Objective 8- The Senses

Flashcards designed to help students review key terms and concepts related to the senses and sensory systems.

Chemoreceptors

Receptors that respond to chemical stimuli.

Mechanoreceptors

Receptors that respond to mechanical pressure or distortion.

Nociceptors

Receptors that respond to pain stimuli.

Thermoreceptors

Receptors that respond to changes in temperature.

Photoreceptors

Receptors that respond to light.

Stimulus

An external event that triggers a sensory response.

CNS

Central Nervous System, which processes sensory inputs.

Perception

The interpretation of sensory information.

General senses

Receptors widely distributed in the body ( touch, pressure, pain).

Special senses

Localized receptors ( sight, hearing, taste, smell).

Proprioception

Sense of position and movement of body parts relative to one another.

Touch

The ability to perceive pressure or contact with the skin.

Pressure

The force exerted on a surface by the weight of an object.

Temperature

The measure of hot and cold sensations.

Pain

An unpleasant sensory experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

Sclera

The white outer coating of the eyeball.

Cornea

The transparent front part of the eye that refracts light.

Choroid

A layer of connective tissue that contains blood vessels in the eye.

Ciliary body

The part of the eye that adjusts the shape of the lens.

Iris

The colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil.

Accommodation

The process by which the eye adjusts the lens to focus at different distances.

Myopia

Nearsightedness, where light rays focus in front of the retina.

Hyperopia

Farsightedness, where light rays focus beyond the retina.

Fovea centralis

The part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision.

Macula lutea

The yellow spot near the center of the retina, responsible for high acuity vision.

Rods

Photoreceptors sensitive to dim light, associated with night vision.

Cones

Photoreceptors responsible for color vision and visual acuity.

Colour blindness

A condition where a person cannot perceive certain colors due to absence of cone pigments.

Anterior cavity

The space between the cornea and lens filled with aqueous humor.

Posterior cavity

The space between the lens and retina filled with vitreous humor.

Refraction

The bending of light rays as they pass through different media.

Auditory cortex

The area of the brain that processes sound information.

Vestibule

Part of the inner ear involved in static equilibrium.

Semicircular canals

Inner ear structures that help maintain dynamic equilibrium.

Taste buds

Sensory organs responsible for tasting food.

Olfactory receptors

Chemoreceptors in the nasal cavity responsible for smell.

Equilibrium

The sense of balance and spatial orientation.

Nerve impulses

Electrical signals that transmit information throughout the nervous system.

Optic nerve

The nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.

Tympanic membrane

Also known as the eardrum, it vibrates in response to sound waves.

Cochlea

The spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear responsible for hearing.

Organ of Corti

The sensory organ within the cochlea containing hair cells that respond to sound.