Somatosensory systemNerve system for sensing touch, temperature, body position, and pain Touch is a crucial means of receiving information. This photo shows tactile markings identifying stairs for visually impaired people. The somatosensory system, or somatic sensory system, is a subset of the sensory nervous system.
Transduction (physiology)In physiology, transduction is the translation of arriving stimulus into an action potential by a sensory receptor. It begins when stimulus changes the membrane potential of a sensory receptor. A sensory receptor converts the energy in a stimulus into an electrical signal. Receptors are broadly split into two main categories: exteroceptors, which receive external sensory stimuli, and interoceptors, which receive internal sensory stimuli.
Visual perceptionVisual perception is the ability to detect light and use it to form an image of the surrounding environment. Photodetection without image formation is classified as light sensing. In most vertebrates, visual perception can be enabled by photopic vision (daytime vision) or scotopic vision (night vision), with most vertebrates having both. Visual perception detects light (photons) in the visible spectrum reflected by objects in the environment or emitted by light sources.
Biological systemA biological system is a complex network which connects several biologically relevant entities. Biological organization spans several scales and is determined based on different structures depending on what the system is. Examples of biological systems at the macro scale are populations of organisms. On the organ and tissue scale in mammals and other animals, examples include the circulatory system, the respiratory system, and the nervous system.
ThoughtCognitive process independent of the sensesThe Thinker by Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) in the garden of the Musée Rodin, ParisThought, or thinking, is a cognitive process in which the mind considers, creates, or manipulates ideas, representations, or information. Core forms include judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and deliberation. Other processes, such as entertaining an idea, memory, or imagination, are also frequently considered types of thought.
Stimulus (physiology)The light from the lamp (1.) functions as a detectable change in the plant's environment. As a result, the plant exhibits a reaction of phototropism—directional growth (2.) toward the light stimulus.Look up stimulus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
PerceptionInterpretation of sensory informationThe Necker cube and Rubin vase can be perceived in more than one way.Humans are able to make a very good guess on the underlying 3D shape category/identity/geometry given a silhouette of that shape. Computer vision researchers have been able to build computational models for perception that exhibit a similar behavior and are capable of generating and reconstructing 3D shapes from single or multi-view depth maps or silhouettes.
CognitionCognition encompasses mental processes that deal with knowledge. It includes psychological activities that acquire, store, retrieve, transform, or apply information. Cognitive processes are a fundamental part of mental life, helping individuals understand and interact with the world. Cognitive processes are typically categorized by their function.
InformationInformation is an abstract concept that refers to something which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the interpretation (perhaps formally) of that which may be sensed, or their abstractions. Any natural process that is not completely random and any observable pattern in any medium can be said to convey some amount of information.
Sense of smellThe sense of smell, or olfaction, is the special sense through which smells (or odors) are perceived. The sense of smell has many functions, including detecting desirable foods, hazards, and pheromones, and plays a role in taste. In humans, it occurs when an odor binds to a receptor within the nasal cavity, transmitting a signal through the olfactory system.
BehaviorBehavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of organisms, individuals, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as well as the inanimate physical environment. It is the computed response of the system or organism to various stimuli or inputs, whether internal or external, conscious or subconscious, overt or covert, and voluntary or involuntary.
OrganismAn organism is any living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Several criteria, few of which are widely accepted, have been proposed to define what constitutes an organism. Among the most common is that an organism has autonomous reproduction, growth, and metabolism. This would exclude viruses, even though they evolve like organisms.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.