AbstractsPsychology

Repetitive presentation of any non-significant stimulus to an animal results in a decrement in the animal's response to that stimulus. This phenomenon, termed habituation, is distinguishable from fatigue and receptor adaptation in that it is long-lasting and in that the habituation is fairly specific to the repeated stimulus. The prevailing view of habituation is that it, like learning in general, results from an increase in the efficacy of neural transmission, but, unlike learning, this increased efficacy primarily affects inhibitory interneurons (e.g., Soko1ov, 1960; Hernandez-Peon, 1960; Jouvet, 1961). Within this broad framework, disagreements exist regarding the source of the inhibitory influences. [...]