Matteo misses his grandpa since he passed away.He has his grandpa's old hat and he often smells it to remember him.He notices,however,that the smell quickly fades each time he does it,but it is back again the next time he tries it.What is the best explanation for Matteo's inability to smell his grandpa's scent after a few minutes?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best explanation for Matteo's inability to smell his grandpa's scent after a few minutes is sensory adaptation. This is when our senses become accustomed to a particular stimuli and the response to that stimuli decreases over time. In this case, Matteo's olfactory sense has become accustomed to the scent of his grandpa's hat, and so the response decreases each time he smells it. However, the scent returns the next time he tries to smell it because the sensory adaptation is not permanent.

Matteo Misses His Grandpa Since He Passed Away