Chapter 27, Problem 1MCQ

As you snuggle into bed, you feel the weight of the blankets on your body, but you soon become unaware of the covers. What has happened?

1. a. Your skin’s touch receptors have become unable to receive information about new stimuli.
2. b. Your skin’s touch receptors have adapted to the feeling of the blankets.
3. c. All of your body’s sensory receptors have become unable to receive information about new stimuli.
4. d. All of your body’s sensory receptors have adapted to the feeling of the blankets.

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

Skin receptors are also called the cutaneous receptors present in the dermal or epidermal layer of the skin. It is the sensory receptor which responds to stimuli and sends the information of stimuli to the central nervous system. These receptors detect the touch, vibration, temperature, pressure and pain. The phenomenon in which the sensations become normal or less noticeable with prolonged exposure o the stimuli are called the sensory adaptation.

Answer to Problem 1MCQ

Correct answer:

The skin receptor present in the epidermal or dermal layer of the skin adapted to the feeling of the blankets. Therefore, option (b) is correct.

Explanation of Solution

Reason for the correct statement:

The skin receptor present in the skin detects the pressure, are called the mechanoreceptors. Such receptor adapted to the feeling of the stimuli after some time of interaction.

Option (b) is given as “your skin’s touch receptor have adapted to the feeling of the blankets”.

As, “skin touch receptor have the ability to the sensory adaptation by the prolonged exposure to the stimulus”, is the right answer.

Hence, option (b) is correct.

Reasons for the incorrect statements:

Option (a), is given as “your skin’s touch receptors have become unable to receive information about new stimuli”.

Skin has the mechanoreceptors which sense the touch of different stimuli and send the information to the brain. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Option (c), is given as “all of your body’s sensory receptors have unable to receive information about new stimuli”.

It is impossible that all the body receptors have unable to receive the information of anew stimuli. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Option (d), is given as “all of your body’s sensory receptors have adapted to the feeling of the blankets”.

There are different types of receptors present in the body which respond to different stimuli accordingly. Only mechanoreceptors which detect the touch or pressure would undergo sensory adaptation. Hence, it is a wrong answer.

Hence, Options (a), (b), and (c), are incorrect.

Conclusion

Therefore, the mechanoreceptors which detect the touch or pressure have the property to undergo sensory adaptation. So skin receptor adapted to the feeling of the blankets.