Chapter 4 Section 2 Key Terms

Front 1

capsaicin

Back 1

chemical that stimulates the release of Substance P

Front 2

cochlea

Back 2

snail shape, fluid filled structure that contains the receptors for hearing

Front 3

conduction deafness

Back 3

hearing loss that results when the bones connected to the eardrum fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea

Front 4

cutaneous senses

Back 4

skin senses including pressure on the skin, warmth, cold, pain, vibration, movement across the skin, and the stretch of skin.

Front 5

endorphin

Back 5

chemicals produced by the brain that have effects resmebling those of opiates such as those inhibiting pain.

Front 6

frequency principle

Back 6

identification of pitch by the frequency of action potentials in neurons along the basilar membrane of the cochlea synchronized with the frequency of sound waves.

Front 7

gate theory

Back 7

Proposal that pain messages must pas through a gate, probably in the spinal cord, that can block these messages.

Front 8

Hertz (Hz)

Back 8

Unit of frequency representing one cycle vibration per second.

Front 9

loundness

Back 9

perception that depends on the amplitude of a sound wave.

Front 10

nerve deafness

Back 10

hearing loss that results from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells of the auditory nerve.

Front 11

olfaction

Back 11

sense of smell; the detection of the chemicals in contact with the membranes inside the nose.

Front 12

phantom limb

Back 12

continuing sensation of an amputated body part.

Front 13

pheremone

Back 13

odorous chemical released by an animal that changes how other members of the species respond to that animal socially.

Front 14

pitch

Back 14

perception closely related to the frequency of sound waves.

Front 15

place principle

Back 15

identification of pitch by determining which auditory neurons coming from which part of the basilar membrane are most active.

Front 16

sound waves

Back 16

vibrations of the air or of another medium.

Front 17

substance P

Back 17

neurotransmitter responsible for much of the transmission of pain information in the nervous system.

Front 18

synesthesia

Back 18

a condition in which a stimulus of one type such as sound also gives rise to another experience such as color.

Front 19

taste

Back 19

sensory system that responds to chemicals on the tongue.

Front 20

taste bud

Back 20

site of the taste receptors located in one of the fold on the surface of the tongue.

Front 21

vestibular senses

Back 21

specialized sense that detects the direction of tilt and amount of acceleration of the head and the position of the head with respect to gravity.

Front 22

The volley principle

Back 22

Identification of pitch by groups of hair cells responding to each vibration by producing an action potential.