Sensation and Perception: Smell and Taste Notes

What is sensation?

Detection of physical stimuli and transmission of that information to the brain.

What is perception?

The brain’s processing, organization, and interpretation of sensory information.

What are the five classic senses?

Touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste.

What is gustation?

The sense of taste.

How many taste buds does the average human have?

8,000-10,000 taste buds, each with 50-100 receptor cells.

What is a supertaster?

An individual who has a heightened sense of taste.

What is olfaction?

The sense of smell.

What happens during the process of smell?

Odor molecules inhaled stimulate olfactory receptor cells, and signals are sent to the olfactory bulb in the brain.

What are the major brain areas involved in smell?

Olfactory bulb, olfactory tract, olfactory cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and reticular formation.

What is taste adaptation?

The training of taste buds through repeated exposure to particular flavors.

What is the impact of COVID-19 on smell?

Loss of smell can occur, often resulting in parosmia, which is a distorted sense of smell.

What is the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)?

A key marker of identity in the immune system.

How do emotions and environmental factors affect taste and smell?

Emotions and environmental factors influence both smell and taste perception.

What is bottom-up processing in perception?

Perception based on the physical features of stimuli.

What is top-down processing in perception?

Interpretation shaped by knowledge, expectations, and past experiences.