Psych 5.5 The Other Senses

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to chemical senses (taste, smell) and body senses (touch, temperature, pain, balance, and body position) from the lecture notes.

Chemical Senses

Sensory receptors that respond to molecules in food (taste) or air (smell).

Gustation

The sense of taste, with sensory receptors responding to molecules dissolved in saliva.

Olfaction

The sense of smell, with sensory receptors responding to odor molecules in the air.

Flavor

The combined perception of both gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell) properties of food.

Umami

The fifth taste grouping, associated with the taste of monosodium glutamate and a Japanese word meaning 'yummy'.

Taste Buds

Groupings of taste receptor cells with hair-like extensions that protrude into the central pore of the bud; they have a life cycle of ten days to two weeks.

Gustatory Cortex

The region of the brain where taste information is transmitted, located underneath the overlap between the frontal and temporal lobes.

Olfactory Receptor Cells

Sensory cells located in a mucous membrane at the top of the nose, responsible for detecting odor molecules.

Olfactory Bulb

A bulb-like structure at the tip of the frontal lobe where olfactory nerves begin, sending information to the limbic system and primary olfactory cortex.

Pheromones

Chemical messages sent by an individual of one species to another, often providing information about reproductive status.

Meissner’s Corpuscles

Touch receptors in the skin that respond to pressure and lower frequency vibrations.

Pacinian Corpuscles

Touch receptors in the skin that detect transient pressure and higher frequency vibrations.

Merkel’s Disks

Touch receptors in the skin that respond to light pressure.

Ruffini Corpuscles

Touch receptors in the skin that detect stretch.

Thermoception

The perception of temperature, sensed by free nerve endings.

Nociception

A signal indicating potential harm and possibly pain, sensed by free nerve endings.

Somatosensory Cortex

A region in the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe where sensory information from skin receptors and free nerve endings is transmitted.

Inflammatory Pain

Pain that signals some type of tissue damage.

Neuropathic Pain

Pain resulting from damage to neurons of either the peripheral or central nervous system, leading to exaggerated pain signals.

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (Congenital Analgesia)

A very rare genetic disorder where individuals are born without the ability to feel pain, despite being able to detect differences in temperature and pressure.

Vestibular Sense

The sensory system that contributes to our ability to maintain balance and body posture, with organs located in the inner ear.

Vestibular Organs

Major sensory organs of the vestibular system, including the utricle, saccule, and three semicircular canals, located in the inner ear.

Proprioception

The perception of body position.

Kinesthesia

The perception of the body’s movement through space.