Young Ruthie is tickled pink to learn that she will be visiting her beloved grandmother who recently moved to a nearby apartment. The first time she walks into the apartment, Ruthie immediately notices the strong scent of the wintergreen-based gel her grandmother used for muscle and joint pain and comments that it "smells funny in here." Soon, however, Ruthie no longer notices the wintergreen scent. However, after Ruthie's initial reaction to the scent would be a(n) ____, and her later lack of reaction to it demonstrates ____.
A) attention; orientation
B) habituation; attention
C) orienting response; habituation
D) habituation; orienting response

Question

Young Ruthie is tickled pink to learn that she will be visiting her beloved grandmother who recently moved to a nearby apartment. The first time she walks into the apartment, Ruthie immediately notices the strong scent of the wintergreen-based gel her grandmother used for muscle and joint pain and comments that it "smells funny in here." Soon, however, Ruthie no longer notices the wintergreen scent. However, after Ruthie's initial reaction to the scent would be a(n) ____, and her later lack of reaction to it demonstrates ____.
A) ​attention; orientation
B) ​habituation; attention
C) ​orienting response; habituation
D) ​habituation; orienting response

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ruthie's initial reaction to the wintergreen scent is an orienting response, which is the automatic shift of her attention towards the novelty of the scent. Her later lack of reaction to the scent demonstrates habituation, which is the decrease in responsiveness to a repeated or familiar stimulus over time. Therefore, the correct option is C.

Young Ruthie Is Tickled Pink to Learn That She Will