The Brain and Behavior: Chapter 6 Other Sensory Systems

Pinna

Outer ear structure of flesh and cartilage that sticks out from each side of the head

Tympanic membrane

Eardrum

Oval window

Membrane of the inner ear

Cochlea

Structure in the inner ear containing auditory receptors

Amplitude

Intensity of a sound wave

Frequency

Number of cycles per second, measured in Hz

Pitch

Aspect of auditory perception related to the frequency of a sound

Timbre

Tone quality or complexity, dependent on the harmonics of the tone

Place Theory

Concept that pitch perception depends on which inner ear cells have the greatest activity level

Frequency theory

Concept that the basilar membrane vibrates in synchrony with a sound

Volley principle

tenet that the auditory nerve as a whole produces volleys of impulses for a sound

Conductive deafness

Result if the middle ear bones fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea

Middle-ear deafness

Result if the middle ear bones fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea

Nerve deafness

Result from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the auditory nerve

Inner-ear deafness

Result from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or the auditory nerve

Tinnitus

Frequent or constant ringing in the ears

Semicircular canal

Structure located in the vestibular organ, sensitive to the directional tilt of the head

Capsaicin

Chemical, found in hot peppers, that produces a painful burning sensation

Periaqueductal gray area

Portion of the brainstem that is rich in endorphin synapses

Endorphin

Transmitter that attaches to the same receptors as morphine

Placebo

Drug or other procedure with no pharmacological effects

Taste bud

Receptor on the tongue that detects certain chemicals

Adaptation

Decreased response to a stimulus as a result of recent exposure to it

Cross-adaptation

Reduced response to one taste after exposure to another

Nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS)

Structure in the medulla that receives input from taste receptors

Supertaster

Person with a higher than average number of taste buds

Olfaction

Sense of smell

Olfactory cells

Neurons responsible for smell

Vomeronasal organ (VNO)

Set of receptors, located near, but separate from, the olfactory receptors

Synesthesia

Experience in which stimulation of one sense evokes a perception of that sense and another

Pheromone

Chemical released by an animal that affects behavior of other members of the same species