Three Processes Which Occur during Adaptation to Transformation of the Visual Field

Changes in visually guided responses, including spatial judgments of object or limb position, which result from optical transformation of visual input are usually referred to as adaptation. The purpose of this paper is to show that the response changes observed in adaptation can be conceptualized as resulting from at least three distinct components—behavioral compensation, sensory adaptation, and visual shift. Data from a series of experiments show the nature of the interaction of behavioral compensation and sensory adaptation. Implications of this latter finding for intermanual transfer are discussed.