2. Sensation Flashcards
Describe and comment sensation
Through our senses we experience the world. Without sensory input the human brain will learn nothing, have no experiences and control no behaviors. Traditionally the senses are: sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch.
In addition to the traditional senses, an important role is played by the somatosensory system. Which is a network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch, as well as temperature, body position, and pain.
So, the way we experience the world can be divided into Sensation and perception.
Thephysicalprocess during which our sensory organs—those involved with hearing and taste, for example—respond to external stimuli is calledsensation. Sensation happens when you eat noodles or feel the wind on your face or hear a car horn honking in the distance. During sensation, our sense organs are engaging intransduction, the conversion of one form of energy into another. Physical energy such as light or a sound wave is converted into a form of energy the brain can understand: electrical stimulation. After our brain receives the electrical signals, we make sense of all this stimulation and begin to appreciate the complex world around us. Thispsychologicalprocess—making sense of the stimuli—is calledperception. It is during this process that you are able toidentifya gas leak in your home or a song that reminds you of a specific afternoon spent with friends.
