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Transcript
Key Elements of Sensation
• Sensory Adaptation
• Loss of sensitivity to stimuli when receptor cells are constantly stimulated.
• Evolutionary psychologists would argue that this was necessary for our survival in order to focus attention on more important novel stimuli such as a predator.
Key Elements of Sensation
• Sensory Transduction
• The transformation of energy from environmental stimuli by specialized receptor cells in sensory organs into neural messages.
• Receptor cells for each sense transduce or translate the incoming physical stimuli into neural messages in the form of action potentials traveling along sensory (afferent) neurons to the brain for interpretation (perception).
Vision
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Eye
Light waves
Photorecept
or cells: rods and cones located in the retina
Optic Nerve
↓ Thalamus
↓
Visual cortex in the occipital lobes.
Audition
(Hearing)
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Ear
Sound waves
Cilia (hair
cells) located on the basilar membrane of the cochlea
Auditory Nerve
↓ Thalamus
↓
Auditory cortex in the temporal lobes.
Gustation (Taste)
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Tongue
Molecules dissolved in saliva on the tongue
Taste receptor
cells in the taste buds located in the papillae
Cranial Nerve
↓ Thalamus
↓
Cortex at the junction of the temporal and parietal lobes
Olfaction
(Smell)
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Nose
Molecules dissolved in the mucous membranes
of the nose
Olfactory receptor cells that communicate to the olfactory bulb
Olfactory Bulb
↓ Temporal lobes
↓
Limbic system
(does NOT travel through the thalamus!!)
Somatic
(Touch)
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Skin
Pressure on skin based on intensity of stimuli
Pressure receptor cells located in the skin
Cranial or Spinal Nerves
↓ Thalamus
↓
Somatosensory cortex at
the front of the parietal lobes.
Temperature
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Skin
Temperature Warm and changes in cold stimuli
receptor cells located in the skin
Pathway to the Brain
Spinal Nerves
↓ Thalamus
↓
Somatosensory cortex at
the front of the parietal lobes.
* Temperature can interact with touch sensations.
Pain
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Skin
Tissue injury or damage
Pain receptors located in the skin
Spinal Nerves
↓ Thalamus
↓
Somatosensory cortex at
the front of the parietal lobes.
Vestibular
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Specialized Receptor Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Ear
Changes in body position and gravity
Cilia (hair
cells) in the semicircular canals
Vestibular Nerves
↓ Thalamus
↓
Several brain regions including the cerebellum
Kinesthetic
Sense Organ
Stimuli
Joints, Muscle tendons, contractions
and muscles
Specialized Receptor
Cells
Pathway to the Brain
Receptor cells (proprioceptors) located in joints, tendons, and muscles
Spinal Nerves
↓ Thalamus
↓
Somatosensory cortex at the front of the parietal lobes.
How We See
How We See
Cornea
Ganglion Cells
Blind Spot
whose axons form the optic nerve
the exit point at the back of the retina
Bipolar Cells
Visual Area of the Thalamus
Pupil
which is controlled by the iris
Rods and Cones
Lens
sense receptors on the retina
Visual cortex of the occipital lobe
Vision
• The entire process begins with a single light wave that travels through the sense organ of the eye and is translated by specialized receptor cells to be transported to the brain for color perception.
Light Waves
• Light waves from the visual spectrum for humans can be described in terms of three physical properties and their equivalent psychological properties.
• Wavelength = hue
• Amplitude (intensity) = brightness
• Purity = saturation
Light Waves
• Hue
• Red has the longest wavelengths and violet has the shortest
• Brightness
• Bright colors have taller waves (greater amplitude) and dull colors have shorter waves (smaller amplitude)
• Saturation (one wavelength vs. many)
• Colors that are highly saturated tend to be bright, intense, and vivid. Colors that are less saturated are more pastel, pale, and soft.
The Eye
Visual Impairments
Cataracts is the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 40 and is the principal cause of blindness in the world.
How We See
• Light waves are bent and focused by the cornea which protects the eye’s interior.
• The focused light waves then travel through the pupil controlled by the surrounding iris (the colored portion of the eye which is a ring of muscles that controls the size of the pupil allowing various degrees of light to enter the eye.
• The lens further bends the light waves and focuses them on the retina which is located along the back of the eye. The lens is adjustable and changes shape, either flattening or curving, in a process called accommodation.
How We See
• Rods or cones at the back of the retina convert light waves into neural signals in the process of transduction. • The nearly 6 million cones detect color and detail and are most effective in daylight. • There are three different types of cones that respond to long (red), medium (green), and short (blue) wavelengths.
• Cones are mainly located in the fovea, a small central region of the retina where visual acuity is the sharpest.
How We See
• The nearly 120 million rods are primarily concentrated on the outer edge or periphery of the retina.
• Rods are very sensitive under low light conditions but do not provide as much acuity or detail and cannot perceive color.
• When you notice an object in your peripheral vision, the object will appear as a shape lacking detail because only rods along the outer edge of the retina were activated.
