Optical Illusion and Sensory Adaptation

Human receive information about the objects and events that surround us through our five senses that shape our experience. With our unconsciousness, our brain processes the data surround us automatically. Our brain organizes and translates the sensory data into meaningful perceptions. The Eye does not always perceive the reality. The phenomenon that we examine through these illusions is a vital characteristic of the perceptual system that helps us to survive in the world. It tells us the limitation and the maximum ability of our perceptual apparatus.

First of all, what is the illusion that we talk about here? We are talking about the optical illusion which what we perceive does not match the reality. The illusion is evidence that we see different from the reality because our brain, and the whole visual system perceive and interpret the image. For example, one of the illusions that we examine called the “Fading Effect”.

In this effect, we stared at the little black dot in the middle of a gray patch until the gray patch started to disappear. While the stimulus it was not changing reality, our interpretation of what we were seeing started to change until there was no longer any gray patch around the black dot at all. Secondly, the four effects of task 3 that we explore have in common. What we observe is not the truth. All the effects require us to stare at the image over a period of time in order to occur the desired effect. The fixation continuously stimulates the receptor neurons which in turn become fatigued. Then sensory adaptation occurs because the same stimulus repeatedly appears to the same receptors. The system becomes less responsive and sensitive to the stimulus.

Our brain has limited storage so it is vital for us to process all the information efficiently. Sensory adaptation allows us to ignore unchanged stimuli and to react to a sudden change in stimulation and is quite a useful phenomenon that can help with human survival. Thirdly, sensory adaptation plays an important role in our perceptual system. Sensory systems reduced responsiveness and sensitivity to unchanging stimuli, it provides survival benefits because we can’t spend our time to those unchanging stimuli. And it has practical survival applications because humans can reserve their attention for changing and new stimuli that require our consideration, in order to determine whether we are facing the threat. Also, sensory adaptation allows human focus on important sensory inputs, which therefore allow us to perceive, orient, act, and decide quickly and efficiently. In conclusion, sensory adaptation permits us to adapt to our surroundings, and switch our focus the case that has the greatest importance in that environment consequently aiding our survival. 

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