Psych 421 - Sensation & Perception

Study Notes

Chapter 12 - Skin Senses

Rev. 11/94

I.    The Skin

            A.    Kinds of skin

            B.    What are the three layers of skin?

            C.    Skin receptors

                        1.    Free nerve endings

                        2.    Encapsulated endings

            D.    Theories about the Skin Senses

                        1.    Doctrine of specific nerve energies

                        2.    Specificity theory

                        3.    Pattern theory

            E.    From the Skin to the Brain - What two neural systems serve the skin?

II.    Touch   

            A.    Sensory Aspects of Touch

                        1.    Pacinian corpuscles

                        2.    What 4 neural channels transmit touch information?

            B.    Passive Touch - What is it?  What are the alternatives?

                        1.    Thresholds for Touch

                                    a)    Absolute

                                    b)    Two-point Discrimination

                        2.    Adaptation to Touch

                        3.    Perception of Complex Passive Touch

            C.    Active Touch - Haptic Perception

III.    Relative Dominance of Touch and Vision

            A.    What is visual capture?  What evidence is there for it?

            B.    Applications to Active Touch - Tadoma Method

IV.    Pain

            A.    What is the relationship between pain and emotion?

            B.    Thresholds for Pain - pain tolerance

            C.    Adaptation to Pain

            D.     Theories of Pain Perception

                        1.    Specificity theory of pain perception - phantom limb pain

                        2.    Pattern theory of pain perception

                        3.    Gate-Control Theory

                                    a)    transmission cells

                                    b)    substantia gelatinosa

                                    c)    double pain

            E.    Pain Control

                        1.    Medication and Placebos

                        2.    Endorphins and Opiate Receptors

                        3.    Counterirritants

                                    a)    Acupuncture

                                    b)    Stimulation-produced analgesia

                        4.    Psychological Procedures

                                    a)    Hypnosis

                                    b)    Cognitive-behavioral approaches

                                                (1)    distraction

                                                (2)    prepared childbirth methods

                                                (3)    modeling approach

V.    Temperature

            A.    Body Temperature Regulation

            B.    Warm and Cold Spots - What is paradoxical about Paradoxical Cold?

            C.    Thresholds for Temperature

            D.    Adaptation to Temperature - Thermal adaptation

VI.    Kinesthetic and Vestibular Senses

            A.    Kinesthetic Sense

                        1.    Kinesthesia

                        2.    Proprioception

                        3.    Golgi tendon organs

            B.    Vestibular Sense

                        1.    Field dependence

                        2.    Field independence

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