1.1.4 Sensory Inputs

Poll

Would you rather have an elephant-sized hamster or a hamster-sized elephant as a pet?

• Elephant-sized hamster

• Hamster-sized elephant

Sensory Inputs

1.1.4

Objectives

Learners can:

• differentiate between the three types of inputs

• differentiate between types of sensory receptors

Prerequisite Vocab

New Vocab

Vocabulary

• receptor

• sensation

• stimulus

• response

a cell that responds to an external stimulus

Recpetor

a feeling that occurs when something comes in contact with the body

Sensation

something that causes an organism to react

Stimulus

A receptor is a cell that responds to an external stimulus. The eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and skin are organs that contain receptors. Each of these receptors responds to a stimulus. A stimulus is something that causes an organism to react.

​

Receptor and Stimulus

Sight, or vision, is the ability to see light. The eyes detect light and form images. The brain then makes sense of those images, allowing the ability to see.

Vision

Hearing is the ability to sense sound. Sound waves in the air cause vibrations inside the ears. The ears feel the vibrations, and the brain interprets this motion as sound.

Hearing

The inner ear senses balance. There is a liquid found within the inner ear. As the body moves, tiny hair cells detect the movement of the fluid.

Balance

Sensory Receptors

The taste buds react to chemicals in food to convey taste.

Taste

Cells within the nose sense chemicals in the air. The brain uses this information to provide a sense of smell.

​​Smell

A sensation is a feeling that occurs when something comes in contact with the body. The skin is the primary way the body processes different sensations.

Sensation

​Sensory Receptors Cont.

Draw

Draw a picture of something that you can use all 5 senses to recognize.

Cones are color sensitive and work best in bright light. Rods are light sensitive and perform better in dim light but are not sensitive to color.

Vision

​The taste buds on the tongue can detect five separate taste sensations: sweet, sour, salty, savory, and bitter. However, the sense of smell also affects the flavor of food. The mouth cavity is open to the nasal cavity so molecules can pass from the mouth to the nose's odor receptors.

Taste and Smell

You have numerous specialized sensors in your skin known as mechanoreceptors. Some respond to pressure, touch, pain, and temperature. However, the distribution of sensory receptors on the skin is not equal.

Touch

The eardrum vibrates three tiny bones in the middle ear. The last bone activates tiny hairs, which send a nervous impulse to the brain.

Hearing

​Exploring Your Senses

Poll

If you could have a magical 6th sense, what would it be?

• mind-reading

• teleportation

• be able to predict the future

• telekinesis

Electromagnetic stimuli refer to light. In this case, the eyes receive information through visual light.

Electromagnetic

Mechanical stimuli are those that involve physical interaction. This could be the pressure of pushing on something with the skin or the vibrations that occur on the eardrum.

Mechanical

Chemical stimuli are reactions that occur on the tongue or in the nose that the brain translates into taste or smell.

Chemical

​Types of Inputs

Categorize

Options (6)

electromagnetic input

vision

chemical input

taste

mechanical input

sensation

Determine which sensory receptor and sensory input relate to each of the scenarios.

The rock feels rough and bumpy.

The apple is delicious.

You spot a rainbow in the sky.