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In class we spoke of sensory adaption and how exactly it works. Your instructor told you that sensory adaption does not work with one sense. Which is it?

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Sensory adaptation occurs in all senses except for the sense of pain.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sensory adaptation is a phenomenon where our perception of a constant stimulus decreases over time. While sensory adaptation occurs in all senses, there is one sense that does not exhibit sensory adaptation, and that is the sense of pain. Unlike other sensory receptors that can adapt to constant stimuli, pain receptors continue to transmit pain signals even after prolonged exposure to the same stimulus.

The sense that does not undergo sensory adaptation is pain (nociception). While other senses, like vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, can adapt to constant stimuli over time, the sensory receptors for pain typically do not. They continue to respond to pain signals to alert us to potential harm. Sensory adaptation refers to the decrease in sensitivity to a constant stimulus, helping us to focus on changes in our environment. However, pain receptors are designed to alert us to problems that may require immediate attention and thus do not exhibit the same adaptive behavior.

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User Shigeo
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