PS102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Taste
Document Summary
Lec 5: chemical senses taste and smell. They are called chemical senses because both of them involve different responses to particular chemicals. Ability to detect dangerous odours critical to survival. Non human animals use sense of smell most often. About 9000 taste buds grouped in different regions. They extend through pores, exposed to contents of mouth. Often found in asian food and western fast food. Papillae are small bumps on tongue that contain taste buds. Children 24 hours after they"re born can orient to the smell of their mother. Have receptor sites that resemble neurotransmitter binding site. Receptors send message to olfactory area in brain. Sensitive to four tactile sensations: pressure, pain, warmth, cold. Make sure each taster is blindfolded or closes eyes. Ask each person in group to taste 1 chip at time from each of the two bags. After each trial (one chip from each bag), taster is asked to indicate the saltiest chip.
