The Other Senses

The other Senses The major sense are seeing & hearing –Without our sense of Touch Taste Smell Body motion & position –Serious handicapped & our enjoyment of the world would be seriously diminished

Touch Essential to development Is actually a mix of at least 4 distinct skin senses  Pressure  (identifiable receptors)  warmth  cold  Pain  Mystery where they originate from The brain adapts & touch sensitivity Is only sensitive to the unexpected stimulus

Pain Pain is the way your body tells you that there is something wrong –People born with the ability not to feel pain –People born that endure chronic pain What is it? –Belongs to the senses & the brain –Pain felt by amputees & those born with out limbs –The brain anticipates The Phantom Limb sensations indicate the brain can misinterpret the spontaneous central nervous system activity that occurs in the absence of normal sensory input.

Pain Cont.  No specific area in the brain that deals with pain  More than one type of stimulus that triggers it  Melzak & Wall’s theory that explains pain  Gate-Control Theory: the spinal cord contains a neurological gate that either blocks pain signals or allows them to pass to the brain  “gate” opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers  “gate” closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Chronic Pain Those people who suffer from chronic pain should use gate closing methods to manage their pain Explains psychological influences on pain –Distractions & a release of endorphins can greatly diminish pain Mind over matter The brain creates pain through perception endurance, & experience

More on Pain Memories of the pain we experience can leave a mark –People overlook the duration of pain –They remember its moments of peak –How much the felt at the end Coldwater experiment Those in the medical field believe it is better to lessen the pain than to switch it off abruptly –Tapering down the pain seemed to work with the colonoscopy test

Pain Control If pain comes from the body & the mind than it is treatable Different therapies –Mind over matter techniques –Drugs –Surgery –Acupuncture –Relaxation techniques –Etc.

Taste  Taste Sensations: a chemical sense  sweet  sour  salty  Bitter  Taste receptors reproduce themselves every two weeks  Older you get taste buds decrease & the less sensitive you are to taste  Alcohol & smoking accelerate the decline in taste buds & sensitivity

Sensory Interaction  the principle that one sense may influence another  as when the smell of food influences its taste  Jelly bean activity last week  Smell adds to our sense of taste but can change it  The brain blends the senses so that they interact with each other

Smell A chemical sense –Olfactory receptor cells that respond selectively to the aroma around you –Each person has its own sense, a chemical aroma put out (newborn babies & their mothers) –A mystery how these olfactory cells work They recognize odors individually unlike the cells with the other senses The ability to identify scents peaks in early adulthood & gradually declines thereafter.

Age, Sex and Sense of Smell Women Men Age Group Number of correct answers Women and young adults have best sense of smell

Smell Cont. Odors have the power to evoke memory & feelings It is a primitive sense Recollection & Studies –Can not recall by name but recognize odor associated with long forgotten episodes Pleasant or painful memories can be resurfaced –“The smell & taste of things, bears unfaltering in the tiny & almost impalpable drop of their essence” Marcel Proust

Body Position & Movement  Kinesthesis  the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts  Vestibular Sense  the sense of body movement and position  including the sense of balance