All Flashcards
What is the effect of endorphin release?
Reduced pain perception and a sense of well-being.
What causes phantom limb sensations?
Brain misinterpreting central nervous system activity after limb loss.
What is the effect of a conflict between vestibular and visual signals?
Motion sickness, including nausea and disorientation.
What causes variations in pain sensitivity?
Genetic differences in endorphin production.
What is the effect of activating large nerve fibers?
Closing the 'gate' in the spinal cord, reducing pain signals reaching the brain.
What is the effect of activating small nerve fibers?
Opening the 'gate' in the spinal cord, allowing pain signals to reach the brain.
What is the effect of parental responses on children's pain?
Children's reactions to pain can be influenced by parental responses, either increasing or decreasing their perception of pain.
What is the effect of a cold on taste perception?
A cold can affect taste perception due to the reduced sense of smell, which interacts with taste.
What is the effect of physical warmth?
Physical warmth can promote feelings of social warmth due to embodied cognition.
What causes motion sickness?
Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between vestibular and visual signals, leading to nausea and disorientation.
Explain the gate-control theory of pain.
The spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that either blocks pain signals or allows them to pass to the brain. Small nerve fibers open the gate, while large nerve fibers close it.
How do endorphins affect pain perception?
Endorphins are natural pain relievers that can reduce pain perception by binding to opiate receptors in the brain.
What role do psychological factors play in pain perception?
Attention, expectations, and social context can increase or decrease pain perception.
How does the vestibular sense work?
Semicircular canals and vestibular sacs in the inner ear contain hair cells stimulated by movement, providing a sense of balance and orientation.
How does kinesthesis contribute to movement?
Muscles and joints send information to the brain about limb positions, allowing for coordinated movement and awareness of body position.
Explain the concept of sensory interaction.
Different senses influence each other to create a combined sensory experience, such as how smell, texture, and taste combine to create flavor.
What is the impact of embodied cognition?
Bodily sensations influence psychological states; for example, feeling physically warm can promote feelings of social warmth.
Describe how attention affects pain perception.
Focusing on something other than the pain can reduce the perception of pain, while focusing on the pain can intensify it.
How does social context influence pain perception?
Cultural norms and social expectations can influence how individuals express and perceive pain.
Explain how expectations can affect pain perception.
If someone expects a situation to be painful, they are likely to experience more pain than if they expect it to be manageable.
Define somatosensation.
The combination of pressure, warmth, cold, and pain that allows us to feel the world around us.
What is the gate-control theory?
Melzack and Wall's theory that the spinal cord has a 'gate' that blocks or allows pain signals to reach the brain.
Define endorphins.
"Feel-good" hormones that reduce pain perception.
What are phantom limb sensations?
Pain or movement sensations in a missing limb, caused by the brain misinterpreting CNS activity.
Define vestibular sense.
Your sense of movement and balance, keeping you upright and aware of your body's orientation.
What is kinesthesis?
Your sense of body position and movement, working with vision to help you navigate your environment.
Define proprioception.
Awareness of your body's position in space; similar to kinesthesis but more general.
What is sensory interaction?
The principle that senses influence each other (e.g., smell + texture + taste = flavor).
Define embodied cognition.
The influence of bodily sensations on psychological states (e.g., physical warmth = social warmth).
What is synesthesia?
A phenomenon where one sensation produces another (e.g., tasting colors).