Sensory Adaptation

Sensory Adaptation Definition

In order to process all the stimulus information in our world, our bodies have several sensors that can process that information. We have five primary senses:

• Smell

• Taste

• Touch

• Sight

• Hearing

While our brain can process a lot of sensory information at once, it cannot process it all. Therefore, it uses several techniques to pick and choose the most important information to process. One of these techniques is called sensory adaptation.

After a stimulus has occurred several times or remained unchanged, the nerve cells in our brains begin to fire less frequently until the brain is no longer processing that information. Several factors affect the likelihood and intensity of sensory adaptation. For example, the strength or intensity of the stimulus can affect the likelihood of sensory adaptation occurring.

Sensory adaptation in sight. Freepik.com

Another factor that can affect sensory adaptation is our past experiences. In psychology, this is often referred to as our perceptual set.

A newborn baby's perceptual set is very limited because they haven't had very many experiences. They often stare for a long time at things they have never seen before like a banana or an elephant. However, as their perceptual set grows to include these previous experiences, sensory adaptation kicks in and they are less likely to stare or even notice the banana the next time they see it.

Sensory Adaptation Examples

Sensory adaptation occurs for all of us all day, every day. We've already discussed one example of sensory adaptation for hearing. Let's take a look at a few sensory adaptation examples that you have probably experienced with our other senses.

Have you ever borrowed someone's pen and then walked away because you forgot the pen was in your hand? This is an example of sensory adaptation with touch. Over time, your brain gets used to the pen in your hand and those nerve cells begin to fire less frequently.

Or perhaps you've walked into a room that smells like rotten food but over time you can barely notice it. You thought it was going away after a while but when you leave the room and come back, you're hit the smell stronger than before. The smell did not go away, rather, sensory adaptation was at play as your continued exposure to that smell caused your nerve cells to fire less frequently.

The first bite of the food you ordered was amazing! You could taste so many flavors that you had never tasted before. However, while every bite is still delicious, you do not notice all the flavors you initially noticed on the very first bite. This is the result of sensory adaptation, as your nerve cells adapt and the new flavors become more and more familiar after every bite.

Sensory adaptation occurs less frequently in our daily lives for sight because our eyes are constantly moving and adjusting.

Sensory adaptation in taste. Freepik.com

Sensory Adaptation vs Habituation

Another way in which the brain filters through all the sensory information we receive is through habituation. Habituation is very similar to sensory adaptation in that they both involve repeated exposure to sensory information.

Habituation is a type of learning that occurs by choice while adaptation is considered a a.

Sensory Adaptation Autism

Sensory adaptation occurs for all of us. However, some may be more sensitive to it than others. For example, individuals with autism experience reduced sensory adaptation.

Individuals with autism have both high sensitivity and low sensitivity to sensory stimuli. High sensitivity occurs because sensory adaptation does not occur as frequently for individuals with autism. When sensory adaptation occurs less frequently, that individual is more likely to remain highly sensitive to any sensory input. Sensory adaption may occur less frequently because they do not access their perceptual set to process sensory information as often as others. As we discussed earlier, our perceptual set can affect how quickly sensory adaptation occurs. If this perceptual set is not accessed as frequently, sensory adaptation is less likely to occur.

Sensory Adaptation Advantages and Disadvantages

There are several sensory adaptation advantages and disadvantages. As we mentioned earlier, sensory adaptation allows the brain to filter sensory information around us. This helps us conserve our time, energy, and attention so we can focus on the most important sensory information.

Sensory adaptation hearing. Freepik.com

Sensory adaptation is an incredibly useful tool, but it is not without disadvantages. Sensory adaptation is not a perfect system. Sometimes, the brain may become less sensitive to information that turns out to be important after all. Sensory information occurs naturally and sometimes, we can't be in control or be fully aware of when it happens.