Habituation: a key process of pre-associative learning

Out of all types of learning, the pre-associative learning It is the simplest of all and the one that is shared by absolutely all the animal species on the planet. Is about a type of learning of an implicit or subconscious nature that allows species to adapt to the environment.

It is enough for an organism to be endowed with the simplest of nervous systems for it to learn in a pre-associative, which ultimately refer to the ability of an organism to respond or not to respond to stimuli from the environment.

Habituation and awareness

Within pre-associative learning we find two phenomena: habituation Y sensitization. For the moment we will focus on the first one.

Habituation: definition and examples

It is considered as the most primitive form of learning and is defined as the decreased response of an organism to a stimulusIn other words, it is the process by which we stop responding to what is not relevant.

It is a tremendously daily and frequent phenomenon in our day to day. Those people who live near an airport, a large road or a nightclub will easily recognize it, since if for you it is the first time that you are in the proximity to such noisy places will make it impossible for you to live in these conditions, while those who have already been living in those conditions for a few weeks no longer hear the pollution acoustics. Habituation has acted on them, and has made the stimuli that result for us aversive at first, they may not be able to listen to you except by paying close attention stopped.

A way of learning that allows us to adapt to the environment

But environmental noise is only a representative example of the many situations in which this process is present. I am sure that when you are driving or walking to work you do not pay attention to all those details of the road signs, signs and advertising are completely invisible to you as you have learned not to respond to they.

If a child ignores the frequent scolding and attempts at change from a teacher or parents who are unhappy with her academic grades, it would not be fair to say that the child is disobedient, on the contrary, it is probably that the constant shouting and calls for attention are no longer the most correct way to achieve the change in him, since he has stopped responding to they. It is also the case of the typical person who does nothing but complain or argue every time she speaks and whose attempts to complain and indignation is reduced to zero since we stop perceiving them, as they say “one ear enters me, and the other I comes out".

Learning necessary for survival

As you may have seen, this mechanism is as simple as it is functional. Without this type of learning, the perpetuation of life would not be possible. Any stimulus that entered through the pupil of our eyes or through our ears would be considered, analyzed and responded to.

This situation would make us unable to take a step without first analyzing infinite environmental stimulation that is irrelevant. Therefore, allows us to cope with ease in our close environment without having to bother to analyze the possible effects of any sensation that we meet along the way and that we meet in our wake.

A process that carries negative social realities

Although strictly necessary for life, habituation can lead to phenomena that are not pleasant to us and they take emotion out of life. Boredom, routine and boredom are always preceded by this learning, our body is missing stimulated by nothing around it and requires additional stimulation to which our body is able to react and feel alive.

In the same way, it is responsible for time passing so quickly since the elements of our environment are not perceived, it is not remembered and as far as we know of the memory-perception of time relationship, by not storing new memories, our perception of time is faster and we rightly sigh the speed with which life happens.

Remedies to end the negative effects of habituation

From what we have seen, it is impossible to think of a life without this phenomenon even if it entails a reduction in attention to our surroundings, which leads to boredom and feelings of transience. However, there are ways to combat its negative consequences.

Activities like meditation, the yoga, Mindfulness and generally, any activity that arises from Buddhist roots They are based on the development of full attention to our external and internal environment, thus making the small and routine activities of our life become large and representative. As they say, the little things in life are the most important so let's not let this process inherent in human nature prevent us from seeing them.