Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT) Practice Test

What process involves the gradual diminishing of response strength over time?

1. Habituation

2. Respondent Conditioning

3. Extinction

4. Reinforcement

The correct answer is: Habituation

The process that involves the gradual diminishing of response strength over time is habituation. Habituation occurs when an individual is repeatedly exposed to a stimulus and begins to respond less to it over time due to the repeated exposure. This is a form of non-associative learning where the reaction to a stimulus decreases, indicating that the individual learns that the stimulus is no longer relevant or threatening. In contrast, extinction refers specifically to the reduction of a conditioned response when reinforcement is no longer provided, which is more relevant to classical or operant conditioning scenarios. Respondent conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response, and reinforcement is a process that increases the likelihood of a behavior through rewards. While all these concepts deal with changes in behavior, habituation distinctly highlights the natural decline in response due to familiarity with a stimulus.