What is habituation?

• A. Increase in a behavioral response with repetition
• B. Diminuation of a behavioural response with repeated stimulation
• C. Random fluctuation in response
• D. Learning by insight

Answer: (B)

Habituation is a basic, non-associative form of learning where the behavioral response to a stimulus decreases with repeated exposure. That’s why the statement describing a diminishment in response with repeated stimulation is the best fit. For example, you might startle at a loud noise in a new environment, but after hearing it many times, your reaction becomes much weaker or you stop responding altogether. This is different from increasing the response (sensitization), which would be a heightened reaction to repeated stimulation. Random fluctuations don’t reflect a systematic learning process, and learning by insight involves solving a problem suddenly through understanding, not simply reducing responsiveness to a stimulus. Habituation can also show spontaneous recovery after a break and can be disrupted by a new, novel stimulus that brings the response back up.