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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

April 26th 2024

advantage by illness

advantage by illness

see secondary gain.