Habituation is when the repetition of a stimulus leads to a decrease in its response. This serves to stop responding to stimuli that is potential important but situationally irrelevant. 


- Researchers theorize that it is related to a decrease in the efficiency of synaptic transmission, "a decrease that may be caused by a conductivity change in the membrane of the stimulated neuron’s iconic channels" (Camina and Güel, 2017).

Michigan State University

Non-associative memory is learning that occurs when a behavior toward a stimuli changes without the presence of any associated stimulus or event; in contrast to associative memory, no direct connection is made between stimuli and a respective response. There are two important processes of non-associative memory:

- Habituation
- Sensitization

Non-associative memory

- Camina, E., Güel, F. (2017). The Neuroanatomical, Neurophysiological and Psychological Basis of Memory: Current Models and Their Origins. Front. Pharmacol. 8:438. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00438

- Kreitzer, A. C. (2009). Physiology and pharmacology of striatal neurons. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 32, 127–147. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135422

- Spielman, R. M, et. al. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax.

- Mackintosh, J. N. (1999). Classical and instrumental conditioning. Encyclopedia Britannica.

- McLeod, S. A. (2018, August 21). Classical conditioning. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/classical-conditioning.html

References for implicit memory

Habituation

Sensitization is the increase in response to a stimulus after being repeatedly presented. 


- Sensitization may be related to a provision in transmission (presypnatic or postsypnatic). Although its effect is the opposite of habituation because there is an increase in response, the precesses underlying habituation may be the same as those in sensitization. 

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