PSYC 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Receptive Field, Mechanoreceptor, Somatosensory System
13 Apr 2018
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Document Summary
Somatosensation= collectively, sensory signals from the skin, muscles, tendons, joints and internal receptors. Kinesthesia= perception of the position and movement of our limbs in space. Close your eyes and picture yourself, helps us picture our limbs in space. Proprioception= perception mediated by kinesthetic and internal receptors eg. stomach. Little bit larger than kinesthesia (only limbs), whereas proprioception is everything in the body. Touch receptors (mechanoreceptors)= embedded in outer layer (epidermis) and underlying layer (dermis) of the skin. Transfer mechanical energy (touch/pressure) into neural impulses. Each touch receptors is categorized by 3 criteria: Type of stimulation to which the receptor responds. Size of the receptive field (small vs large) If they have a slow adaptation rate then they are sa type receptors. Slow adapting mechanoreceptors: at first you have a large response to the touch eventually habituate and decreases eventually it stops responding. Fast adapting mechanoreceptors: only respond when you touch it or drop the object.
