You Have Just Arrived at the Library to Study and Just

question 85

Multiple Choice

You have just arrived at the library to study and just as you are starting to read your assignment, a group of students at a nearby table begin a loud conversation. At first, these extra sounds annoy you, but you return to your reading and pretty soon, you are no longer aware of them, even though the students are continuing to talk. This example is most similar to what is known as:

• A) sensory adaptation.
• B) a perceptual set.
• C) transduction.
• D) a difference threshold.

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Definitions:

Adaptive Ways

Strategies or mechanisms that individuals use to adjust to new conditions or environments in a positive manner.

Activity Theory

Theory of aging that holds that to age successfully a person must remain as active as possible.

Disengagement Theory

A theory suggesting that aging involves an inevitable process of withdrawal from social relationships and roles, leading to increased introspection and self-focus.

Compensation Theory

A hypothesis suggesting that individuals will excel in one area to balance out deficits in another area.