Sensory Adaptation
American Intercontinental University

Sensory Adaptation
The three experiments I chose to conduct were Experiment 1, Experiment 2, and
Experiment 4. All of the experiments were interesting in their own way. Each experiment had a different outcome but all support adaptation within the experiment.
Beginning experiment 1 I purchased a small piece of very coarse sandpaper at the local hardware store. I began by rubbing my index fingers across the sandpaper a few times. The first time I rated the coarseness high on the scale as an 8 and as the experiment progressed I began to rate the coarseness lower and lower on the one to ten scale. Adaptation is evident in this experiment with every rub of my fingers across the sandpaper it felt less abrasive than the first time. My sense of touch adapted to the rough surface with every swipe of my finger. The results of this experiment surprised me my hypothesis prior to conducting the experiments was that my estimate of the level of coarseness would hover around the same number.
To set up for experiment 2 I prepared one cup of sugar and water mixed together and another cup of fresh water. I took a sip of the sugar water and swished it around my mouth for awhile then spit it out. Afterwards I took a sip of the fresh water and surprisingly enough it tasted sweet still. I was very surprised that the fresh water tasted sweet after I had spit the sugar water out. I was defiantly surprised with the taste of the fresh water. This was another very interesting experiment and the end result was different from my original hypothesis.
Experiment 4 had the largest set up in preparation for the experiment. I began by filling three medium sized bowls with water. The first bowl was filled with very hot water but not so hot that it would hurt to put a finger in. The second bowl was filled with very cold water, and the third bowl was filled with a mixture of very hot and very cold water. I then arranged them so that the bowl with the cold water was in front of my right hand and the hot water bowl was in front of my left hand and the luke warm water bowl was in the middle of the other bowls. Then I submersed my right and left hands into the bowls of hot and cold water for three minutes. When
I submerged my hands in the luke warm water they instantly felt better but I could still feel the hot and cold water on my hands. While my hands where submerged in the hot and cold water bowls. It was very hot and very cold at first but the longer my hand was in the water the less hot it began to feel.
Sensory adaptation according to the text is the continued presentation of the same stimulus. However, causes the receptors to become less sensitive to that particular stimulus; hence a strange stimulus is required to activate the receptors (2010). Human beings have five primary senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. As humans we get used to things over time.
The sensory systems that were involved in the three experiments I chose were the sense of touch and taste. Our sense of touch comes from nerve endings found in the bottom layer of our skin that’s called the dermis. These nerve endings send messages to our spinal cord, which transmits the information to our brain. This is where feeling is recognized. We have about twenty different nerve endings in the human body, the most common receptors are hot, cold, pressure, pain, and touch (2011). Our sense of taste comes from our taste buds. The taste buds of an adult are located on the tongue. There are thousands of tiny taste buds that detect four basic taste types: sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. The taste buds that recognize the sour taste are on the sides of the tongue. The sweet and salty taste buds are on the front of the tongue, while the bitter taste buds are on the back of the tongue. When you’re eating food chewing it up it gets broken down by your teeth and your saliva. “Receptor cells” in the taste buds send messages to your brain through sensory nerves. This process allows your brain to detect and advise the flavor. While I was swishing the sugar water around in my mouth at first it was very sweet and as I continued to swish it around it became less and less sweet, this was due to my sense of taste or my taste buds experiencing sensory adaptation (2011).

When you think about adaptation from an evolutionary perspective it almost seems like a necessity of survival. In order for species to be able to survive and continue to thrive and be a successful species they must be able to adapt to their surroundings and maintain survival.
Sensory adaptation makes things like that possible. Most if not all organisms and populations have to cope with hostile environments that threaten their existence. Their ability to respond genetically to these challenges and to evolve adaptive mechanisms is crucial (2011).

Reference
Environmental stress, adaptation, and evolution, (2011). Rudolf Bijlsma. Retrieved from: www.books.google.com
What is Sensory Adaptation?, (2011). Retrieved from: www.sensory.org
Sensory Adaptation, (2011). Retrieved from: www.alleydog.com
Davis, S. F., & Palladino, J. J. (2010) Psychology (6th ed.) [Online version]. Retrieved from AIU Online Virtual Campus. Aspects of Psychology: SSCI206-1104B:16 website.