Homework Assignment #4

Sensation and Perception

 

Assignment requirements: Answer 1 of the following 3 questions in as much detail as possible using specific examples and definitions. Be sure to justify your responses with information from class or from the text. Please be sure your answer is no less than 1 full page and no more than 2 full pages of type-written text, double-spaced. If you choose to complete this assignment it must be emailed before the beginning of class on March 1st.

  

  1. Check out some research that is currently under way at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, an organization that works specifically on chemical sensations.  Once you get to their website, click on the "Research Overview" at the top and then choose either the "Sensation and Perception"or the "Nutrition and Appetite" links on the left.  Read through the summary of research provided in the category you select, and then discuss the importance of at least 3 of the ongoing research projects they present at the end of the section. Discuss how this information relates to class or how the answer to the question (once they find it) will somehow benefit our world.

  2. Taste, perhaps the most passed-over sense, but one that would make a peperoni pizza far less enjoyable. Do we all have the same taste abilities? Researchers say no, in fact there are some that are super tasters. To learn more about these lucky souls, read Taste Intensity published by the Society for Neuroscience. Write a summary of the information describing how it extends your knowledge of taste, the physiological aspects as well as the sensory experiences, expands upon issues we have discussed in class or a portion of the article that was of particular interest for you.

  3. Explore the impact of loud sounds which occur on a regular basis in our daily environment in It's a Noisy, Noisy World Out There, an article published in Health Magazine. Read the entire article, and write a summary discussing how this information has extended your understanding of sensation and perception or how it has related to classroom material that we have covered. Be sure to think about the ways in which loud sounds have probably already impacted your auditory sense, and what you can do to change that in the future.

  4. Interested in the intersection of computer technology and vision? The article Artificial Vision by the Society for Neuroscience discusses possible high-tech implants to restore sight to the blind. Read the article and write a summary of the information describing how it extends your knowledge of vision and the eye, the physiological aspects as well as the sensory experiences, expands upon issues we have discussed in class or a portion of the article that was of particular interest for you.