Habituation involves decreased attention, while dishabituation involves what?

Habituation refers to the process whereby an individual’s response to a repeated stimulus decreases over time, reflecting a form of learning to ignore stimuli that are perceived as non-threatening or irrelevant. In contrast, dishabituation occurs when a previously habituated response is restored after a change in the stimulus. This indicates that the individual is paying increased attention to the new or altered stimulus, signifying that they have detected a difference that warrants consideration.

The key idea in dishabituation is the return of attention, often sparked by significant changes or novelty, which suggests that the individual is actively engaging with their environment. This increased attention is critical for adaptive functioning, allowing organisms to respond to important changes in their surroundings, such as the introduction of a new sound or sight that may signal a potential threat or opportunity.

Understanding this distinction is fundamental in studies of perception and learning, illustrating how organisms adapt to their environments through selective attention processes.