Final answer:
If people are continuously startled by a stimulus that they know will not cause them harm, they will fail to D. habituate to the stimulus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Habituation is a simple form of learning in which an animal stops responding to a stimulus after a period of repeated exposure. It is a non-associative learning process, meaning that the stimulus is not associated with any punishment or reward. When people are continuously startled by a stimulus that they know will not cause them harm, they will fail to habituate to the stimulus.
For example, imagine hearing a loud noise every few minutes, but knowing that it is just a harmless sound that does not pose a threat. At first, you might startle and react to the noise. However, over time, if the noise continues without causing harm, you will become habituated to it and no longer respond with the same level of arousal or fear.
Habituation is useful because it allows animals to ignore things that will not harm them, saving time and energy that would otherwise be wasted on unnecessary responses. It helps animals distinguish between stimuli that require a response and those that do not. Therefore the correct answer is D. habituate to the stimulus.