sensory threshold

Examples of sensory threshold in the following topics:

• Sensory Absolute Thresholds

  • In neuroscience and psychophysics, there are several types of sensory threshold.
  • However, perhaps the most important sensory threshold is the absolute threshold, which is the smallest detectable level of a stimulus.
  • Sensory adaptation happens when our senses no longer perceive a stimulus because of our sensory receptor's continuous contact with it.
  • If you've ever entered a room that has a terrible odor, but after a few minutes realized that you barely noticed it anymore, then you have experienced sensory adaptation.
  • Explain what a sensory absolute threshold is and how it can be influenced

• Sensory Difference Thresholds

  • The minimum amount of change in sensory stimulation needed to recognize that a change has occurred is known as the just-noticeable difference.
  • The just-noticeable difference (JND), also known as the difference limen or differential threshold, is the smallest detectable difference between a starting and secondary level of sensory stimulus.
  • The JND is usually a fixed proportion of the reference sensory level.
  • The absolute threshold is the minimum volume of the radio we would need in order to notice that it was turned on at all.
  • The difference threshold is the amount of stimulus change needed to recognize that a change has occurred.

• Stages of the Action Potential

  • The sensory input stage is when the neurons (or excitable nerve cells) of the sensory organs are excited electrically.
  • Neural impulses from sensory receptors are sent to the brain and spinal cord for processing.
  • The level of stimulation that a neuron must receive to reach action potential is known as the threshold of excitation, and until it reaches that threshold, nothing will happen.
  • Once the electric gradient has reached the threshold of excitement, the "downswing" of repolarization begins.
  • A neuron must reach a certain threshold in order to begin the depolarization step of reaching the action potential.

• Sensory Adaptation

  • Sensory adaptation is the decrease in the responsiveness of a sensory system that is confronted with a constant stimulus.
  • Sensory adaptation, also called neural adaptation, is the change in the responsiveness of a sensory system that is confronted with a constant stimulus.
  • One example of sensory adaptation is sustained touching.
  • This follows the model of sensory adaptation presented by Georg Meissner, which is known as "Meissner's corpuscles."
  • Sensory adaptation and sensitization are thought to form an integral component of human learning and personality.

• Sensory Memory

  • Sensory memory allows an individual to remember an input in great detail but for only a few milliseconds.
  • Sensory memory allows individuals to retain impressions of sensory information for a brief time after the original stimulus has ceased.
  • Sensory memory is an automatic response considered to be outside of cognitive control.
  • Echoic memory is the branch of sensory memory used by the auditory system.
  • Haptic memory is the branch of sensory memory used by the sense of touch.

• Somatosensation: Pressure, Temperature, and Pain

  • Receptor cells in the muscles and joints called proprioceptors also aid in the somatosensory system, but they are sometimes separated into another sensory category called kinesthesia.
  • Sensory cell function in the somatosensory system is determined by location.
  • Functionally, nociceptors are specialized, high-threshold mechanoceptors or polymodal receptors.

• Introduction to the Process and Types of Memory

  • Sensory memory allows individuals to retain impressions of sensory information after the original stimulus has ceased.
  • This is because of "iconic memory," the visual sensory store.
  • Two other types of sensory memory have been extensively studied: echoic memory (the auditory sensory store) and haptic memory (the tactile sensory store).
  • Sensory memory is not involved in higher cognitive functions like short- and long-term memory; it is not consciously controlled.
  • The role of sensory memory is to provide a detailed representation of our entire sensory experience for which relevant pieces of information are extracted by short-term memory and processed by working memory.

• The Central Nervous System (CNS)

  • The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, which process sensory input and provide instructions to the body.
  • The nervous system has three main functions: gathering sensory information from external stimuli, synthesizing that information, and responding to those stimuli.
  • During this step in the process, the brain and spinal cord decide on appropriate motor output, which is computed based on the type of sensory input.
  • It houses the nerve centers responsible for coordinating sensory and motor systems in the body.
  • It regulates motor function and allows motor and sensory information to pass from the brain to the rest of the body.

• Introduction to Sensation

  • Sensation involves the relay of information from sensory receptors to the brain and enables a person to experience the world around them.
  • Sensory information (such as taste, light, odor, pressure, vibration, heat, and pain) is perceived through the body's sensory receptors.
  • These sensory receptors include the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands, and feet (and the skin as a whole).
  • Specialized cells in the sensory receptors convert the incoming energy (e.g., light) into neural impulses.
  • Explain how the brain and sensory receptors work together in the process of sensation

• Introduction to the Nervous System

  • The nervous system controls bodily function by gathering sensory input, integrating that information internally, and communicating proper motor output.
  • The general flow of information is that the peripheral nervous system (PNS) takes in information through sensory neurons, then sends it to the central nervous system (CNS) to be processed.
  • The main function of the CNS is the integration and processing of sensory information.
  • It synthesizes sensory input to compute an appropriate motor response, or output.
  • It is comprised of sensory receptors, which process changes in internal and external stimuli and communicate that information to the CNS.