PSYC 304 - Chapter 8.1

Sensory Receptor Organ

An organ (such as the eye or ear) specialized to receive particular stimuli.

Stimulus

A physical event that triggers a sensory response.

Receptor Cell

A specialized cell that responds to a particular energy or substance in the internal or external environment and converts energy into a change in the electrical potential across its membrane.

Adequate Stimulus

The type of stimulus for which a given sensory organ is particularly adapted.

Specific Nerve Energies

The doctrine that the receptors and neural channels for the different senses are independent and operate in their own special ways and can produce only one particular sensation each.

Labeled Lines

The concept that each nerve input to the brain reports only a particular type of information.

Sensory Transduction

The process in which a receptor cell converts the energy in a stimulus into a change in the electrical potential across its membrane.

Receptor Potential

Also called generator potential; a local change in the resting potential of a receptor cell that mediates between the impact of stimuli and the initiation of action potentials.

Pacinian corpuscle

Also called lamellated corpuscle; a skin receptor cell that detects vibration.

Threshold

The stimulus intensity that is just adequate to trigger an action potential.