• The processes by which rods and cones increase or decrease in sensitivity to light are called light and dark adaptation which is why entering or exiting a dark movie theater on a bright sunny day will require a period of time before vision adjusts.
How We See
• Bipolar cells collect neural signals from the rods and cones and transfer the messages to the ganglion cells.
• Ganglion cells organize the neural signals, and their axons converge to form the optic nerve.
• The optic nerve carries the neural messages through the thalamus to the primary visual cortex located in the occipital lobes. • There are no photoreceptors where the optic nerve leaves the eye (the optic disk). As a result, a blind spot, or gap within the field of vision, exists within each eye.
• However, individuals are unaware of this blind spot because the brain fills in the gap with information provided by the other eye or the surrounding visual field.
• Part of the optic nerve from each eye crosses through the optic chiasm to the opposite hemisphere of the brain. Information from the right visual field (taken in by the left side of each eye) will travel to the left hemisphere of the brain, and information from the left visual field (taken in by the right side of each eye) will travel to the right hemisphere of the brain.
How We Hear
How We Hear
How We Hear
Outer Ear
Basilar Membrane whose axons form the auditory nerve
Hair Cells
lining the surface of the basilar membrace
Oval Window
Auditory Canal
Eardrum (Tympanic Membrane)
outer membrane of the cochlea
Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup three tiny bones
Thalamus
Auditory cortex of the temporal lobe
How We Hear
• The sense of audition, or hearing, results from sound waves created by vibrating objects being converted into neural messages. Sound waves, like light waves, have three physical dimensions and equivalent psychological properties.
• Frequency determines pitch (highness or lowness of a sound)
• Measured in Hertz (Hz); • Longer wavelengths or low frequencies create lower pitched sounds.
• Shorter wavelengths or high frequencies create higher pitched sounds.
• Amplitude (intensity) determines loudness
• Measured in Decibels (dB)
• Higher amplitude or tall waves create louder sounds.
• Lower amplitudes or short waves create softer sounds.
• Purity determines timbre • Pure tones are possible in lab experiments but difficult in the natural world
How We Hear
1. Sounds waves first enter the outer visible portion of the ear, called the pinna, and then move down the auditory canal (ear canal) to the tympanic membrane (eardrum) that vibrates in response to the funneled sound waves.
2. The middle ear (between the tympanic membrane and the cochlea) contains the ossicles
(the three smallest bones in the body) which help amplify sound waves traveling to the inner ear.
How We Hear
3. The inner ear contains two sense organs: the cochlea concerned with hearing and the semicircular canals concerned with balance.
• The cochlea is a fluid‐filled and coiled tube where sound waves are converted into neural impulses.
• Covering the opening to the inner ear is a membrane called the oval window. Pressure here causes waves in the fluid to move to the basilar membrane. The sound waves cause the cilia (hair cells) to bend, initiating the process of transduction.
4. The signals travel along the auditory nerve through the thalamus to the temporal lobe’s auditory cortex.
Hearing Theories
• Frequency Theory
• According to the frequency theory, the basilar membrane vibrates at the same frequency as the sound wave.
• The frequency theory explains how low‐frequency sounds are transmitted to the brain. • However, since individual neurons cannot fire faster than about 1,000 times per second, the frequency theory does not explain how the much faster high‐frequency sounds are transmitted.
• The volley theory suggests that sounds above 1,000 hertz require the activity of multiple neurons working together.
• Place Theory
• According to the place theory, different frequencies excite different hair cells at different locations along the basilar membrane.
• High‐frequency sounds cause maximum vibrations near the stirrup end of the basilar membrane. Lower‐frequency sounds cause maximum vibrations at the opposite end.
Sound Localization
• Involves interpretation by the brain of sound waves entering both ears in order to determine the direction the noise is coming from.
• Possible because the sound waves arrive at one ear faster than they reach the other ear, and this information about timing is then interpreted by the brain.
• Sounds that originate directly above, below, in front of, or behind a person are the most difficult to locate because they reach each ear at the same time and with the same intensity.
• In order to determine the location of these sounds, humans also utilize their sense of vision or move their heads to cause the messages to arrive at different times.
Deafness
• Conduction Deafness
• The result of problems with funneling and amplifying sound waves to the inner ear
• Typically the result of damage to the eardrum or the bones of the middle ear
• A person will have equal difficulty hearing both high‐ and low‐ pitched sounds (sounds have become softer).
• Treatments include medication, surgery, or the use of a hearing aid to amplify the sound waves to the cochlea
• Sensorineural (nerve) Deafness
• The result of damage to the aspects of the auditory system related to the transduction of sound waves, or the transmission or neural messages.
• Typically the result of damage to the cilia caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise, aging, or disease.
• Hair cells (cilia) do not regenerate so the damage is permanent.
• A person will have a much harder time hearing high‐pitched sounds than low ones.
• Treatment is most likely hearing aids but severe damage can be treated with cochlear implants.