In this video I explain the process of transduction for taste and how gustatory cells detect tastant molecules in food. I discuss structures of the tongue, including papillae, taste buds, and gustatory cells and consider evolutionary explanations for changes in … Read More
Touch, Haptic Perception, & the Somatosensory Cortex
In this video I describe touch sensation and haptic perception, which refers to exploring the world by grasping. I outline the types of receptor in the skin including mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, and nocireceptors, and then discuss how signals are mapped out … Read More
Signal Detection Theory
In this video I explain how signal detection theory relates to psychophysics and the study of absolute and difference thresholds. I also explain how response criteria play a role in signal detection theory and the possibility of type I and … Read More
Psychophysics!
In this video I introduce psychophysics and explain the difference between the absolute threshold and the difference threshold (or just noticeable difference). I also discuss the difficulties of measuring our sensitivity to stimulation and provide a simple demonstration of Weber’s … Read More