LEARNING MODULE

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

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LEARNING MODULE TITLE

The Sensory System

LEARNING MODULE RATIONALE

Our human senses are like windows to the outside world to experience the different sensations
such as seeing, hearing, feeling and the like.
This module exposes the student to what we call external sensation. It is common
knowledge that we have fine external senses: vision, audition, olfaction, gestation, ad tactilekinaesthetic sensation. In this topic, the student will know the general conditions of sensation
that must be present for him to see, hear, smell, taste, or physically feel a stimulus.
Specifically, the student will also learn the adequate stimulus , receptor, transmissor, and brain
center for each sense modality. Also, the student will know some sensory abnormalities which
may occur when there is an aberration or dysfunction in the elements of sensation.

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MARREN A. ADAN
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Approved by:
RIVIERA G. GUIYAB

ALMA V. DELA CRUZ, Ph.D.

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LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the conclusion of this learning module, the students are expected to:
A. Define what external sensation is
B. Explain how we see, hear, taste, smell, and experience cutaneous sensations.
C. Discuss briefly the abnormalities in the different sense modalities

TEACHING STRATEGIES/LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Lecture
Classroom Discussion
Graphic Organizers/ Charts

RESOURCES/MATERIALS

Learn more about the definition, parts, and functions of the sensory system. Read the different
related articles about the sensory system and/or watch the video! Check the link provided
below:
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-sensory-system-definition-partsfunctions.html#lesson

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LEARNING CONCEPT
Topic 4
The Sensory System
External Sensation
-

A process of knowing material, concrete stimuli through the external senses namely:

Vision- seeing
Audition- hearing
Olfaction- smell
Gustation- taste
Cutaneous- touch, therman, pain sensation

Elements or Conditions
Stimulus- refers to any aspect of the world that influences our behavior or
conscious experience
Threshold stimulus- minimum amount of stimulus that is capable of producing
a sensation
Receptor- any structure in our body that is excitable to stimuli
Exteroceptors- found on the external surface of the body
Proprioceptors- located in muscles, joints, and tendons
Interosceptors or visceroceptors- found in the visceral organs
Transmissor- bundles of nerve fibers that convey sensory messages or impulses
from one neuron to the next.
Fiber tracts- responsible for transmitting the sensory impulses to the brain
Brain Center- anatomically, the brain is continuous with the spinal cord, from
which it emerges. The brain has different areas performing different functions.

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Five External Sensations

The Visual Sense

How you see

A. Visual Stimulus- the stimulus for vision is the light waves from the visible
spectrum the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is seen by the naked eye.
The spectrum colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The red has the longest wavelength, while violet has the shortest wavelength.
The light reflected into your eyes from the objects around you is the basis for
your ability to see them; if there is no light, there is no vision. (Pinel, 2011).
B. Visual Receptor- the sense organ for vision is the eye. It contains an iris that
gives eye its color and at the center is the pupil which regulates the amount of
light that enters the eye. Behind is the lens that enables the refraction of the
light rays that pass through the pupil. This causes the formation of the retinal
image of the stimulus which appears smaller and inverted. Since there are two
eyes, there are also two images formed on corresponding points in the retina.
These two retinal images fuse so we see only the stimulus as oe object. The
light waves excite the rods and cons of the retina, the innermost layer of the
eye, which are the visual receptors.

Points of Difference
Shape
Distribution of the retina
Function
Sensitivity to color

Cones
Conical
Center
Daytime Vision
Sensitive

Rods
Tubular
Periphery
Nighttime Vision
Not sensitive

C. Visual Transmissors- upon the excitation of the rods and cones, neural impulses
or action potentials are generated and transmitted via the optic nerve, the
bundle of nerve fibers emanating from the retina. Near the point of exit of the
optic nerve, there is a point in the retina that is devoid of rods and cones. This
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area is the blind spot.

D. Brain Center- from the thalamus, the visual signals are transmitted via nerve
fibers to the brain particularly in the occipital lobe. This is where the primary
visual area is located. This area enables us to see the stimulus. The primary
visual area is responsible for basic visual information.

Image A

The Human Eye

The Auditory Sense

How you hear

A. Auditory Stimulus- the stimulus for hearing are the sound waves emanating
from the source of the sound such as the voice of the teacher, music being
played, barking of the dog, chirping of the birds, engine of a running vehicle, or
an airplane flying up in the sky.
Physical Element
(Sound Waves)
Frequency
Intensity
Complexity

Physical Element
(Sound)
Pitch
Loudness
Tonal Quality or Timbre

B. Auditory Receptor- the sense organ for hearing is the ear. The human ear is
sensitive to sound waves in the range of 20 to 20, 000 Hz ( Lahey, 2012).
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- outer ear- is where the auditory canal and the eardrum are found
Inner ear- is where cochlea ( area for hair cells) and vestibular (concerned with
equilibrium) are found.

C. Auditory Transmissor- when the stimulus reaches and excites the auditory
receptors, neural impulses are generated and conducted along the auditory
pathway. This pathway includes the auditory or cochlear nerve which transmits
the auditory messages or signals from one cluster of neurons to another cluster
of within the brainstem.

D. Auditory Brain Center- the auditory signals are relayed to the thalamus in the
brainstem, which is the last relay center of hearing. From the thalamus, the
auditory messages are transmitted to the primary auditory area for the basic
auditory information.

