Chapter 6
Sensation
Turran Hill
Sensation
 Sensation
is the
detection of
simple properties
of stimuli, such
as brightness,
warmth, and
sweetness.
1. A neuron that responds directly
to physical energy is called a
________ cell.
 A.
receptor
 B. transducer
 C. sense organ
The answer is…

A. receptor
Receptor cells are neurons that respond to
stimuli such as light and vibrations.
What is the relationship between
receptor, transducer, and sense
organ?
Transduction is the process sense organs use
to change energy from the environment into
neural activity.
Receptor cells release chemical transmitter
substances that stimulate other neurons.
This changes an axon’s rate of firing of
their axons.
VISION
Eye Vocabulary
 Cornea
 Optic
 Sclera
 Rod
 Iris
 Cone
 Lens
 Fovea
 Retina
 Accommodation
 Photoreceptor
disk
Color Vision Vocabulary
 Brightness
 Saturation
 Color
mixing
The key vitamin involved in the
transduction of radiant energy is
vitamin ___ .
 A. A
 B.
B
 C. D
 D. E
The answer is…

Vitamin A

Carrots are good
for vision because
they contain a
substance that is
easily made into
vitamin A.
In terms of color vision, which of
the following does not belong
with the others?
 A.
humans
 B. dogs
 C. birds
 D. fish
Here comes the answer!!

Primates are the only
mammals that have
full color vision.

Fish and birds also
have excellent color
vision (among
nonmammals)
Yellow light stimulates which
photoreceptor?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Yellow
Blue and Green
Red and Blue
Red and Green
D. Red and Green
Yellow light is located between the
red and green and stimulates each
equally.
Visual information follows which
of the following routes to the
brain?
A. ganglion cells, bipolar cells,
photoreceptors
 B. photoreceptors, ganglion cells, bipolar
cells
 C. photoreceptors, bipolar cells, ganglion
cells
 D. bipolar cells, ganglion cells,
photoreceptors

Visual information is sent to the
brain through…
 C.
photoreceptor,
bipolar cells,
ganglion cells
AUDITION
Ear Vocabulary
Hertz (Hz)
 Ossicle
 Cochlea
 Oval window
 Basilar membrane

Round window
 Auditory hair cell
 Cilium
 Tectorial membrane

Sound Vocabulary
 Overtone
 Fundamental
frequency
 Timbre
White noise contains
A. primarily sounds of less than 200 Hz
 B. sounds above 20,000 Hz
 C. no sounds of an audible frequency
 D. all frequencies of sound

D. all frequencies of sound

White noise sounds
like the ssssh sound
you hear when
changing the radio
station.
Which kind of sound is the most
effective at causing large solid
objects to vibrate?
A. low frequency sounds
 B. medium frequency sounds
 C. medium to high frequency sounds
 D. high frequency sounds

A. low frequency sounds

Large objects
vibrate in response
to low frequencies
ONLY.
A perfectly healthy ear can hear
frequencies of about ____ Hz.
 A.
20,000
 B. 30,000
 C. 40,000
 D. 50,000
D. 20,000

A good ear can hear
frequencies of more
than 20,000 Hz, but
axons cannot fire
more than 1000
tmes per second.
Gustation
(taste)
Chemosense
One of the two
sense modalities
that detect the
presence of
particular
molecules present
in the environment
(gustation and
olfaction)

Which of the following is not a
quality of taste we can perceive?
 A.
bitter
 B. spicy
 C. sweet
 D. salty
 E. sour
B. spicy
 Spiciness
is a
flavor.
Flavors
include taste
AND smell.
Regions of Sensitivity
 The
tip of the tongue is sensitive to
sweet and salty substances.
 The
sides are sensitive to sour.
 The
back is sensitive to bitter.
What is another term for the
“bumps” on the tongue?
 A.
papillae
 B. taste buds
 C. taste receptors
 D. microvilli
A. papillae

Each papilla
contains a number
of taste buds.

A taste bud is a
small organ that
contains a number
of receptor cells.
Receptor cells have hairlike
projections called microvilli
that protrude through the pores
of taste buds into the saliva
that coats the tongue.
OLFACTION
Among humans, olfaction plays
an important role in
 A.
identifying each other.
 B. attracting potential mates.
 C. identifying spoiled food.
 D. repelling people we don’t like.
C. identifying spoiled food

Odors help us avoid
some dangers, such
as rotten food.

The odor of rotten
meat can induce
vomiting.
One of the places in the brain that
olfactory information is sent to is
the ______, which plays a role in
both______.
A. limbic system; emotion and memory
 B. hypothalamus; homeostasis and thirst
 C. amygdala; emotion and aggression
 D. cerebellum; movement and
coordination

A. Limbic system; emotion
and memory

One reason that we
may remember a
person, place, or thing
when we smell a
familiar odor is
probably because the
limbic system is where
that information is
received.
SOMATOSENSES
Somatosenses (body senses)
include response to temperature,
touch, and pain
Skin Senses
 Temperature
 Pressure
 Pain
Touch and Pressure

Touch is the sensation of very light contact
of an object with the skin.

Pressure is the sensation produced by more
forceful contact. Pressure occurs only if the
skin moves.
Pain

It would be hard to
survive without
pain.

Pain tells us when
something is wrong
with our bodies.
Internal Senses


Conveys painful,
neutral, and
pleasurable sensory
information.
For example, having a
warm drink
Vestibular Senses
 Our
sense of
balance
involves
several senses.
Vestibular Apparatus

Receptive organs of
the inner ear that
contribute to
balance and
perception of head
movement
 If
we close
our eyes, we
can see how
important they
are to our
ability to
balance
Our receptors for temperature
respond best to ______
temperature.
 A.
low
 B. high
 C. constant
 D. changes in
D. changes in
Our
skin receptors respond
least to constant and nonchanging stimulation.
Which of the following is NOT
one of the somatosenses?
 A.
changes in laterality
 B. pain
 C. touch
 D. vibration
A. changes in laterality
 Our
somatosenses
can detect pain,
vibration, and
touch.