Module 1 Lesson 1 - 5

Self-Check

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To ensure that you have mastered the concepts of this lesson, try these self-check multiple-choice items.

1. Identify the statement that best compares sensation to perception.


1. A sensation occurs when information from the sense organs reaches the brain; perception is an interpretation of the sensation by the brain.
   
2. A sensation occurs when information from the sense organs reaches the spinal cord; perception is an interpretation of the sensation by the spinal cord.
   
3. A sensation occurs when information from the sense organs reaches the brain; perception is an interpretation of the sensation by the sensory receptors. 
4. A sensation occurs when information from the sense organs reaches the brain; perception is an interpretation of the sensation by the peripheral nervous system.


2. You walk into a pizza restaurant and notice immediately the smells associated with cooking pizza. After a few minutes, you no longer notice these odours. This phenomenon can be explained by a process called


1. sensory accommodation
2. a reflex arc
3. sensory adaptation
4. sensory perception


3. Which of the following structures would you not mention if you were tracing the path involved in tasting something sweet?


1. Taste bud
2. Pressure receptor
   
3. Sensory neuron
4. Parietal lobe of cerebrum (brain)

Lesson Summary

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In this lesson, you investigated this focusing question:

• What information about the environment do the senses of touch, smell, and taste communicate to a person's nervous system to maintain homeostasis?

When a raindrop lands on your face, your sensory receptors for pressure and temperature detect a change on the surface of your skin. This information is communicated through nerve impulses to the brain. Your brain interprets this information as a cool, wet sensation, and you realize that rain is falling. This is perception.

In this lesson, you investigated how the body is able to gather information about the external and internal environments to maintain a constant internal environment, or homeostasis. For example, in response to the rain, you will try to maintain your core body temperature by putting on a rain jacket or going inside. The brain initiates a response that maintains or returns the body to homeostasis.