Outline 2 - Habituation

Name common examples of habituation

-Capitalism market; people get bored of their old products -Relationships; the "spark" dies -Getting used to the noise your family makes in the morning -Snail doesn't poke head out of shell after you poke it so many times

What effects happen upon the presentation of a stimulus to an organism? (2)

1. Activation of stimulus-response reflex (tone --> sensory --> motor --> startle) 2. Increase of general arousal & attention; becomes more sensitive to the next response

What are 3 ways psychologists rule out sensory and physical fatigue to show habituation is learned?

1. New stimulus is added onto the old stimulus --> rats react again to the tone (shows they're not deaf) 2. Change in environment while presenting the old stimulus --> rats react to the tone 3. The habituated stimulus is changed (and then can be brought back in comparison; e.g. increase animal breeding ejaculations)

What conditions maximize habituation?

1. Stimulus intensity 2. Changes in stimulus intensity 3. Spacing between presentations (inter-stimulus interval)

What makes an event active in STM? (2)

1.) the present event itself 2.) recall of event through context

Explain the rat & springbox experiment showing that habituation is learned

A rat is placed into a springbox. A tone is played to the rat, causing it to startle. The tone continues to play until the rat show decreased to little or no response

The tail shock + siphon poke dishabituation of sea slugs rules out what?

Alternative explanations as to why retractions decrease; shows that learning is actually occuring

How does slow stimulation in the synapse lead to habituation? What type of memory is this?

Circuit can allow regeneration of neurotransmitter levels -- LTM

According to the Dual Process Theory, superimposed sensitization is equivalent to what?

Dishabituation For example, showing a light before a previously habituated tone re-enhances the S-R response, leading to "spontaneous recovery"

One group of rats were exposed to morphine (t1p1) in Room A until tolerant. One group of rats were exposed to morphine (t1p1) in Room A until tolerant. The first group of rats were given "sham" injections of morphine in Room A, while the second group of rats were given the "sham" injections in Room B. At the end of the experiment, both groups of rats were given morphine in Room A (t2) The results showed that the first group of rats had their tolerance to morphine extinguished, but the second group of rats were still tolerant of morphine. What does this data suggest, and what does each model of habituation (Dual-Process v. Memory Theory) say is the reason for this?

Drug tolerance is context dependent; in this case, context is extinguished & reintroduced Dual Process --> new stimulus of the first group of rats while in same room causes superimposed sensitization Memory --> rats in the second group remember that room A is where they previously had real morphine shots after being exposed to non-morphine room B

One group of rats were exposed to morphine (t1) in Room A until tolerant. One group of rats were exposed to morphine (t1) in Room B until tolerant. At the end of the experiment, both groups of rats were given morphine in Room A (t2) The results showed that the first group of rats were still tolerant of morphine, but the second group was not. What does this data suggest, and what does each model of habituation (Dual-Process v. Memory Theory) say is the reason for this (for rats kept in room A)?

Drug tolerance is context dependent; in this case, context is switched Dual Process --> lack of response in synapse over multiple doses Memory --> rat is expecting the morphine

What is self-generated priming?

Event primes itself in STM

We can take neurons from the Aplysia and make habituation circuits out of them. What can we tell about the origin of habituation in a neuron of sensory and motor neurons work perfectly?

Habitation occurs in the synapse

What is the relationship between changes in stimulus intensity and habituation?

Habituation is prevalent with gradual increase of stimulus (Proven in rat experiment: 4 groups of rats, one group exposed to increasing decibels of tones showed more habituation to a final 120 db tone than even rats exposed to 120 db tones many times. Additionally, groups with random decibels of tones showed less likeliness to develop habituation)

What does the Memory Theory propose about habituation?

Habituation occurs when the stimulus is ignored

On a graph, what is the shape of the habituation curve?

High starting point to a steep curve meeting a lower point; negative slope

What does the Dual Process Theory explain about sensitization and habituation over a period of stimuli?

Initially, organisms will be sensitized, but later on, they will habituate

An infant is exposed to a car track with the center of its focus covered by a small screen. Before a car is sent down the track, the infant is exposed to a box that lies on top of the tracks. The center of the tracks is covered by the screen, but as the car travels down the track, the box is secretly removed from the tracks before the car hits it. This is not exposed to the infant. The infant shows longer gaze and reaction to the unexpected event compared to the car exiting the track. What do these results show about object permanence in infants?

