Final answer:
David's lack of response to the airplane noise is a result of habituation, a type of learning where an individual stops responding to a frequent and neutral stimulus.
Step-by-step explanation:
The behavior of David not noticing the noise from airplanes traveling over his house can be best explained by Option 1: Habituation. Habituation is a form of non-associative learning where an individual reduces or ceases their response to a stimulus after being exposed to it repeatedly over time. David, living near the airport, hears airplanes frequently, and over time, his response to the noise of the airplanes diminishes to the point where he no longer actively notices it.
An example of habituation is when individuals no longer notice the sound of a television in a room after initially finding it distracting or when prairie dogs cease to respond to human footsteps, having learned that no harm accompanies this sound. This learning process is universal across many species and is one of the simplest ways of adapting to environmental stimuli, particularly those that are persistent but neither harmful nor beneficial.