An infant has become bored with the visual presentation of a pink square. Then, when researchers make the square spin counterclockwise, the infant's interest perks up again. What is this kind of change in responsiveness called?
A) positive reinforcement
B) dishabituation
C) a conditioned response
D) a conditioned stimulus

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This kind of change in responsiveness is called dishabituation, which occurs when a previously habituated response is restored due to a change in the stimulus. In this case, the spinning of the pink square caused the infant to regain interest in the stimulus. Positive reinforcement refers to the strengthening of a behavior by adding a pleasant consequence. A conditioned response is a learned response to a conditioned stimulus, while a conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus that becomes associated with a particular response through conditioning. None of these terms accurately describe the change in the infant's responsiveness in this scenario.

An Infant Has Become Bored with the Visual Presentation of a Pink