MODULE 6 Flashcards
T/F: Specific types of sensory information are carried along specific afferent pathways and processed by specific brain regions.
True
Converting mechanical energy into a neural signal is an example of which of the following?
A: Absolute threshold
B: Sensory transduction
C: Signal detection theory
B: Sensory transduction
T/F: The type of stimulus that a sensory receptor is adapted to respond to is considered the adequate stimulus for that receptor.
true
What do exteroceptors detect? What do they allow us to sense?
stimuli from the external world that come in contact with our body surfaces
allow us to sense touch, pressure, vibration, pain, and temperature
What do proprioceptors detect? What do they allow us to sense?
detect stimuli from muscles, tendons and joint capsule
allow us to sense limb position and movement
What do interoceptors/enteroceptors detect? What do they allow us to sense?
sense stimuli from viscera
allow us to sense internal changes in our body; allow us to plan movement and monitor
movement as they unfold
What do special sensory receptors detect? What do they allow us to sense?
detect various types of stimuli (e.g.,
photons of light, sound waves)
allow us to have our five special senses: taste, smell, hearing, equilibrium/balance, and
vision
Describe an adequate stimulus.
stimulus for which the
sensory receptor is particularly sensitive; the type of stimulus a receptor is adapted to respond to –
aka what the receptor is selecting for
Describe the absolute threshold.
minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus
to be detected 50% of the time
Ex: asking how dim can a light be/how soft can a touch be and still be detected half the
time; every system has this
Describe the signal detection theory.
detection of a sensory signal depends on the stimulus intensity and the
physical and psychological state of the individual.
Ex: when ur at a parking lot alone at night you become much more aware of noises bc the
situation is threatening
Describe the just noticeable difference.
the minimum amount by which stimulus intensity must be changed
in order to produce a noticeable variation in sensory experience; changes depending on intensity
of stimulus (Weber’s law); size of the just noticeable difference is a direct proportion to the
original stimulus intensity
Ex: if you are in a very dark movie theater and an audience member receives a text message
causing their phone to light up, many people would notice the illumination in the movietheater, but if the same thing happened at a basketball game this would not be the case –
the brightness of the cell phone did not change, only the ability to detect the illumination
List the 4 mechanisms through which the nervous system encodes information:
- modality (what?)
- location (where?)
- duration/temporal dynamics (how long?)
- intensity (how strong?)
Define sensory integration.
perceiving, modulating, organizing, and interpreting sensations to optimize occupational performance and integration
Describe sensory gating.
Thalamus determines information to pass to the cortex
Describe sensory weighing.
sensory inputs are combined; more reliable input assigned greater weight (ex. vision)
T/F: The minimum amount by which stimulus intensity must be changed in order to produce a noticeable variation in sensory experience is called the absolute threshold for that stimulus.
false – answer is the “just noticeable difference”
Receptive field properties of neurons and the topographical organization in the central nervous system allows the sensory system to encode which of the following
- Stimulus modality
- Stimulus location
- Stimulus duration
Stimulus location
T/F: An increasing number of action potentials being fired by a single sensory receptor as stimulus intensity increases is an example of population coding.
False – this is an ex of frequency coding; activation of a greater number of receptors as stimulus intensity increases is an example of population coding.
