Synonyms
Definition
Habituation is a process of diminishing responsiveness due to the presentation of a repeated stimulus.
Introduction
Habituation constitutes an essential process of behavioral adaptation, as it assists in filtering out the large amounts of information received from the surrounding environment that are likely irrelevant or less important, thus shifting attention to more important to survival or urgent information. The latter gives an evolutionary advantage as a result.
Theoretical Background
Several influential nonassociative theories have historically been proposed Thompson (2009). These theories constitute the early work of Sokolov (1960) and Wagner’s (1979) revision of Konorski’s Gnostic Hypothesis, and Groves and Thompson’s (1970) dual process theory.
Sokolov (1960) was the first to propose a comprehensive theory of habituation (“Stimulus-Model Comparator Theory”). In short, Sokolov’s theory stated that when a stimulus...
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References
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Sokolov, E. N. (1960). Neuronal models and the orienting influence. In M. A. Brazier (Ed.), The central nervous system and behavior: III (pp. 187–275). New York: Macy Foundation.
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Wagner, A. R. (1979). Habituation and memory. In Mechanisms of learning and motivation: A memorial volume for Jerzy Konorski (pp. 53–82). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
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Ioannou, A., Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, X. (2018). Habituation. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1028-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1028-1
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