Sensory Processing

Sensory Processing

the process that organizes sensation from one's own body and the environment, thus making it possible to use the body effectively within the environment.

how we translate sensory information into actions

Sensation

 the conscious reaction  

 arising from the stimulation of the sense   

 organs

Sense Organs

these are receptors

Sensation

It is the simplest, most direct experience of the physical world

• Sense Organs

• Stimulus

• Neural Impulse or Nerve Excitation

Three elements needed for Sensation to 

arise

eyes, nose, ears, tongue, skin, and internal senses

What are the sense organs?

Stimulus

It is any physical energy that can create an experience.

vision or visual sense

Eyes

sense of hearing

Ears

sense of smell or olfaction

Nose

sense of touch or cutaneous

Skin

sense of taste

Tongue

kinesthesis, vestibular, organic sensitivity

Internal senses

Eye

It is the most complicated of all senses - visual sense

It is the sense organ for vision

Light

stimulates vision

Cornea

It is a transparent window that the light enters through and admitted to the receptors cell of the retina

Retina

Where does visual stimulus transduction happen?

Photoreceptor Cells

They have the specialized capability of phototransduction, or the ability to convert light into electrical signals.

Phototransduction

the ability to convert light into electrical signals

• Rods

• Cones

Two types of photoreceptor cells

Rods

they are responsible for scotopic vision (night vision)

Cones

they are responsible for photopic vision (daytime vision)

Depth Perception

It refers to our ability to see the world in three dimensions. With this ability, we can interact with the physical world by accurately gauging the distance to a given object.

Human Auditory System

it uses the ear to collect, amplify and transduce sound waves into electrical impulses that allow th brain to perceive and localize sounds

it allows the body to collect and interpret sound waves into meaningful messages

• Outer Ear or Pinna

• Middle Ear

• Inner Ear

three parts of the ear

Outer Ear or Pinna

It serves as horn to catch sound waves and funnels them into the auditory canal

Middle Ear

It contains three bones, which will transmit the message through the oval window into the cochlea canal of the inner ear

20 to 20,000 Hz

Humans are able to hear a wide variety of sound frequencies, from approximately ____________________

Sound Localization

It is our ability to judge or estimate where a sound originates. It is dependent on the hearing ability of each and the exact quality of the sound.

Olfaction

• is a type of chemoreception. This sensory system uses themolecular chemical compounds in substances to discern information about the environment.

Olfactory System

gives humans their sense of smell by collecting odorants from the environment and transducing them into neural signals.

Sense of smell

has a direct route to the brain since the olfactory epithelium, the smell receptor is directly connected to the olfactory bulb of the brain.

Olfaction

is the sense most closely tied to memory because of its close neural connections to areas of the brain responsible for emotion and place memory.

• Fragrant

• Spicy

• Fruity

• Resinous

• Putrid

• Smoked or Scorched

Six Primary Olfactory Qualities

Sense of Taste

It is considered as global sensation that reacts to four taste sensations

• Sweet

• Salty

• Sour

• Bitter

Four Taste Sensations

Taste buds

Receptors for the tongue are called __________.

Umami, savory/meaty

is the newest receptor to be recognized by western scientists in the family of basic tastes. This Japanese word means ____ or ______

Umami

detects glutamates that are common in meats, cheese, and other protein-heavy foods and reacts specifically to foods treated with MSG.

Gustatory System

It uses a form of chemoreception that allows the human body to interpret chemical compounds in ingested substances as specific tastes.

Sense of Touch

It reacts to four touch sensation

pressure, pain, warmth, and cold

four touch sensations

Nerve endings

What are the receptor cells for the sense of touch?

somatic or somatosensory system

The human sense of touch is known as the ____________

skin

allows the body to function successfully in the physical world.

• mechanoreception (sense of pressure)

• thermoreception (sense of heat)

• nociception (sense of pain)

three main subdivisions of the touch receptors in the skin

Proprioceptors

Receptor cells in the muscles and joints that aid the somatosensory system

Kinesthesis

sense of movement or action

Receptors of internal senses

these are found in the muscles, tendons, and joints

Muscle Sense

other term (aka) for Kinesthesis

Vestibular or Sense of Balance

It maintains the body of equilibrium

semicircular canal

Where is the origin of the functions (body equilibrium or sense of balance or vistibular)?

dizziness or loss of balance

Overstimulation of the canal caues ______ or ______

Organic Sensitivity

happens when the 

nerve endings in the 

skin stimulate other 

reaction like nausea, 

upset stomach

Somatic System Disorder (formerly called somatoform disorder)

is a type of psychological disorder related to the somatosensory system.

Somatic system disorder

presents symptoms of physical pain or illness that cannot be explained by a medical condition, injury, or substance.