What is habituation?

Answer

Habituation is a decrease in behavioural responsiveness that occurs when a stimulus is repeated frequently without reward or punishment.

Example:

Day 1: You open your front door to see a deer feeding 200 feet away. The moment you open the door, it takes one glance at you, turns and runs away.

Day 2: You open your front door to see the same deer feeding 200 feet away. Because nothing happened last time - no shouting, no chasing, no harm to it - the deer may be less concerned. The deer looks up, and trots off into the woods.

Day 3: You open your front door to see the same deer feeding 200 feet away. This time, it stops feeding, looks at you, and keeps watch on you while you walk out to get the morning newspaper. It does not run away.

Day 4: You open your front door to see the deer feeding in the yard 200 feet away. This time, it looks up once at you, then resumes feeding.

Day 5: This time, you open the door and the deer is 100 feet away. It barely notices you as you walk out to get the mail.

At this point, the animal is habituated - i.e. it does not change its behavior in response to your presence.

First answer by ID2258051426. Last edit by Cataclysmic Beefstick. Contributor trust: 93 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 15 [recommend question]