The Other Senses

Touch
 Touch

Types of touch
Pressure
Warmth
Cold
Pain
The brain is more sensitive to unexpected
stimuli (i.e. someone else tickling you vs.
tickling yourself)
Pain
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Biological Influences
Biological Influences
Nociceptors: sensory receptors that detect harmful temperatures,
pressure, or smells
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMZdkac4YLk

Gate-control theory: neurological gate in the spinal cord that is

activated when you feel pain
Painkilling endorphins
Phantom limb sensations: even experienced by those who are
born without limbs the brain can create pain
Phantom sounds: people with hearing loss can experience
tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears.
Our brain can sense, even without functioning senses.
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Biological Influences
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Biological Influences
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Biological Influences
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Biological Influences
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Biological Influences
 The Girl Who Could Feel No Pain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnABHy6
tjL8
 Discuss in Pairs
Think of a time you vividly felt physical pain.
Describe it to your partner.

Think of a time you experienced a physical

injury but did not immediately feel pain.
Describe it to your partner.
 Psychological Influences

Psychological Influences
Memories of pain
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Psychological Influences
Biopsychosocial Approach
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Psychological Influences
Biopsychosocial Approach
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Psychological Influences
Biopsychosocial Approach
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Psychological Influences
Biopsychosocial Approach
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Psychological Influences
Biopsychosocial Approach
 Pain
Understanding Pain:
Social-Cultural Influences
Social-Cultural Influences
Empathy for others in pain
 Pain
Controlling Pain
Physical methods
Medication
Surgery
Acupuncture (blocks gate)
Electrical stimulation (blocks gate)
Massage (blocks gate)
Exercise (releases endorphins)
 Psychological methods:
Placebo
Distraction
Hypnosis or relaxation training
 Taste
Sweet, sour, salty and bitter
Umami (savory)
Taste buds
Chemical sense: taste receptors (50 to 100 per taste
bud)
Expectations can influence taste
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11c4p9_cutlery-
choice-influences-food-flavor_travel
Receptors reproduce every week or two
As we age, the number of receptors decrease, and so
does our ability to taste.
 Genes and Bitter Taste
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/inherit
ance/ptc/
Smell
 Discuss in Pairs
Think of a smell that triggers a good memory
for you. Explain it to your partner.

Think of a smell that triggers a bad memory

for you. Explain it to your partner.
 Smell
Olfaction
Chemical sense (receptor cells in nasal
cavity)
Odor molecules
Olfactory bulb: receptor cells send
messages to olfactory bulb, then to the
temporal lobes olfactory (smell) cortex
We have a capacity to recognize long-forgotten odors
and their immediate feelings and memories.
Body Position and Movement
Body Position and Movement

Kinesthesis: sensing position and

movement of individual body parts
Vestibular sense: balance
Semicircular canals
send messages to
cerebellum
Body Position and Movement
Sensory Interaction
 Sensory Interaction
Sensory interaction: one sense may influence another
Interaction of smell and taste
McGurk Effect: Visual clues can alter what we
hearhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-lN8vWm3m0

Embodied cognition: how cognition (thinking) is tied to sensations (feeling)

Examples:
After holding a warm drink, people are more likely to feel closer to
people and behave more generously.
After being ignored, people judge the room as physically colder than
those that were treated kindly.
Holding a heavy clipboard (rather than a lighter one) makes job
candidates seem more important or capable.
When physically leaning to the left, people lean more left in their
expressed political attitudes.
 Synesthesia: perceptual condition of mixed sensations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEqmNX8uKlA