PSY 200 - Sensory Perception: Hearing + Smell + Taste + Touch

Frequency

frequency of sound waves correspond to perceived pitch of a sound

Amplitude

height of a sound wave indicates energy, which corresponds to sensed loudness or sound intensity

Timbre

richness of sound

Pinna

visible part of ear that focuses sound into ear canal

Basilar Membrane

the floor of the of organ of Corti

Conductive Hearing Loss

transfer of vibrations from outer ear to inner ear weakens; may be caused by disease or injury to eardrums or ossicles

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

damage to inner ear hair calls or auditory nerve

Frequency Theory of Hearing

As pitch rises, nerve impulses of corresponding frequency are fed into auditory nerve

Place Theory of Hearing

higher and lower tones excite specific places in the cochlea

Oflaction

receptors may bind with airborne chemical molecules that have matching “shape” to create odors

Transduction

air enters nose where nerve fibers may be stimulated to create action potential that then travels to the brain

Anosmia

a type of “smell blindness” to a single order caused by repeated exposure to strong chemicals

Lock-and-Key Theory of Olfaction

receptors may bind with airborne chemical molecules that have matching shape

Olfactory Receptor Cells

contain small hair-like extensions which serve as the site for odor molecules to interact with chemical receptors located on these extensions

Pheromones

chemical messages sent by another individual

Taste Buds

taste-receptor cells located mainly on the top side of the tongue, especially around the edges with hair-like extensions that protrude into the central pore of the taste bud

Mechanical Senses

• Somesthetic Sense

• Kinesthetic Sense

• Vestibular Sense

• Proprioception

Somesthetic Sense

• Thermoreception

• Nociperception

Thermoreception

the sensation of heat or cold

Nociperception

pain associated with tissue destruction

Kinesthetic Sense

perception of the body’s movement through space

Vestibular Sense

provides the sense of balance and the info about body position that allows rapid compensatory movements

Proprioception

perception of body position

Proprioception Divisions

• Exteroception

• Interoception

Exteroception

by which one perceives the outside world

Interoception

by which one perceives pain, hunger, and the movement of internal organs

Some Touch Cells

• Meisner’s Corpuscles

• Pacinian Corpuscles

• Merkel’s Disks

• Ruffini Corpuscles

Meisner’s Corpuscles

respond to pressure and lower-frequency vibrations

Pacinian Corpuscles

detect transient pressure and higher-frequency vibrations

Merkel’s Disks

respond to light pressure

Ruffini Corpuscles

detect stretch

Inflammatory Pain

signals some type of tissue damage

Neuropathic Pain

caused by damage to neurons of either the peripheral or central nervous system

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain

a rare genetic disorder in which the individual is born without the ability to feel pain

Vestibular Sense

contributes to our ability to maintain balance and body posture