Image B

Parts of the Auditory Sense

The Olfactory and Gustatory Senses

How you smell and taste

A. Stimulus- the stimuli for both senses are chemical substances. For the sense of
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smell, the chemical substances are in the gaseous state, while the the sense of
taste, the chemical substances are in the liquid form.
B. Receptor- the sense organ for smell is the nose. Within the nose are olfactory
cells which are stimulated by the chemical substances in the gaseous state. On
the other hand, the receptor for taste is the taste bud. The taste buds are spread
in the tongue where they are stimulated by the adequate stimulus for taste.
C. Transmissor- when the receptors for the two senses are stimulated, neural
impulses are generated and transmitted to the brain centers for taste and smell
by their respective fiber tracts.
Sense of smell olfactory nerve
Sense of taste gustatory pathway
D. Brain Center- the neural signals for taste and smell are relayed to the primary
gustatory and olfactory area respectively. The primary olfactory area is located
in the temporal lobe for the perception of odor, while the primary gustatory area
for the perception of flavor in the lower portion of the frontal lobe below are the
primary motor area.

Image C

Sense Organ for Taste

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Cutaneous Sense- refer to those sensations, the receptors of which are found in the
skin for body sensations or what is referred to as somatosensation.
- sense of touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and kinesthesia ( sense of movement)

Image D

Parts of the Cutaneous Sense

Somatosensation

Merkels Disk
Pacinian Corpuscles
Free Nerve Endings
Krauses Corpuscles
Ruffinis Endings
Proprioceptors

Touch
Pressure
Pain
Cold
Warm
Kinaesthesia

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Losing an external sense

Condition
Loss of Vision
Loss of Audition
Loss of Olfaction
Loss of Gustation
Failure to feel pain
Failure to identify an object through
touch

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Medical Term
Anopsia
Anacousia
Anosmia
Ageusia
Analgesia
Asteriognosia

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Visual

seeing

Auditory

hearing

Olfactory

smelling

Gustatory

tasting

Cutaneous

touch, thermal, sensation

Figure 4.1
The External Sensation

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stimulus

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receptor

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transmissor

Date Issued:
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brain
center

Figure 4.2
Conditions of the External Sensation

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REFERENCES
De Guzman, et. Al. (2012). General Psychology A Birds- Eye View. Manila: University
of Santo Tomas Publishing House
Images
Retrieved from
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/imgvis/eyesection.gif ( Image A)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Anatomy_of_the_Human_
Ear.svg/2000px-Anatomy_of_the_Human_Ear.svg.png ( Image B)
http://ciudaddecordoba3scienceblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/taste.html (Image C)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2lCleAtKQ/SGlNcGbVASI/AAAAAAAAA_s/2zIw6J37Sfc/s1600-h/cutaneous+receptors.jpg
( Image D)

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SELF-TEST
Multiple-choice
Select the best answer.
1. What do you call the process of knowing material, concrete stimuli through the
external senses?
A. Perception
B. Sensation
C. Retention
D. Realization
2. It involves the sense of taste
A. gustation
B. audition
C. olfaction
D. cutaneous
3. What element or condition of perception refers to any aspect of the world that
influences our behavior or conscious experience?
A. Stimulus
B. Receptor
C. Transmissor
D. Brain center
4. What element or condition of perception refers to the bundles of nerve fibers that
convey sensory messages or impulses from one neuron to the next?
A. Stimulus
B. Receptor
C. Transmissor
D. Brain center
5. What color has the longest wavelength?
A. Blue
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B. Purple
C. Violet
D. Red
6. Without , human vision will be impossible
A. Light
B. Color
C. Perception
D. Wavelength
7. The sense organ for vision
A. Nose
B. Retina
C. Skin
D. Eye
8. This involves the stimulus for hearing the sound waves emanating from the source
of the sound such as the voice of the teacher or music being played
A. Visual
B. Auditory
C. Sensing
D. Olfactory
9. This involves sensation with chemical substances in the gaseous state
A. Visual
B. Auditory
C. Sensing
D. Olfactory
10. What element of sound is being referred by the pitch?
A. Complexity
B. Tempo
C. Frequency
D. Intensity

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11. Which of the following is the receptor for gustatory function?

A. Optic nerves
B. Taste buds
C. Olfactory nerves
D. Cochlea
12. The following are sensations that belong cutaneous sense EXCEPT:
a. touch
b. pressure
c. pain
d. sight
13. This refers to the sense of movement
A. Somatosensation
B. Stereognosis
C. Kinaesthesia
D. Lateral fissure

14. This refers to the touch sensations

A. Somatosensation
B. Stereognosis
C. Kinaesthesia
D. Lateral fissure
15. What do you call the receptor for warm sensation?
A. Free Nerve Endings
B. Krauses Corpuscles
C. Ruffinis Endings
D. Proprioceptors
16. What do you call the receptor for kinaesthetic sensation?
A. Free Nerve Endings
B. Krauses Corpuscles
C. Ruffinis Endings
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D. Proprioceptors
17. This term refers to blindness
A. Anopsia
B. Anacousia
C. Anosmia
D. Ageusia
18. This term refers to deafness
A. Anopsia
B. Anacousia
C. Anosmia
D. Ageusia
19. This term refers to loss of olfaction
A. Anopsia
B. Anacousia
C. Anosmia
D. Ageusia
20. Which of the following does NOT belong in the list below?
A. Cerebellum
B. Medulla
C. Pons
D. Nasal passage
***end of test***

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