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Related Concept Videos

Introduction to Special Senses

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.

Sensory Modalities

Sensory Modalities

Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...

What is a Sensory System?

What is a Sensory System?

Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system. In addition to external stimuli detected by the senses, some sensory systems detect internal stimuli—such as the proprioceptors in muscles and tendons that send feedback about limb position.

Perception

Perception

Perception is a fundamental psychological process that enables individuals to organize, interpret, and consciously experience sensory information. This process is crucial for understanding and interacting with the world around us. It includes both bottom-up and top-down processing, each playing a distinct role in how we perceive our environment.
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

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The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

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The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
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Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

A functional role for modality-specific perceptual systems in conceptual representations.

Louise Connell¹, Dermot Lynott, Felix Dreyer

¹School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. louise.connell@manchester.ac.uk

|March 20, 2012

Summary

Embodied cognition theories are supported by new research. Tactile and proprioceptive stimulation aids conceptual processing for small, manipulable objects, showing perception

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Theories of embodied cognition propose that conceptual processing uses neural resources shared with perception and action.
Previous evidence includes motor cortex activation and grasp facilitation, but these effects might be epiphenomenal.
This study investigates the role of touch and proprioception in conceptual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To test whether modality-specific perceptual information plays a constitutive role in object concepts.
To determine if tactile and proprioceptive stimulation influences conceptual processing.
To examine if this influence depends on object manipulability.

Main Methods:

Two experiments using a timed object-comparison task.
Concurrent tactile or proprioceptive stimulation to the hands during conceptual processing.
Comparison of facilitation effects for small, manipulable objects versus large, nonmanipulable objects.
Assessment of independence from motor and action planning.

Main Results:

Tactile and proprioceptive stimulation facilitated conceptual processing for small, manipulable objects.
No facilitation was observed for large, nonmanipulable objects.
The observed facilitation effects were independent of motor and action planning.

Conclusions:

Modality-specific perceptual information plays a functionally constitutive role in mental object representations.
These findings support embodied cognition theories, grounding concepts in perception and action systems.
Conceptual processing is directly influenced by perceptual experiences, particularly for manipulable items.