Sensation and Perception 4 Flashcards
olfaction/olfactory sense
ability to smell odors
chemical sense along w taste
outer part of nose
collects sensory info and gets it to part of body that will translate it into neural signals
olfactory receptor cells
have many hairs called cilia that project into the cavity
receptor sites on hair cells that send signals to brain when stimulated by molecules of substances in air moving past them
at top of nasal passages
olfactory receptor cells etc
smell actual molecules of substances in nose
replaced 5-8 weeks
at least 1000 kinds
only send that doesn’t go through thalamus, goes through olfactory bulbs
olfactory bulbs
on top of sinus cavity on each side of brain beneath frontal lobes
send neural signals directly up to bulbs, bypass thalamus
info then sent to higher cortical areas
include primary olfactory cortex (piriform cortez), orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala
somesthetic senses
body senses, touch
skin senses, kinesthetic sense, vestibular sense
skin senses
having to do with touch, pressure, temperature, and pain
kinesthetic sense
having to do with location of body parts in relation to each other
vestibular senses
having to do with movement and body position
skin
organ
keeps bodily fluids in and germs out
receives and transmits info from outside world to central nervous system (somatosensory cortex)
pacinian corpuscles
just beneath skin
respond to changes in pressure
free nerve endings
just beneath uppermost layer of skin
respond to changes in temperature and pressure and pain
visceral pain
pain and pressure in organs
somatic pain
pain sensations in skin, muscles, tendons, joints
carried on large nerve fibers
sharp and fast
small nerve fibers = slower, general ache
reminder system not to get hurt again in same place
congenital analgesia and congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA)
inability to feel pain
very rare
affect neural pathways that carry pain, heat, and cold sensations
anhidrosis
disruption in body’s heat cold sensing perspiration system so person can’t cool off body by sweating
phantom limb pain
occurs when person has had arm or leg removed and feels pain in imaginary limb
caused by injury to nerves
move neural map
gate control theory
melzack and wall
pain signals must pas through gate located in spinal cord
gate can be closed by non pain signals
gate = relative balance in neural activity in cells in spinal cord
substance P
neuromodulater
when released into spinal cord, activates other neurons that send messages through spinal gates to brain and thalamus, cortex, etc
brain interprets info and opens gate more (more pain) or closes gate (damp pain)
also influenced by psych aspects
pain up or down
anxiety, fear, helplessness = increase pain
laughter, distraction, sense of control = diminish pain
endorphins
body’s version of morphine
can inhibit transmission of pain signals in brain and can inhibit release of substance p in spinal cord
women and men pain
women feel more pain than men
men cope better with pain
kinesthesia
sense of movement and position in space
receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints (proprioceptors)
know where are in space
vestibular sense
sense of balance
structures in ear that tell about position of body in relation to ground and movement of head
structures located in innermost chamber of ear
2 kinds = otolith organs and semicircular canals
otolith organs
tiny sacs just above cochlea
contain fluid in which tiny crystals suspended
head moves, crystals cause fluid to vibrate, set off hairlike receptors on inner surface of sac, tell person moving forward, back, up, down, etc
semicircular canals
3 somewhat circular tubes filled with fluid that will stimulate hairlike receptors when rotated
one tube in each plane of motion
dizzy bc fluid moving telling you you’re moving but eyes saying not moving
motion sickness
caused by disagreement between what eyes say and what body says
tendency to get nauseated when in moving vehicle especially with irregular movement
sensory conflict theory
explanation of motion sickness in which info from eyes conflicts too much with vestibular organs
dizziness cause of nausea
can help motion sickness by focusing on distant point, astronauts get motion sick too
