“Sensory adaptation refers to the fact that sensitivity to pro-longed stimulation tends to decline over time. According to the theory of natural selection, inherited characteristics that provide a survival advantage tend to spread throughout the population across generations. Why might sensory adaptation have evolved? What survival benefits might it confer to a small animal trying to avoid predators? To a predator trying to hunt prey?” What even is Sensory adaptation? “Sensation = bottom-up process (the output) brings information from the outside world into the body.” (Flowers, 2019) Let's use this example. For this example, you walk into your room and notice a foul-smelling lunch pack you left the night before. If you don't pick it up, it will be there the next day with the same strong smell. This is continuing until one day, you realize “hey this thing doesn't smell so bad anymore'.
Sensory adaptation has occurred. More specifically, Smell Sensory Adaptation. Sensory adaptation occurs when you become used to the intensity and presence of a particular stimulus, that it Falls below the threshold for it to be felt anymore. Or Given in the article, “Sensory Adaptation”, Sensory adaptation is, “the process in which changes in the sensitivity of sensory receptors occur in relation to the stimulus.” (Sincero, 2013) You only feel changes when the intensity increases or decreases proportionately to the initial stimuli. For example, if 100 light bulbs are on, it takes about ten tonight’s out before you notice the difference. Sensory adaptation is important for life as we know it. You would constantly be irritated by the influx of new stimuli such as light, sound, and tactile pressure, if not for sensory adaptation, you would very well be dead by now. The Sensory has 2 types: Absolute threshold and Difference threshold.
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The absolute threshold is the smallest level of energy required by an external stimulus to be detectable by the human senses, including vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. It is more precisely defined as the degree of intensity of a stimulus necessary to correctly detect that stimulus 50% of the time. Stimuli at or above the absolute threshold - those which can be detected - are called supraliminal. With sensory adaptation, we have 5 senses: Vision, Hearing, Taste, Smell, And Touch. Each one is used for a different purpose. Hearing Sensory Adaptation “Our ears adapt to the loud sound when it hits the small bones in the inner ear. The loud sound leads to the contraction of the inner ear marrow. This downturn causes the transmission of sound vibrations in the inner ear to be reduced or delayed. And with this, the audio vibrations follow. This auditory adaptation process, however, usually does not work very well with sudden or immediate loud sounds.” (Sincero,2013) For example, with shooting a shotgun without ear protection, or hearing will suddenly go faint. With the loud ringing from the gun taking over. Or with tv shows. At first, we will notice the sounds there, but every so slowly, our minds begin to get used to the sounds.
The only time we will notice the tv being on is when someone turns the tv off. Vision Sensory Adaptation The best way to describe the adaptation is with a person who has been in a dark room comes out into a brightly-lit area. Initially, the brightness might feel discomforting, but with time, the eyes adapt to changes in the size of the pupil, and the bright light does not hurt the eyes anymore despite the brightness being of the same intensity. Touch Sensory Adaptation Initially, if a person wears a watch or some necklaces, he will feel the skin accessory. However, within a few moments, the individual will not notice this sensation, as the skin begins sensory adaptation. Although, If the person were to change the position on the necklace very slightly, the touch sensation is activated again for a short time before the sensory adaptation is refuted. Taste Sensory Adaptation A meal is good or great only when the flavors are of different kinds. This kind of food excites the nerve cells and gets a strong response from the brain. However, if a person eats some food that is monotone in flavor, in a few minutes, the sense of taste loses its sensitivity, and the person may find it difficult to recognize the flavor even if it is strong, making the food unappetizing.
We mentioned Smell Sensory Adaptation above. But here is another example of it. Smell Sensory Adaptation People who are regular smokers do not seem to notice the odor of cigarette smoke, because constant exposure to this stimulus makes them get used to it. This odor can be quite distracting to any non-smoker in the vicinity. These are all considered Absolute thresholds. Whereas the Difference threshold is the smallest amount by which two sensory stimuli can differ for an individual to perceive them as different. So, how does this draw into the survival benefits of animals or even their prey? With hunting for animals, all of the senses are in action. They use hearing to tell how far or close an animal is. Their vision is used to help see how far an animal is as well as what they are (rabbit, mouse, snake, etc.)
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