactions that seem automatic or require little thought are called?

• A. simple reactions
• B. complex reactions
• C. delayed reactions
• D. intentional reactions

Answer: (A)

Automatic responses that happen with little thought are called simple reactions. In psychology, a simple reaction involves a single stimulus and a single, immediate response, so there’s no need to weigh options or plan ahead. This makes the reaction fast and almost reflexive. The other terms describe different kinds of processing: complex reactions require choosing among several possible actions and involve more processing; delayed reactions involve a noticeable lag after the stimulus; intentional reactions are deliberate and planned actions, not automatic ones. So the quickest, almost reflex-like responses are best described as simple reactions.