It's built in! By not habituating to the car easily coming out of the screen, infants recognize that the event is surprising and know the box should have remained on the tracks, thus stopping the car

Explain how sensitization, habituation, and dishabituation occur in the poking of Aplysia siphons

Poke siphon - quick dramatic retraction (sensitization) Repeated pokes = less retraction Tail shock + siphon poke = another quick retraction (dishabituation)

How does Fast stimulation in the synapse lead to habituation? What type of memory is this?

Presumptive terminals run out of neurotransmitters-- STM

What alternative explanation for the rat & springbox experiment could show that habituation may not be learned?

Rats could have become fatigued in physical or sensory health

What is retrieval-generated priming?

Retrieval cue calls an item out of long term memory

LTM Habituation requires what type of priming, and results in what kinda of habituation and memory?

Retrieval-generated priming Slow habituation Retained memory

Contrast the changes that occur for short-term and long-term habituation

ST --> functional changes LT --> structural changes to neuron

STM Habituation requires what type of priming, and results in what kind of habituation and memory?

Self-generated priming Fast habituation Poor memory

What is the relationship between time intervals between stimuli and habituation? (Hint: describe short-term and long-term learning)

Short-term: habituation is built up rapidly by brief intervals, but dissipates almost immediately Long-term: habituation is slower because of longer intervals, but knowledge is retained longer

What does a graph with a straight vertical line at one point suggest? Can this exist with habituation?

Suggests moment of insight & sudden understanding of a stimuli DOES NOT OCCUR with habituation, which is gradual

What idea is especially used in animal husbandry that shows habituation is learned, and it can be changed by changing environment or habituated stimulus?

The "Coolidge" Effect

Specifically, how are habituation and sensitization involved/related in the Dual Process theory?

The dual-process theory argues that all noticeable stimuli will elicit both of these processes and that the behavioral output will reflect a summation of both processes.

What is the relationship between stimulus intensity and habituation?

The greater the intensity, the faster the habituation (Proven in rat experiment: rats exposed to a louder tone habituate faster than rats exposed to a "softer tone" [conclusion])

What is the difference between habituation and sensitization?

The habituation process is decremental, whereas the sensitization process is incremental enhancing the tendency to respond.

What happens to arousal and reflex sensitization over multiple trials?

They decrease

Why do humans habituate?

To filter out constant stimuli that we face everyday

When is sensitization the greatest in the dual process theory?

When the stimulus is high/intense [*This would suggest that habituation is weak with intense stimulus, which is false]

Infants are shown a wavelength of light showing the green color at 510 nm. Observations show that infants will stare at the color for a while initially until they habituate to it. Two other wavelengths of light are later shown to the infant; a 480 nm yellow color, and a 540 nm alternative green color. The infant, when exposed to the 540 nm green color, shows no signs of interest and do not stare at the color for very long. When exposed to the 480 nm yellow light, the infant stares for a while. What do the results of this experiment suggest... a.) habituation of colors from infant? b.) about the nature of color categorization & development?

a.) infants are able to recognize different categories of color from an age much earlier than thought of Piaget & human development b.) color categories are built into all organisms, not learned or nurtured

What occurs if an event is active in STM? (2)

a.) no response b.) no learning

What occurs if an event is inactive in STM? (2)

a.) response b.) learning

What is habituation?

decreased response to an event stimuli over multiple exposures

What is sensitization?

increased response to an event stimuli over multiple exposures

What happens to sensitization when there is a gradual increase of intensity?

it is minimized

In what way is sensitization strength (arousal) and stimulant-response strength (S-R) effective on total responding? As in, is it an additive, subtractive, multiplicative, or divisional relationship?

multiplicative - without one, you cannot have the other! Additionally, the intensity/weakness of one side of the equation has a drastic effect on total response

In research, what is a "trial"?

one input of learning

What is the Dual Process Theory? What two parts make it up?

posits that two separate processes exist in the central nervous system that interacts to produce habituation. The two distinct processes are a habituation process and a sensitization process.

Specifically, what makes psychologists come to a conclusion about physical or sensory fatigue? (Hint: occurs after a waiting period)

spontaneous recovery

How does one tell between habituation and sensitization?

when the habituation process exceeds the sensitization process behavior shows habituation, but if the sensitization process exceeds the habituation process, then behavior shows sensitization.