One element of habituation is desensitization. An example would be buying a new clock that chimes every hour. The chime might be startling until you get used to it, at which point it will no longer startle you; in fact, you might not hear it at all. That’s why you’ll sometimes witness parents of small children who seem to be oblivious to the ear-piercing shrieks of their toddlers in the playground. They are oblivious—as long as the children sound happy, they no longer register the pitch of those screams. Other parents may be bothered or embarrassed by their child’s shrieks, or they may come
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