PSYC304 Perception Full Course Assignments Week 7 Forum

This week we will examine the chemical sense of smell (olfaction) and taste. This is a two-part discussion question (part one pertaining to olfaction and part two pertaining to taste) and both parts must be answered in order to receive full credit. After viewing the material for this week as outlined in the syllabus, discuss the components of the olfactory system: the olfactory receptors, the olfactory sensory neurons, the olfactory bulb and the cortex. Then, discuss what kinds of evidence support the idea that different people may have different taste experiences. What mechanisms might be responsible for these differences? Lastly, explain the role of culture in the development of smell and taste and provide two examples of how culture could account for variation in perception.

 

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The chemical sense of smell and taste

Introduction

The chemical senses of smell and taste are essential to our well-being. They allow us to detect and recognize many different substances in our environment, including food items that might be dangerous or toxic. It’s important for your health to know if you have a weakened sense of smell or taste so that you can take steps to improve it by getting medical attention if necessary.

What are the senses of smell and taste?

Smell and taste are chemical senses that detect chemicals in the air, as well as on food. A person’s sense of smell is used to detect volatile chemicals such as ammonia (used for cleaning), acetone (a sweet-smelling solvent), methane gas (from rotting plant material) and alcohols like ethanol or methanol. Taste buds are located inside the mouth where they detect sweet substances such as sugars, proteins and salts.

While smell and taste can often be confused with each other, there are two main differences: 1) Smell occurs when volatile molecules enter your nose; whereas taste occurs when tastebuds react to stimuli in your mouth 2) When you smell something, you’re able to distinguish between different types of molecules based on their molecular structure; whereas with taste it’s more difficult because all tastes contain similar chemicals

Why are the senses of smell and taste important?

The ability to smell and taste is important for our survival. It helps us know what we’re eating, and it allows us to avoid poisonous foods. In fact, it’s so important that if you don’t have one or both of these senses intact, your chances of living long enough to see old age are greatly diminished. The sense of smell also plays a role in helping us find mates: if someone smells bad or tastes bad (or both), they may not be able to attract potential partners—meaning that fewer children will grow up happy!

What is your sense of smell and taste?

You’ve probably heard of the sense of taste and smell, but how many of us know what those words even mean? Let’s break down the senses of smell and taste:

The sense of smell is the ability to detect volatile chemicals in air. These include pheromones, hormones, bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances. The sense of taste helps you identify bitter or sour tastes in food as well as sweet ones like sugar or honey on a spoon.

The human body has three main types of nerves that carry signals from one organ (or group) to another:

• Motor nerves—these send messages back through muscles that control movement; they also communicate directly with organs like your heart so blood flow can be regulated effectively without having any external stimuli involved (e.g., taking medicine). 2) Sensory nerves—these transmit information about pressure changes within certain parts

What happens when you can’t smell or taste?

If you have a loss of smell or taste, it can be hard to tell what you’re eating is safe. You might think that food has gone bad and not realize it until after you’ve eaten it.

If your sense of taste or smell is damaged, you could also miss out on important information about how your food tastes and smells. For example, if someone gives you something that looks promising but doesn’t seem to taste very good or smell great (like tuna salad), then their opinion may be more valuable than yours!

In addition to these issues related specifically with our senses of taste and smell—or lack thereof—there are many others besides:

How is a loss of smell or taste harmful to health?

You might think that losing your sense of smell or taste is bad for you, but it can actually be beneficial. For example, if you lose your sense of smell and taste, this can allow you to eat foods with less salt or spices. This means that when we eat something salty or spicy without knowing how much salt is in the food we are eating (or how hot the spice is), then our body may not be able to tell if it needs more water than usual because there’s no way for us to know what kind of reaction that particular food has on our bodies until after eating them

How do we know your sense of smell and taste are important to health?

The chemical senses of smell and taste are important to our health.

Your olfactory system is responsible for detecting odors, while your gustatory system detects flavors and tastes. These two systems work together to allow you to detect what’s going on around you—and they’re used in almost every aspect of daily life: from identifying food that tastes good, to knowing when something might be poisonous or harmful; they also play an important role in protecting us against airborne pathogens such as bacteria and viruses.

How do we measure your sense of smell or taste?

• Smell and taste tests are usually done at the doctor’s office.

• You will be asked to smell certain odors and foods, or eat certain foods, in order to get your results.

• The tests are used by doctors as part of their diagnosis. They can tell you if you have a problem with your sense of smell or taste, or what type of problem it is (mild versus severe).

The test itself is pretty simple: You’ll sit down and put on a mask over your nose while someone takes samples from each nostril using cotton swabs soaked in a chemical solution that contains chemicals found in many common odors (such as mint). Then they’ll send these samples off for analysis by lab workers who specialize in identifying different smells based on their chemical structure—a process called gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS).

The chemical senses of smell (olfaction) and taste (gustation) are essential to our well-being.

Smell and taste are chemical senses that work together to give us information about the world around us.

In most people, smell is much more important than taste for everyday life. For example, if you had no sense of smell at all, then you would be unable to tell if food was spoiled or not. You wouldn’t know where your food came from or how long ago it was prepared; you’d have no idea whether or not it was safe for consumption!

If your sense of smell were damaged by an illness (as many people with anosmia report), then it could be very difficult for them to eat properly—or even survive at all!

Conclusion

We hope this article has answered some of your questions about the sense of smell and taste. If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out! We’re here to help.