Untitled Flashcards Set

What does sensation refer to?

The act of our sensory systems detecting environmental stimuli.

What is perception?

The interpretation of sensory information provided by the CNS and what our brain makes sense of.

What are the physical stimuli for the olfactory sensory system?

Odorants, which are airborne chemicals.

What type of sensory information does the gustatory system respond to?

Chemicals, typically found in food.

What is sensory transduction?

The process of converting a form of stimuli into a neural impulse that our brain can read.

What does the absolute threshold refer to?

The smallest amount of stimulus that people can detect.

What is the difference threshold?

The amount of change required to notice a difference in stimuli.

What theory explains the ability to differentiate between signal and noise?

Signal detection theory.

What is sensory adaptation?

The process by which repeated stimulation of a sensory cell leads to a reduced response.

What is bottom-up processing?

Taking individual observations and constructing them into neural impulses.

What does top-down processing involve?

Using prior experience and memory to interpret sensory information.

What are the two types of chemical senses?

Olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste).

What are papillae?

The bumps on the tongue that contain taste buds.

What disorder is characterized by an inability to taste?

Ageusia.

What are free nerve endings responsible for detecting?

Touch, pressure, pain, and temperature.

What do Meissner's corpuscles detect?

Sensitive touch.

What are the two pathways of pain?

Fast pathways for sharp, localized pain and slow pathways for dull, burning pain.

What major role does the auditory sense play in sensation?

Detecting sound waves through the ear.

How do ears hear sound?

Sound waves enter the ear, hit the eardrum, pass into the middle ear, and move hair cells that create neural impulses.

What do rods in the retina function to detect?

Light and are used for night vision.

What is the fovea?

The center of the retina that contains all cones for central and color vision.

What can damage to the 'where' pathway cause?

Hemi-neglect, leading individuals to ignore one side of their visual field.

What is visual agnosia?

Damage to the 'what' pathways that impairs object recognition.

What principle explains that objects close together are grouped together?

Proximity, a Gestalt law.

What do kinesthetic receptors in muscles inform the brain about?

Body movement and position.

What is vestibular sense responsible for?

Indicating the head's position and movement using fluid movement.