What does non-associative learning primarily involve?

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Prepare for the MCAT Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior Test. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions with hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Non-associative learning primarily involves repeated exposure to one type of stimulus, which leads to a change in behavior. This form of learning is characterized by the direct effects of a single stimulus rather than the relationship between multiple stimuli.

Two key processes involved in non-associative learning are habituation and sensitization. Habituation occurs when there is a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure, while sensitization involves an increased response to a stimulus. Both of these processes illustrate that through continued exposure, an organism's behavior can be modified in a systematic way without the necessity of making associations between different stimuli.

In contrast, the other options pertain to different learning concepts. The first option describes associative learning, which indeed involves learning associations between two stimuli, such as in classical or operant conditioning. The second choice refers to an unrelated decrease in behavior, which does not capture the essence of non-associative learning; instead, it conflates it with a concept that lacks the direct dependency on stimulus exposure. The last option focuses on the behavioral responses to rewards and punishments, which is also a hallmark of associative learning rather than non-associative learning.