Have you ever wondered why the longer you are exposed to a stimulus, such as the smell of fresh bread or the sound of the TV, the less you seem to consciously notice it? You may not have even noticed that you stopped perceiving it! This is the process known as sensory adaptation, and it is an instrumental unconscious process that helps us balance what we take in from the world around us and what we actually perceive.
As part of this video presentation, you will do an activity (that you can set up at home!) to demonstrate the power of sensory adaptation. We will use containers of water of varying temperatures to display how your hands can adapt to the temperature in your environment.