Chp 5: Sensation Flashcards
Sound
A repetitive fluctuation in the pressure of a medium
(Medium is air)
Amplitude
Intensity or amount of energy of energy of a wave
-How loud a sound is
-The amount of volume
-Higher the amplitude → Louder the sound
-Measured in decibels
Frequency
Rate of vibration
-Number of sound waves per min
-How high pitched or low pitched a sound is
-Lower the frequency → lower the pitch
-Measured in hertz
Timbre
Quality of sound
Outer ear
Function: Collects sound waves
- Pinna, ear canal, & eardrum
Middle ear
Function: Amplifies sound
- Makes it louder for us to hear
Hammer →Malleus
Anvil →Incus
Stirrup →Staples
Inner ear
Function: Where sound is transduced into neural impulses
-Cochlea
-Basilar membrane
-Hair cells
Cochlea
Coiled fluid filled inner ear structure that contains basilar membrane & hair cells
Basilar membrane
Membrane within cochlea that contains hair cells
-Inner ear
Hair cells
Hair like sensory receptors for sound
-Damage to hair cells can result in hearing loss
-Inner ear
Frequency theory
Basilar membrane vibrates at the same frequency of the sound wave
-Associated with low pitch sounds
Place theory
Different frequencies cause larger vibrations at different places along the basilar membrane
-Associated with high pitch sounds
Chemical senses
Olfaction: Sense of smell
Gustalion: Sense of taste
Body senses
Touch & temperate pain
Kinesthelic: Location of the body
Vestibular: Balance
Olfaction
Sense of smell
Steps
1) Airborne odor molecules (Perfume)
2) Go through nose
3) Travel to top of nasal cavity
4) Stimulate receptors
5) Enter olfactory bulb, where it is sent to different parts of the brain
Gustalion
Sense of taste
-Taste buds lifespan 10 days - 2 weeks, always changing
-Taste buds tell us a lot; smell, aroma, temp, texture
-Taste buds grow right back, can’t be destroyed
Kinesthetic
Sense of location and position of the body plays in relation to one another
-Big for athletes
-Body sense
Pheromones
Secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species
Skin
-Largest & heaviest sense organ
-Contains many types of sensory receptors
-Some specialized receptors respond to one stimulus, others respond to more than one
-Sensory receptors distributed unevenly among different body areas, (face has the most)
Pacinian Corpuscle
Located beneath the skin and sends neural messages to brain
-When stimulated, sensory adaptation occurs when pressure is constant
-Throughout the skin
-When touched sends signals to brain
A delta fibers
Represents fast pain
-Sharp, intense but short
C fibers
Represents slow pain
-Throbbing, burning
Proprioceptors
Sensory receptors in muscle joints that provide information about body position and movement
Vestibular
Body sense of balance, equilibrium
-Located in ear, begins and ends in the ear
-Responding to changes in gravity, motion, and body position
