Back to AI Flashcard MakerPsychology /Psychology - Chapter 4 Smell and Taste Part 1
Psychology - Chapter 4 Smell and Taste Part 1
This deck covers key concepts from Chapter 4 of Psychology, focusing on the senses of smell and taste, including their functions, mechanisms, and related phenomena.
What is another term for smell?
Olfaction
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Key Terms
Term
Definition
What is another term for smell?
Olfaction
What’s another term for taste?
Gustation
What type of senses are smell and taste?
Chemical senses because we derive these sensory experiences from chemicals in substances.
What is the most critical function of our chemical senses?
Sample our food before swallowing it. We develop preferences for 'safe' foods. Also a cultural input.
What are odours?
Airborne chemicals that interact with receptors in the lining of our nasal passages.
What are the 5 basic tastes we’re sensitive to?
Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What is another term for smell? | Olfaction |
What’s another term for taste? | Gustation |
What type of senses are smell and taste? | Chemical senses because we derive these sensory experiences from chemicals in substances. |
What is the most critical function of our chemical senses? | Sample our food before swallowing it. We develop preferences for 'safe' foods. Also a cultural input. |
What are odours? | Airborne chemicals that interact with receptors in the lining of our nasal passages. |
What are the 5 basic tastes we’re sensitive to? | Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. |
What’s an olfactory neuron composed of? | A single type of olfactory receptor which recognizes an odorant on the basis of its shape. Action potentials occur as a result of this binding. |
What are papillae? | Bumps on tongue that contain numerous taste buds. |
What do we detect taste with? | Taste buds. |
True or False? There are separate taste buds for each of the five basic tastes. | True |
True or False? Individual taste receptors strongly tend to concentrate at certain locations on the tongue. | False |
Scientists talk of a sixth taste, what is it? | Fat taste |
Molecules producing a savoury or meaty flavour have what in common? | They contain a lot of the NT glutamate. |
What is MSG? | Monosodium glutamate, a derivative of glutamate. It is a well-known flavour enhancer. |
How can we taste so many different tastes with only 5 or 6 taste receptors? | Our taste perception is strongly biased by our sense of smell and our tongues differ in their number of taste receptors. |
What are supertasters and what are they sensitive to? | Those with an overabundance of taste buds. Tend to avoid bitter or sugary tastes. |
Where does the information resulting from the binding of odours to sense receptors go to? | Enters the brain, reaches the olfactory cortex and parts of the limbic system. |
Where is the site of convergence for smell and taste? | A region in the frontal cortex. |
After taste information interacts with taste buds, where in the brain does it go? | Reaches a taste related area called the gustatory cortex, somatosensory cortex, and parts of the limbic system. |
What does the limbic system do in smell perception? | Parts of the limbic system, such as the amygdala, help us to distinguish pleasant from disgusting smells. |
True or False? Just the viewing of facial expressions of disgust activates the gustatory cortex. | True |
If damage occurs to the gustatory cortex, what occurs? | can’t experience disgust. |
Antidepressants enhance the activity of _______ and ________ which make us more sensitive to ______. | serotonin, norepinephrine, taste |
What are pheromones? | Odourless chemicals that serve as social signals to members of one’s species that alter our sexual behaviour. |
What is the vomeronasal organ? | Located in the bone between the nose and the mouth, used to detect pheromones. |