Definition
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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Phelps, B.I. (2011). Habituation. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1302
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