Field Guide · Glossary
Habituation
Learning scienceA gradual decrease in response to something after repeated exposure, when nothing of consequence follows it.
How it works
It is the simplest form of learning and it happens without anyone arranging it. A sound that repeats and never predicts anything eventually stops being worth attending to, which is why a household clock disappears within a week. It is not the same as a dog becoming comfortable with something they find frightening: habituation works where the thing is neutral, and repeated exposure to something genuinely alarming can sensitize a dog instead, making the response stronger rather than weaker.
What it looks like
A dog newly moved next to a railway line startles at every train for the first week. By the third week they no longer lift their head, because the sound has never once been followed by anything that mattered.
Commonly confused with
- Desensitization
- Habituation happens on its own with a neutral stimulus. Desensitization is a deliberate procedure for something the dog already finds difficult, worked at an intensity low enough that they stay comfortable.
Related terms