Question

When Janice visits her grandmother, she always notices that her grandmother's house smells like cedar. However, Janice never notices the smell of her own home. What sensory concept explains why Janice cannot smell her own house?

Answer 1

Janice doesn't notice the smell of her own home due to sensory adaptation, which causes sensory receptors to respond less to constant stimuli over time, allowing focus on new or changing environmental factors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sensory concept that explains why Janice cannot smell her own house is referred to as sensory adaptation. Sensory adaptation is a phenomenon where sensory neurons detect changes in the environment rather than constant stimuli. When Janice enters her grandmother's house, the scent of cedar is novel to her olfactory system, making it noticeable. Conversely, the odors in her own home are constant and thus no longer register as prominently due to the adaptation of her olfactory receptors.

Over time, the receptors in Janice's nose respond less to familiar stimuli, which explains why she doesn't notice the smell of her own home. This concept is essential for allowing humans to detect new and potentially important changes in their environment rather than being overwhelmed by unchanging background stimuli. Anosmia, or the loss of the sense of smell, can occur due to various reasons such as blunt trauma to the head or aging, but is not what Janice is experiencing.