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Sensory Adaptation

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| Sensory Adaptation | Psychology Unit 2 IP | | Pamela Bradford 21571629 | 8/4/2013 |

This paper will provide experiments to explain Sensory Adaption of the human body. |

Sensory adaptation is the process by which senses become less responsive to particular stimuli. Consider the enjoyment of flowers in a garden at dusk. When the surroundings are brightly lit, the red of a rose or geranium will appear bright against the greens and blues of their leaves. As darkness falls, however, the greens and blues appear brighter, and the red of the flower becomes harder to see. Some people take advantage of this phenomenon by planting “moon gardens,” which are gardens filled with whites, greens, and blues. All of these elements reflect the capability of the visual system.(Editorial Board.2011)

Experiment 1: I placed 3 bowls of water on the counter. The first one is filled with hot, not painfully hot, tap water. The second is lukewarm water (a mixture of hot and cold water). The third is filled with cold tap water. To begin I will place my left hand in the hot and the right hand in the cold for a few seconds, then emerge both hands into the lukewarm water. When I put my hand in the hot water, I sensed a tingling sensation. The hand in the cold water started to get a cool numbing sensation. When I placed them in the lukewarm water, it was like my hands felt “normal” again. The skin also has receptors that respond to tactile pressure. People can feel fine points more easily on some points of the body than others because of the distribu­tion of these receptors, called mechanoreceptors. Ask someone to lightly trace the outline of a small letter of the alphabet on your back and on your hand. You will probably be able to identify the letter on your hand, because you have a large group of mechanoreceptors there. There are not enough mechanoreceptors on the back to be able to identify a letter traced there.(Editorial Board.2011)

Experiment 2: I prepared one cup of sugar water and one cup of fresh water. I am going to take a sip of the sugar water and swish it around in my mouth for a few seconds without swallowing, and then dispose of the sugar water and taste the fresh water. The longer I swished the sugar water, the less sweet it became. When I tasted the fresh water it had a not so fresh taste to it, kind of like it had sugar in it as well. Adaptation of my tongue was used in this experiment. Your tongue will adapt to different tastes. Example: After you brush your teeth in the morning, and then drink orange juice. The orange juice will taste sour because of the sweetness of your toothpaste.(Editorial Board.2011)

References: Board, Editorial. (2011) Introduction to Psychology. Words of Wisdom, LLC.

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