Spontaneous Recovery
Definition
The recovery of a habituated response.
Introduction
Spontaneous recovery is a phenomenon encountered within non-associative learning processes.
The Process of Spontaneous Recovery
In a series of experiments undergone by Rankin and Broster (1992) on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans,mechanical stimuli were delivered at four interstimulus intervals (2, 10, 30, and 60 s) in order to investigate the effect of interstimulus intervals in the development and maintenance of habituation. Results indicated that recovery from habituation was dependent on some factors. One of these factors is the length of interstimulus intervals; it was observed that recovery from habituation was faster when short interstimulus intervals were applied rather than longer interstimulus intervals. That is, long-term habituation prevents recovery. Also, the rate of recovery varied according to which response level each subject exhibited on the habituation curve. The recovery of animals on the lowest...
References
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