Specificity and savings of behavioural habituation over a series of intra- and inter-modal stimuli

A series of four tone stimuli, differing either in tonal frequency or in melody, was presented at the rate of one presentation per day to a group of rats. Habituation was specific to the frequency of simple auditory stimuli and to the melody of patterned stimuli, as shown both by the distraction to stimulus change, and by the trials to habituate to the new stimulus. Savings in habituation occurred when a series of tone stimuli was presented, but was not found for a series of inter-modal stimuli.