Sensory Reception and Processing

Sensory Reception

• Sensory receptors are specialised cells detecting sensory information.
• Chemoreceptors detect the presence of chemicals.
• Thermoreceptors detect changes in temperature.
• Mechanoreceptors detect mechanical forces.
• Photoreceptors detect light during vision.

Sensation and Perception

• Sensation is the detection of environmental stimuli by sense organs and the conversion of sensory information into electrochemical signals.
• Perception is the mental process of receiving, organising, and interpreting sensory information into meaningful objects and events.

Steps in Sensory Processing

• Reception refers to the detection of sensory information in sense organs by receptors.
• Transduction involves changing sensory information into electrochemical energy.
• Transmission is the movement of electrochemical energy from receptors to the brain.
• Selection is the selection of important stimuli to pay attention to.
• Organisation means the information received reaches the brain and is organised to make sense of it.
• Interpretation occurs when past experiences, motives, values, and context give the stimulus meaning.
• Attention is the mental capacity to concentrate on a specific stimulus while ignoring others.

Attention Types

• Selective attention is the ability to focus on select stimuli or objects, filtering out distractions.
• Divided attention is the ability to focus on two or more activities simultaneously.
• The cocktail party effect describes the ability to be aware of multiple conversations, using both divided and selective attention to focus on one conversation while neglecting the rest.

Memory Processes

• Memory refers to the processes used to encode, store, retain, and later retrieve information.
• Encoding is the processing of information in short-term memory for transfer to long-term memory.
• Storage is the retention of information in memory over time.
• Retrieval is the process of bringing to mind knowledge of information from long-term memory.

Multi-Store Model of Memory

• The Multi-store model of memory, by Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), describes human memory systems, including sensory, short-term, and long-term storage.
• Acoustic memory relates to sounds.
• Semantic memory is knowledge of impersonal facts based on understanding and interpretation.
• Sensory registry is the memory store where sensory information is briefly held before decaying or transferring to short-term store.
• Short-term memory is a temporary store for limited information from the sensory register and long-term store.
• Long-term memory is a relatively permanent store for a limitless amount of information, sending and receiving information from short-term memory.
• Procedural memory is a type of long-term memory for skills or actions difficult to explain in words.
• Declarative memory is a type of long-term memory for factual information that can be expressed in words.
• Episodic memory includes long-term memories of past, personal, significant events.

Working Memory

• Working memory is mental work occurring at any given time.
• The central executive coordinates slave systems and controls attention related to information and decision-making.
• The visuospatial sketchpad stores and manipulates visual and spatial information.
• The phonological loop temporarily stores and processes auditory information.
• The episodic buffer temporarily stores consolidated information from the central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, phonological loop, and long-term memory.

Brain Structures

• The cerebellum contributes to balance, judging distance, and fine motor coordination.
• The hippocampus, located in the temporal lobe, is responsible for organising and storing declarative (specifically semantic) memories.
• The amygdala, in the temporal lobe, plays a role in emotional responses and modulates fear response (episodic memories).
• The thalamus, located above the brainstem, receives and transmits sensory information (except smell) to the cerebral cortex and influences sleep.
• The hypothalamus, below the thalamus, regulates sleep, eating, body temperature, and sex drive, and regulates hormone release from the pituitary gland.
• The pre-frontal cortex, in the front layer of the frontal lobe, coordinates executive functions and emotional regulation.

Memory Concepts

• Motivated forgetting
• Decay theory
• Memory retrieval using recall
• Memory retrieval using recognition
• Memory retrieval using relearning
• Levels of processing model of memory
• Shallow processing
• Structural processing
• Phonemic processing
• Maintenance rehearsal
• Deep processing
• Semantic processing
• Elaborative processing
• Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
• Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
• Alzheimer's disease
• Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome