What Stimuli Do Humans Respond To?
Environmental Stimuli Environmental stimuli are all the things in the environment that a person can perceive and respond to. Think of all the stimuli that are present as a person takes a walk down the beach. The person can see the sunlight and how the waves sparkle underneath it. She can feel the sand slipping between her toes and the occasional splash of seafoam. The waves also make sounds, as do the seagulls. She can smell the salt in the air and the scent of a nearby fisherman’s haul. These stimuli all correspond to the five basic senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Attended Stimuli At any given moment, in any given environment, there is simply too much to take in all at once. The stimuli that we choose to attend to, or focus on varies from person to person. Some stimuli elicit reactions that were built in through millions of years of evolutionary history. Anything that may be percieved as a danger; e.g. a loud noise, a stab of pain, the color red, is more likely to be a
