PSYC 110 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Sensory Neuron, Qualitative Variation, Neural Adaptation

• School: Emory University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 110
• Professor: Andrew Kazama

Document Summary

Matter/energy of the physical world that impinges on sense organs. Pattern of chemical and electrical activity that occurs in sense organs, nerves, brain as a result of stimulus. Subjective, psychological sensation/perception experienced by individual whose sense organs have been stimulated: each sensory system has distinct receptors and neural pathways. Aristotle -- 5: smell, touch, taste, sight, hear. Sensory receptors ---- sensory neurons --- sensory areas: sensory systems preserve info about stimulus quantity and quality, quantitative variation: amount/intensity of energy, qualitative variation: precise kind of energy. Transduction: receptor cell produces electrical change in response to physical stimulation: quantity --> larger receptor potentials --> faster ap, quality --> diff sets of neurons, sensory systems respond to changes more than to steady states. Sensory adaptation -- mediated by receptor cells: psychophysics: study of relationships b/w physical characteristics of stimuli and the sensory experiences produces by those stimuli, absolute threshold is a measure of sensitivity.