PSY493H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Noxious Stimulus, Somatosensory System, Taste
Document Summary
Summary: our senses translate information about the environment and our body into neuronal signals from which the brain generates perceptions that enable us to build a representation of the world. The five basic sensory systems are olfaction, gustation, somatosensation, audition, and vision. Each sense has specialized receptors that are activated by specific types of stimuli. Gustation and olfaction are known as the chemical senses because their initial response is to molecules (chemicals) in the environment. The somatosensory system has mechanical receptors to detect changes in touch, muscle length, and joint position, as well as nociceptors that respond to temperature and noxious stimuli. The hair cells in the cochlea act as mechanoreceptors in the auditory system. Gustation enables us to recognize the content of food or be wary of something that might make us sick. Somatosensation helps us recognize things that might be dangerous (e. g. , heat from a fire) or movements that might be injurious.
