What is an Adaptive lamp monitor?

My 1995 Buick Lesabre has this "adaptive lamp monitor". What exactly does it do?

The only google hits I've found are lawyer talk on a patent site and a consumer page that says it costs $329 for parts and $65 in labor to fix.

This system will let you know when certain exterior light bulbs fail to light. You should have a display with eight LED’s indicating bulb status. When you first start the car, all eight indicators (LED’s) will light for a few seconds to indicate monitor system is working and then the lights will go out. When a bulb fails, an indicator will flash for a few seconds and then stay on until the failed bulb is replaced. (The bulbs are monitored, only when being used).

The bulbs that are monitored include; both headlight high beams, both headlight low beams, front & rear left turn signals, front & rear right turn signals, parking lamps including four tail lamps, right & left side markers, stop lights, including four rear & rear “high mount” and finally the back–up lights.

The “Adaptive Light Monitor Control Module” is located under the driver’s side dash and usually above the steering column. It has a large heat sink on the front of the module.

BTW, you can Click Here (http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/15/ec/20/0900823d8015ec20/repairInfoPages.htm) & go to "FIG 56" for a wiring diagram.