Which of the following illustrates habituation?

• A. The more someone pokes you, the more it bugs you
• B. At first you get very hungry when you skip lunch, but after a few weeks you aren't
• C. After living in the old house for a while, you learn where to avoid stepping so that the floorboards don't creak
• D. After tasting lots of Indian food, you come to expect it to be spicy

Answer: (C)

Habituation is a decreased response to a repeated, benign stimulus. Here, floorboard creaks are a mild, non-harmful cue you encounter regularly. After living in the house for a while, you learn where the creaks come from and adjust your steps to avoid them, so the creak becomes less bothersome. Your reaction to that familiar noise diminishes with continued exposure, which is exactly what habituation describes.

The other scenarios reflect different processes. A poke that increasingly bugs you shows sensitization, not habituation. Hunger that fades after weeks without lunch involves physiological adaptation and regulation rather than a simple reduction in response to a repeated sensory cue. Finally, expecting spicy food after tasting it a lot is about learned anticipation and taste adaptation, not a decreased reaction to a repeated neutral stimulus.