repeated presentation of a stimulus will cause a decrease in reaction to the stimulus. habituation is also proclaimed to be a form of implicit learning, which is commonly the case with continually repeated stimuli. this characteristic is consistent with the definition of habituation as a procedure, but to confirm habituation as a process, additional characteristics must be demonstrated. also observed is spontaneous recovery. that is, a habituated response to a stimulus recovers (increases in magnitude) when a significant amount of time (hours, days, weeks) passes between stimulus presentations.