PSYA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Neural Adaptation, Psychophysics, Detection Theory
Document Summary
When you walk into a bakery, the aroma of freshly baked bread overwhelms you, but after a few minutes the smell fades. If you dive into cold water, the temperature is shocking at first, but after a few minutes you get used to it. When you wake up in the middle of the night for a drink of water, the bathroom light blinds you, but after a few minutes you no longer squint. These are all examples of sensory adaptation, the observation that sensitivity to prolonged stimulation tends to decline over time as an organism adapts to current conditions. Imagine that while you are studying in a quiet room, your neighbor in the apartment next door turns on the stereo. That gets your attention, but after a few minutes the sounds fade from your awareness as you continue your studies. But remember that our perceptual systems emphasizechange in responding to sensory events: when the music stops, you notice.
