Psychology 2015A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Somatosensory System, Receptive Field, Finger Tips

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2015A/B
• Professor: Patrick Brown

Document Summary

Waterman, 17, got flu, turned into loss of ability to feel skin sensations: caused breakdown of somatosensory system which includes: The skin: heaviest organ, visible surface is actually layer of tough dead skin cells called epidermis, below the epidermis is the dermis, in these layers we find the mechanoreceptors. Mechanoreceptors: respond to mechanical stim such as pressure, stretch, vibration, (4) types. Pathways from skin to cortex: nerve fibers from travel in bundles called peripheral nerves that enter spinal cord through dorsal root, then go up along 2 major pathways. Medial lemniscal pathway has large fibers that carry signals related to sensing the positions of the limbs and perceiving touch. Spinothalamic pathway smaller fibers transmit signals related to temperature and pain. Plasticity of cortical body maps: cortical rep can become bigger if used often, early experiments were carried out in the somatosensory system. Braille can read 100 words/ minute.