Chapter 31, Problem 14A

Summary Introduction

To describe: An example of habituation.

Introduction:

Habituation is a reduction in response to the stimulus after repeated presentations as different sounds in the environment may initially distract a person. But in some interval of time, the attention towards the disturbing noise starts reducing.

Explanation of Solution

Habituation is a reduction to the response of the stimulus after repeated presentations. It is the adaptations in the behavior of an animal that results from the experiences or learning. Here the animal tries to learn not to respond to a repeated stimulus that gives no important information.

Example: Scarecrows are kept in the irrigation fields or a garden to keep the birds away. But very soon these birds become habituated to the standing scarecrow in the middle of the irrigation field and they no longer feel scared to it. They even try landing on it. So the response or the fear of the scarecrow got reduced with time.

Conclusion

Habituation is the decline in the response of the repeated stimulation.

Example: Studying with the television playing in the background might be distracting at first but habituation allows you to eventually stop focusing the noise and focus back to the work.