Position and Movement
2 systems keep track of body, position, movement and balance: Vestibular sense: body position and sense
with respect to gravity Ex: tells us when we are moving or how we are
positioned Kinesthetic sense: keeps track of body
parts relative to each other Ex: crossing your legs, tells you which hand is
closer to phone when it rings
Phantom Limb (Kinesthetic Sense)
Phantom limb: the illusion that a limb still exists after it is gone
Balance(Vestibular Senses)
Inner ear: the essential organ of hearing that includes the vestibule, the semicircular canals, and the cochlea Semicircular canal: three circular tubes in
ear that contain fluid and help sense balance Utricle: located in inner ear and uses small
stones and fluid to detect motion and orientation
People often have bad balance when they are sick
Skin Senses Sensory systems that process touch, warmth, cold,
texture, and pain Skin senses are connected to the somatosensory
cortex in the parietal lobes Sematosensory (sensory) cortex: processes
input from parts of the body that are sensitive to touch
Gate Control Theory
Gate-Control Theory explains that incoming signals can be blocked
How? Fast fibers deliver
sensory info to brain Slow fibers send
messages more slowly to brain
Messages compete, and block pain messages in slow fiber from reaching brain
Skin Senses Continued…
Cutaneous Sense: the process by which objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body
Different receptors on our skin help us perceive what goes on around us: Theromreceptor: the receptive portion of a sensory
neuron that responds to temperature Nocioreceptors: pain receptors for tissue injury Mechanoreceptors: sensory receptors in the skin that
respond to mechanical pressure and distortion Cutaneous Receptors: sensory receptors in the skin that
respond to pain and temperature
“You bit my finger, Charlie”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM
Which receptor is responsible for the pain Charlie’s brother feels?
Pain
Pain: unpleasant sensation The threshold of pain varies
from person to person Acupuncture: procedure of
inserting needles in the body to relieve pain
Lamaze Method: psychological and physical preparation by a mother before childbirth that suppresses pain
People with congenital insensitivity to pain do not feel what is hurting them
Sense-Sational Facts
The skin is the largest organ in the body weighing 6-10 lbs.
Skin is least sensitive in the middle of your back
Skin is most sensitive in hands, fingertips, and lips
Works Cited
Davis, Stephen F., and Joseph Phalladino. Psychology. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: n.p., 2004. 86-87. Print.
"Sense of Touch." Home Science Tools. N.p., 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://www.hometrainingtools.com/skin-touch/a/1388/>.
"Touch." Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/touch/touch.html>.
Zimbardo, Philip G., Robert L. Johnson, Ann L. Weber, and Craig W. Gruber. Position and Movement. Print.