Sensation and Perception

These flashcards cover key concepts related to sensation and perception as detailed in the lecture notes.

What physiological systems enable the nervous system to process information about the environment?

Senses are physiological systems that convert environmental stimuli into neuronal signals.

What begins the signal transduction of odors?

The odorant attaches to receptors in the olfactory epithelium.

What are the five basic tastes?

Salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami.

What does the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) represent?

A homunculus of the body, where more sensitive regions occupy larger cortical areas.

How does sound wave transduction begin?

It begins at the eardrums, where sound waves disturb the hair cells.

What is the role of the primary olfactory cortex?

It is important for detecting changes in external odor.

How are complex tastes perceived?

From a combination of the five fundamental tastes processed in the secondary gustatory cortex.

What is the main feature of the auditory pathway from the cochlea?

It maintains a tonotopic organization throughout its pathway to the primary auditory cortex.

What is adaptation in the sensory system?

The adjustment of the sensory system's sensitivity to the current environment.

What phenomena can result from damage to area V4 in the brain?

Achomatopsia, which is the inability to perceive color.

What is synesthesia?

An experience where stimulation of one sensory modality causes involuntary experience in another modality.

What is multisensory integration?

The process where information from different sensory modalities is combined for increased perceptual accuracy.

How does cortical plasticity relate to sensory deprivation?

Areas of the brain can reorganize their function in response to the loss of a sensory system.

What is the difference between sensation and perception?

Sensation is the initial activation of the nervous system by environmental stimuli, while perception is the construction of a mental representation of that stimulus.

What is the significance of critical periods in sensory development?

They are times during development when the brain is especially sensitive to certain types of sensory input for optimal neural representation.

What technology bypasses damaged hair cells to facilitate hearing?

Cochlear implants stimulate the auditory nerve directly.

What is the role of the olfactory epithelium?

It contains the receptors for smell and is involved in transducing odor molecules into signals.

What impact does damage to V5 have on visual perception?

It can result in akinetopsia, or loss of motion perception.

How does the brain determine the location of sounds?

It uses interaural time and intensity differences between the ears.

What are tonotopic maps?

Spatial arrangements that correspond to frequency tuning within the auditory system.

What is the function of the visual cortex?

It processes visual information and helps identify the 'what' and 'where' of objects.