What is the difference between an instinct and reflex/reaction?

Hi ,

This is a great question !

The first point that one might consider is that a reflex is commonly
thought of a response that can not be controlled or regulated.

A good example of a reflex is when you receive a tap on the tendon just
below the knee cap and the bottom part of you leg kicks out.

There are many examples, such as when a piece of dirt is in your eye you
start to blink even when you don?t think about blinking. One might also
think the REFLEX of blinking is a RESPONSE to the dirt in the eye.

I guess the easiest way to explain the difference for common use related to
a stimulus is that a reflex is a type of response but one we do not have to
think about.

A reflex is one  type of response.

But you can see the terms might be confusing when used in a different way.
Think about you fall and get a black and blue bruise on your leg. The
bruise is a response to the fall on your leg. You did not have to think
about making a bruise but it is not really considered a reflex since it is
not a motor movement.

According to    www.dictionary.com   there are some other uses of the terms
?response? and ?reflex? that you might be interested in.

re·flex
adj.
1.Bent, turned, or thrown back; reflected.
2.Physiology. Being an involuntary action or response, such as a sneeze,
blink, or hiccup.
3.Produced as an automatic response or reaction: reflex opposition to change.

noun
1. Something, such as light or heat, that is reflected. An image produced
by reflection. A copy or reproduction.
2.Physiology. An involuntary response to a stimulus.
3.Psychology. An unlearned or instinctive response to a stimulus.
4.Linguistics. A form or feature that reflects or represents an earlier,
often reconstructed, form or feature having undergone phonetic or other change.

re·sponse

noun
1. The act of responding.
2.A reply or an answer.
3.A reaction, as that of an organism or a mechanism, to a specific stimulus.
4.Ecclesiastical. Something that is spoken or sung by a congregation or
choir in answer to the officiating minister or priest.
A responsory.