If a jet of water is repeatedly squirted at the gills of an Aplysia, ____ occurs.
A) sensitization
B) habituation
C) operant conditioning
D) classical conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Habituation is the decrease in response to a repeated stimulus that does not provide meaningful information. In this case, the Aplysia is repeatedly squirted with water at the gills, which is a harmless stimulus that does not provide meaningful information, and thus the Aplysia will habituate to it over time. Sensitization (A) would occur if the repeated stimulus caused an increased response, such as if the water jet became stronger or more frequent. Operant conditioning (C) and classical conditioning (D) involve learning associations between a behavior and a consequence or between two stimuli, respectively, and are not applicable in this scenario.

If a Jet of Water Is Repeatedly Squirted at the Gills