sensation and perception - misconceptions/reality checks

Question 1

misconception: sitting too close to the TV/reading in the dark/spending too much time in front of a computer screen will damage your vision

Answer 1

reality: these activities may make your eyes feel tired or strained but there is no evidence that they can damage your eyes or lead to any permanent changes in vision.

Question 2

misconception: people who are colour-blind see the world in black and white

Answer 2

reality: the term colour-blindness is misleading since only a tiny minority of those who are colour-blind are monochromatic (see the world in black and white).
- most of those who are colour blind are dichromate who can’t see certain colours.

Question 3

misconception: sensitivity to the four primary tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) varies across the tongue

Answer 3

• it was reported that taste buds sensitive to the four primary tastes were distributed unevenly across the tongue shown in a tongue map.
• these tongue maps turned out to be misinterpreted research data.
• all four primary tastes can be detected wherever there are taste receptors.

Question 4

misconception: humans only have five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch

Answer 4

reality: in addition to these 5, humans have other sensory systems. ex: kinesthetic system which monitors the position of the body through receptors in the muscles and jointts and the vestibular system which relies on fluid movements in the semicircular canals in the inner ear. provides our sense of balance or equilibrium.