light adaptation

the process by which the eye adjusts to conditions of high illumination, as occurs when a person exits a dark theater into a sunny parking lot. It takes less than 10 minutes and involves constriction of the pupil and a shift in the sensitivity of the retina so that the retinal cones become active in place of the retinal rods. Compare dark adaptation.

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Psychology term of the day

January 20th 2025

historicism

1. the belief that the study of history can reveal general laws governing historical events and social and cultural phenomena and that these laws may allow for predictions of the future.

2. the notion that beliefs, values, and cultural products are determined by their historical context and can only be understood in this context.