An innate, unlearned reflex that is elicited in response (unconditioned response) to a biologically-significant stimulus (unconditioned stimulus) will typically show habituation if the stimulus is repeated. That is, measures of the response will show orderly decreases in magnitude as the stimulus is repeatedly applied. This change in behavior, known as habituation, can be seen in the withdrawal responses of various invertebrates, including protozoa to tactile stimulation, in freezing-defensive responses of rodents to auditory stimuli, and in the orienting responses of human infants to complex auditory and or visual stimuli, and is one of the most fundamental properties of behavior. More simply put, habituation is the process by which a stimulus loses its attention-grabbing properties, i.e., its “novelty,” and decreases in responsiveness to the stimulus are seen when the stimulus is presented repeatedly or for an extended time period. An organism ceases to engage in attending...
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Department of Psychology, South Dakota State University, Scobey Hall Box 504, Brookings, SD, USA
Brady I. Phelps
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Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, 230 South 500 East, Suite 100, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84102, USA
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Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology MS 2C6, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA
Jack A. Naglieri Ph.D.
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Phelps, B.I. (2011). Habituation. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. //doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1302