Which statement best reflects the evolutionary advantage of sensory adaptation?
A) It prevents fatigue of sensory receptors.
B) It prevents the constant excitation of the hairs of your skin by your clothing.
C) It prevents the nervous system from being overwhelmed by stimuli that offer very little information about the world.
D) It allows the brain to reassign sensory cortex in people who lose a limb.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sensory adaptation reduces the responsiveness of sensory receptors to constant or unchanging stimuli. This enables the nervous system to focus on detecting and responding to new, potentially important stimuli in the environment, while ignoring stimuli that offer little or no additional information about the world. This prevents the nervous system from being overwhelmed and allows it to conserve energy for processing relevant information.

Which Statement Best Reflects the Evolutionary Advantage of Sensory Adaptation