Senses Flashcards
What are the 5 special senses?
smell, taste, hearing, equilibrium, and sight
What are smell receptors?
chemoreceptors
What organs allow us to smell?
olfactory organs, which are small masses of epithelial tissue at the top of our nasal cavity
What are odorants?
things that stimulate different sets of olfactory receptors and cause signals to be sent to the brain
What organs are used to taste?
taste buds
Where are taste buds found?
on the tongue, the roof of your mouth, and back of your throat
What must happen for something to be tasted?
the food must be broken down into a watery fluid, which is provided by the salivary glands
What are the five types of taste sensations?
sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and umami
What part of the tongue reacts the most to sour food?
the sides of the tongue
What part of the tongue reacts the most to sweet food?
the tip of the tongue
What part of the tongue reacts the most to bitter food?
the back of the tongue
What part of the tongue reacts the most to salty food?
the outside border of the tongue
What part of the tongue reacts the most to umami food?
most of the tongue, except for the back edge
What 3 parts make up the hearing organ?
the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear
What does the outer ear consist of?
the auricle, the external acoustic meatus, and the eardrum
What is the auricle?
an outer, funnel shaped structure
What is the external acoustic meatus?
an s shaped tube
What does the eardrum do?
it collects vibrations caused by noise and reproduces them by moving back and forth
What 3 small bones are found in the middle ear?
the maleys, the incus, and the stapes
What do the 3 small bones in the middle ear do?
they bridge the outer and inner ear by transmitting vibrations between the two, and they also amplify vibrations
What makes up the inner ear?
a complex system of chambers called labyrinths
What are the two parts to the labyrinth found in the inner ear?
the osseous labyrinth and the membranous labyrinth
What can equilibrium be broken down into?
static equilibrium and dynamic equilibrium
What does static equilibrium do?
it senses the position of the head and maintains stability and posture when the body is standing still
What does dynamic equilibrium do?
it aids in maintaining balance when motion is detected
What do the organs of sight do?
react to light stimuli
What is the iris?
the colored portion of the eye
What is the pupil?
the black portion of the eye that contracts and dilates to let in the appropriate amount of light
