NURS 125 Sensation Exam Questions and Answers| New Update with 100% Correct Answers
Components of Sensory Perception 1. Stimulus
2. Reception
3. Perception
4. Arousal Mechanism
Stimulus a signal (sound, sight, feeling, taste, etc.)
Reception the stimulus is detected at the nerve ending
Perception the nerve impulses transmit and are given meaning (perceived by the brain)
Arousal Mechanism brain must be alert/aroused to receive/respond to stimuli
Effect of Intensity on Response intense stimuli excite more receptors and will lead to a
greater response
Effect of Contrast on Response response will vary due to extremes in contrast (going from
somewhere very warm to somewhere very cold)
Effect of Adaptation on Response an individual can be accustomed to noise, lights, activity,
or alarms which leads to decreased response ("timing things out")
Effect of Previous Experience on Response memory of a previous experience can affect
ongoing responses to the same stimulus
Factors Affecting Sensory Function -culture
-health status
, -medications
-stress
-personality and lifestyle
-developmental stage
Effects of Aging on Vision -vitreous humor becomes thinner, floaters appear in visual field
-lens becomes discolored and opaque, less able to focus on near objects
-ciliary body contracts and lens thickens, loss of visual acuity, decreased ability to accommodate
distance and changes in illumination
-decreased peripheral vision
-decreased tear production
Effects of Aging on Hearing -hearing loss caused by drier and more solid cerumen
-scarring occurs
-decreased speech discrimination
-presbycusis (hearing loss of high frequency tones)
Effects of Aging on Taste -taste buds atrophy, less ability to perceive tastes (especially
sweetness)
-dry mouth can alter taste
Effects of Aging on Smell -olfactory neurons atrophy, decrease in the ability to perceive
smell
Effects of Aging on Touch -loss of sensory nerve fibers/changes in cerebral cortex, decreased
ability to perceive light touch, pain, and temperature changes
Components of Sensory Perception 1. Stimulus
2. Reception
3. Perception
4. Arousal Mechanism
Stimulus a signal (sound, sight, feeling, taste, etc.)
Reception the stimulus is detected at the nerve ending
Perception the nerve impulses transmit and are given meaning (perceived by the brain)
Arousal Mechanism brain must be alert/aroused to receive/respond to stimuli
Effect of Intensity on Response intense stimuli excite more receptors and will lead to a
greater response
Effect of Contrast on Response response will vary due to extremes in contrast (going from
somewhere very warm to somewhere very cold)
Effect of Adaptation on Response an individual can be accustomed to noise, lights, activity,
or alarms which leads to decreased response ("timing things out")
Effect of Previous Experience on Response memory of a previous experience can affect
ongoing responses to the same stimulus
Factors Affecting Sensory Function -culture
-health status
, -medications
-stress
-personality and lifestyle
-developmental stage
Effects of Aging on Vision -vitreous humor becomes thinner, floaters appear in visual field
-lens becomes discolored and opaque, less able to focus on near objects
-ciliary body contracts and lens thickens, loss of visual acuity, decreased ability to accommodate
distance and changes in illumination
-decreased peripheral vision
-decreased tear production
Effects of Aging on Hearing -hearing loss caused by drier and more solid cerumen
-scarring occurs
-decreased speech discrimination
-presbycusis (hearing loss of high frequency tones)
Effects of Aging on Taste -taste buds atrophy, less ability to perceive tastes (especially
sweetness)
-dry mouth can alter taste
Effects of Aging on Smell -olfactory neurons atrophy, decrease in the ability to perceive
smell
Effects of Aging on Touch -loss of sensory nerve fibers/changes in cerebral cortex, decreased
ability to perceive light touch, pain, and temperature changes
