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Psychology
Other Senses and Perception
Other Senses
 I. Gustation
II. Olfaction
III. Somesthesis
Gustation (taste)
Taste cells are chemical-
sensitive receptors located in
the taste bud clusters.
Five Basic Taste Qualities
Sweetness
Saltiness
Sourness
Bitterness
Umami- glutamates
Types of Tasters
I. Non-tasters: people who are
unable to taste the chemical
propylthioyracil, a bitter
compound.
Types of Tasters
II. Medium Tasters: people
with an average number of
taste buds; they taste the
bitter PROP at an average of
medium level.
Types of Tasters
Supertasters: people who are
extremely sensitive to some
tastes, have a high number of
taste buds, and are highly
sensitive to PROP.
II. Olfaction (smell)
Olfactory epithelium: thin
membrane found in the upper
nasal cavity.
Olfaction (smell)
Olfactory cells carry
information to the olfactory
bulb.
Olfactory bulb: activates the
prefrontal cortex
Olfaction (smell)
Odors and scents stimulate
the olfactory epithelium
Pheromones: same-species
odors, used as a form of
chemical communication.
Olfaction (smell)
Anosmia: the loss of lack of
sense of smell.
III. Somesthesis
Somesthesis: refers to the
mechanical senses, including
kinesthesis, vestibular
sensation, and the skin senses.
Somesthesis
Kinesthesis: communicates
information about movement
and location of body parts.
Receptors are found in joints
and ligaments.
Somesthesis
Vestibular Sense: Also called
the equilibratory sense
Concerned with the sense of
balance and knowledge of
body position.
Skin Senses
Cold, Warmth, Pressure, and
Pain.
Pain
Pain: the experience evoked
by a harmful stimulus; directs
our attention toward a danger
and holds our attention.
Gate Control Theory of Pain
The brain can only focus on
one pain stimulus at a time.
Psychology
Perception
Perception
I. Attentional Processes
II. Perceptual Abilities
III. Perceptual Illusions
Attentional Processes
Attention: a process in which
consciousness is focused on
particular stimuli.
Attentional Processes
Selective Attention: ability to
focus on one stimulus while
excluding other stimuli that are
present.
Divided Attention: ability to
respond to more than one
stimulus.
Perceptual Abilities
Perceptual Organization:
processes that group smaller
units of the perceptual world
into larger units.
Perceptual Abilities
Gestalt: the whole experience
is greater than the sum of its
individual parts.
Perceptual Abilities
Figure-ground perception:
tendency to organize the
visual field into objects
(figures) that stand apart from
the surroundings (ground).
Perceptual Abilities
Gestalt principles: the world is
organized around best forms –
some which are defined
geometrically, such as a circle
or square.
Perceptual Abilities
Law of Pragnanz
A. also called the law of
simplicity.
B. tendency to see things in
the simplest form.
Perceptual Abilities
Closure: filling in missing
information from the
perceptual array by closing in
gaps.
Perceptual Abilities
Laws of grouping:
A. similarity: grouping things on
the basis of how similar they are.
B. proximity: grouping things on
the basis of how near they are.
Perceptual Abilities
Perceptual Constancy:
Shape Constancy: perceived
shape of an object remains
constant despite changes in
the shape of the retinal image
of that object.
Perceptual Abilities
Perceptual Constancy:
Size Constancy: Perceived
size of an object remains
constant despite changes in
the size of the retinal image of
that object.
Perceptual Abilities
Depth Perception:
Binocular Cues: depth cues
provided by both eyes.
Monocular Cues: depth cues
provided by one eye.
Perceptual Abilities
Motion Parallax: near objects
are seen as moving more
rapidly than far objects when
the viewer’s head is moving.
Perceptual Abilities
Texture Gradient: when the
texture of a surface receding
in the distant changes in
clarity, blurring at further
distances.
Perceptual Abilities
Linear Perspective: produced
by apparent converging of
parallel lines in the distance.
Perceptual Abilities
Interposition: one item blocks
the view of items in the back
of it.
Perceptual Abilities
Relative Height: Objects
higher in the perceptual field
are farther away.
Light and Shadow: lighter
objects appear closer.
Perceptual Abilities
Occulomotor Cue: depth cue
based on our ability to sense
the tension in our eye muscles
and the position of our eyes.
III. Perceptual Illusions
Demonstrate how easy it is to
misinterpret sensory input.
Types: Muller-Lyer illusion,
the Ames room. Based on
Gestalt principles.