Repeated Habituation and Overhabituation of the Orienting Response

ABSTRACT This investigation was designed to test (a) whether stimuli presented in the form of repeated blocks of habituation trials, as opposed to.1 single continuous series of stimuli, would produce a progressive decline. in amount of spontaneous recovery and trials to rehabituation of the skin conductance component of the orienting response; and (b) whether 30 or 50 post‐habituation trials would produce a return of the orienting response which could be related In sensitization effects. Results showed that repeated habituations strengthened habituation as reflected in progressively decreasing spontaneous recovery across blocks, but not in speed of habituations. Further, neither 30 nor 50 post‐habituation trials produced a return of the orienting response, although 30 such trials did result in increased skin conductance level. Discussion centers on whether habituation beyond asymptotic levels (‘below‐zero’) within sessions was unambiguously obtained; relationships among stimulus intensity, frequency, and the return of the orienting response; and factors affecting measures of retention of habituation within sessions.