Smell Taste Touch Vestibular and Kinaesthetic Senses

Objectives

Distinguish among the main functions of the smell, taste, touch and the vestibular and kinaesthetic systems

Web Resources

Lumen: Tasting, Smell and Touching Education Portal: Taste, Touch and Smell

Activity

We experience pain differently depending on where in the body it is, as well as the type of action that stimulates our nerves. Try pinching the skin in the palm of your hand (without digging your nails in), until it starts to hurt. Take a mental note of how much pressure you needed to use. Now pinch the skin over your elbows using the same amount of pressure. Did it hurt less? One reason for this is that we have fewer receptors for pressure in our elbows than in the palms of our hands. Why do you think this might be?

Activity

Which of the primary tastes – sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami – are you most familiar with? What kinds of foods do you eat in your family and in your culture that have developed your taste preferences?