Sensation And Perception Flashcards
What are sensory receptors?
Detect one type of stimulus from the interior of the body or the external environment
Receives only one kind of information and transmits that information to sensory nerve, which can intern convey it to the CNS
What are exteroceptors?
Receptors that detect stimuli from the outside world
What are interoceptors?
Respond to internal stimuli
What are the five types of sensory receptors?
1) Mechanoreceptors
2) Chemoreceptors
3) Nociceptors
4) Thermoreceptors
5) Electromagnetic receptors
What type of sensory receptor responds to mechanical disturbances?
Mechanoreceptors
Describe four examples of a mechanoreceptor
1) Pacinian corpuscles: onion-shaped pressure sensors located deep within the skin
2) Auditory hair cells: specialized cell found in the cochlea of the inner ear that detects vibrations caused by sound waves
3) Vestibular hair cells: located in the semicircular canals that detect acceleration and position relative to gravity
4) Autonomic receptors detecting the stretch of an intestinal wall
What type of sensory receptor responds to particular chemicals?
Chemoreceptors
What are three examples of chemoreceptors?
1) Olfactory receptors detect airborne chemicals and allow us to smell things
2) Gustatory receptors, AKA tastebuds
3) Autonomic receptors in arteries that respond to changes in certain levels
What type of sensory receptor responds to pain and is stimulated by tissue injury?
Nociceptors
What type of sensory receptors are stimulated by changes in temperature?
Thermoreceptors
What are the three categories of peripheral thermoreceptors?
Cold-sensitive, warm-sensitive, thermal Nociceptors
What type of sensory receptors are stimulated by electromagnetic waves?
Electromagnetic receptors
What are the only examples of electromagnetic receptors in humans?
The rods and cones of the retina, also known as photoreceptors
How does the brain distinguish between stimulation of visual receptors and olfactory receptors?
Both signals are received in the brain as action potentials from sensory neurons, but the brain distinguishes the sensory stimuli based on which sensory neurons are signaling
What four properties do all sensory receptors need to encode regarding the nature of the stimulus to be communicated to the CNS?
1) modality
2) location
3) intensity
4) duration
What is stimulus modality and how is it determined?
The type of stimulus; based on which type of receptor is firing
How is the stimulus location communicated?
By the receptive field of the sensory receptor sending the signal
How can the localization of a stimulus be improved?
By overlapping receptive fields of neighboring receptors so the brain can local is the stimulus in the overlap; by lateral inhibition of neighboring receptors
How is the stimulus intensity coded?
It is coded by the frequency of action potentials
What is the range of intensities that can be detected by sensory receptors
Dynamic range
What type of receptor fires action potentials as long as the stimulus continues?
Tonic receptors
What happens to a tonic receptor as they are subjected to the stimulus at the same level?
They frequency of the action potentials decreases
What type of receptors only fire action potentials when the stimulus begins and does not specifically communicate the duration of the stimulus?
Phasic receptors
What is adaptation, in terms of sensory receptors?
The decrease in firing frequency when the intensity of a stimulus remains constant; what allows us to get used to certain environments and situations
What type of sensory receptor does not adapt under any circumstance?
Nociceptors
What broad category includes many different types of receptors, and is also known as the kinesthetic sense?
Proprioception
What does proprioception refer to?
An awareness of self/body position
“Propio”- of or pertaining to the self
