Two-month-old Michael likes to look at the soft, multicoloured ball in his crib, but the new black-and-white ball has recently gained his attention. Habituation has occurred, meaning that
A) Michael no longer remembers the stimulus he has seen previously.
B) Michael has a short attention span.
C) a complex form of learning has taken place.
D) Michael has gotten used to a stimulus (the multicoloured ball).

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process of getting used to a stimulus, which is what has happened with Michael and the multicoloured ball. This means that he is no longer as interested in it as he once was. The fact that he has started to pay attention to the new black-and-white ball suggests that he is capable of discriminating between different stimuli. A) is not correct because habituation does not mean that Michael has forgotten the previous stimulus altogether, but simply that he is less interested in it. B) is not necessarily true as two-month-old infants have limited attention spans, but in this case, Michael's behavior suggests that he can sustain attention to the black-and-white ball. C) is not necessary in this case because habituation is a relatively simple form of learning that does not involve anything as complex as classical or operant conditioning.

Two-Month-Old Michael Likes to Look at the Soft, Multicoloured Ball