ap psych - topic 1.6D

sensation: skin, chemical, and body senses and sensory interaction

olfactory system

the parts of the body involved in sensing smell; including the nose & many parts of the brain - smell may affect emotion, behavior, memory, and thought

thalamus

a primary relay station in the brain - it directs sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, excluding olfactory information

pheromones

chemicals that animals and humans use to communicate

gustation

the physical act or sense of tasting

sweet, sour, bitter, umami, oleogustus

flavours

taste receptors

a type of cellular receptor that facilitates the sensation of taste

supertasters

a person who, as a result of extra fungiform papillae on the tongue, is able to taste things to a more extreme level

medium tasters

a person who has an average ability to sense different flavours

sensory interaction

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences taste

warm/cold receptors

aka thermoreceptors - sensory neurons that are specifically sensitive to changes in temperature

gate control theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain - the 'gate' is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in large fibers or by information coming from the brain

phantom limb sensation

a nonpainful perception of the continued presence of an amputated limb

vestibular sense

our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance

semicircular canals

a system of ring-like structures belonging to your vestibular system - responsible for your sense of balance and directionality of acceleration forces

kinesthesis

the perception of body movements and detecting changes in balance and the directionality of acceleration forces