PSYC 271 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Cranial Nerves, Glossopharyngeal Nerve, Somatosensory System
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5 exteroceptive sensory systems: visual system, auditory system, somatosensory system (touch, olfactory system (smell, gustatory (taste) Come back to case on pg 167. Interactions among these 3 areas and other sensory structures characterized by 3 major principles: hierarchical organization, functional segregation, parallel processing. Hierarchical organization: hierarchy is a system whose members can be assigned certain ranks in relation to one another. Sensory structures organized in a hierarchy based on specificity and complexity of their function. Each level of hierarchy receives most of its input from lower levels and adds another layer of analysis before passing up to hierarchy. System is apparent from comparison of effects of damage to various levels; higher level of damage the more specific and complex the deficit. Sometimes divide general process of perceiving into two phases: sensation and perception. Sensation: process of detecting presence of stimuli. Perception: higher order process of integrating, recognizing, and interpreting complete patterns of sensations.