Question

Sensation and perception are critical to survival and are separate events that, from the vantage point of the perceiver, feel like one single process. A sensation is a simple awareness that results from stimulation of a sense organ, whereas perception organizes, identifies, and interprets sensation at the level of the brain in order to form a mental representation. All sensory modalities depend on the process of transduction, which converts physical signals from the environment into neural signals carried by sensory neurons into the central nervous system.

In the 19th century, researchers developed psychophysics, an approach to studying perception that measures the strength of a stimulus and an observer’s sensitivity to that stimulus. These researchers developed procedures for measuring an observer’s absolute threshold, or the smallest intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus, and the just noticeable difference (JND), or the smallest change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected. Signal detection theory represents a refinement of these basic approaches and allows researchers to distinguish between an observer’s perceptual sensitivity to a stimulus and criteria for making decisions about the stimulus. Sensory adaptation occurs because sensitivity to lengthy stimulation tends to decline over time. This process illustrates that the perceptual system is more sensitive to changes in stimulation than to constant levels of stimulation.

Sensory Adaptation in your life exercise:

■ You will need TWO (2) same size drinking glass, ONE containing a strong solution of water and sugar (4 tablespoons of water and1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar mixture), another ONE containing pure water.

■ First, take a sip of the sugar water and swirl it around in your mouths without swallowing. After a few seconds, the solution should taste less sweet. You can then swallow the concoction or spit it back in the original cup.

■ Next, you should drink from the cup containing fresh water.

After you have completed the exercise, answer the following item.

1. Describe how the freshwater taste in your mouth.

2. Explain how sensory adaption has occurred.

3. Come up with ONE exercise to demonstrate Sensory Adaption. Provide necessary steps to completing the exercise.

*** Provide information from one or more scholarly sources with an in-text citation and match referencing to support your discussion. Wikipedia is not a scholarly source. Discussion without a source will receive zero (0) point.

*** Responses to Discussion Question should be 200 words or more and substantive-this does not include assignment or references. A good practice to produce a response in Word Document to monitor word count, copy and paste into the message area. Please be sure to include proper APA an in-text citation and reference for all information.

Answer 1

1. The freshwater which will be tasted after having sweet water will tend to be of neutral taste . It will not taste sweet anymore.  

2. The sensory information are received by our sensory organs and hence , our body acts accordingly.

Our brain receives such signals and keeps working on specific one . Like if a person constantly consumes something sweet , the brain will focus on the changes that is taking place , rather than the ones which is giving the constant taste of sweetness.

Example of Sensory Adaptation

Noise Adaption :

People adapt themselves to the noise surrounding them within the environment. Eg: People who keeps driving, or living in an area which is near to busy roads adapt themselves to noise . The constant noise is what they get used to .

People involved in the bands , are closer to loud noises . The muscle which is attached to our inner ear bone contracts and hence reduces the vibration of the sound transmission. Hence it lowers the vibration to the inner ear . It helps in adjusting the vibration of the noise .

Citation :

1. Henrichon, Susan.J (2018, April 19) Examples of Sensory Adaptation.
2. The times of India ( 2017, February 5) Why do sweet things stop tasting so after we eat anything sugary?