Final answer:
Sensory adaptation serves to minimize the perception of constant and unchanging stimuli, allowing us to focus on changes and new stimuli in our environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of sensory adaptation is to minimize the perception of unchanging stimuli. Sensory adaptation serves as a filter to decrease our awareness of constant environmental elements, allowing us to focus more on changes or new stimuli around us. When a stimulus is constant and unchanging, like the light from a flashing sign outside a window, the sensory receptors in the body still detect the stimulus, but over time they send fewer signals to the central nervous system, leading us to stop consciously noticing the stimulus. This efficient function of our sensory system prevents us from being overwhelmed by unchanging background sensations.