What Is Adaptation Essay Example for Free

What Is Adaptation Essay Adaptation in common sense is a system reaction of organism which provides possibility of all kinds of social activity and vital functions. In other sources we can find a definition that adaptation is totality of reactions of live system, which supports its functional stability in the process of changes in conditions of environment. It can be also called plastic accommodation of internal changes to external changes as well. Processes of adaptation are directed at supporting of stability inside of organism and between organism and environment and are connected with self-preservation of functional level of self-regulated system and with choice of functional strategy of achievement the aim. By psychical adaptation we understand continuous process of active adaptation for human psychics to conditions of physical and social environment which surrounds him, and also the result of this process. To describe the process of adaptation we use also term â€Å"adaptation abilities†. Psychical adaptation include level of factual adjustment of a person, level of his social status and self-feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction by himself and his life. Sensory adaptation is explained by change in ability to react at changes in environment with help of sensory system, basing at the average level of stimuli, which surrounds us. For example, we feel the temperature of water as cold for the first several minutes, and later we find it not so cold, although temperature didn’t change: it is at the same level, but our organism was adapted to this temperature and our receptors found this temperature as â€Å"normal†. It is adaptation. When we are in perfume shop and smelling different kinds of perfumes, our nose looses it sensitiveness after change of several smells – we actually feel odors but we are adapted to them and we are unable to tell the difference between them.   When we walk in the evening, our eyes are gradually adapt to darkness, and while the sun sets, we can see in the darkness – but when we go out from room with bright light into the darkness, it takes time to adapt to darkness after change of exposure. Sensory systems are nervous mechanisms, which serve as receivers of signals, informing about changes in environment, which surrounds the subject (extroreception) and in his organism (intrareception). We got used to distinguish five main external sensory systems, which receive sensory information: cutaneous sensitiveness (touch), sight, smell, taste, and hearing. These senses present out basis of knowledge about environment. In fact, we have more of these systems (only cutaneous sensitiveness causes sense of cold, pressure, hot, pain, etc). Sensory systems consist of receptors, nervous conductors and nerve centers. Each sensory system provides sensation which is peculiar to it only.