Sensory Science: The Senses

This course is part of Essentials of Sensory Science Specialization

Instructor: Rebecca Bleibaum

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

14 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

14 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

4 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Essentials of Sensory Science Specialization

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There are 4 modules in this course

Humans are amazing sensors! This course will help you understand our sensing capabilities including taste, olfaction, tactile senses, vision, and audition. The course will explain at a high-level the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the senses and give you an appreciation of how senses are transmitted to, and experienced by, the brain. You’ll learn by experience to assess cases such as dysfunctions in olfaction or tactile temperature adaptation. Optional podcast conversations with experts in the field are included each week to provide additional insight on our senses and sensory research.

In this module, we will begin our discussion on the senses starting with taste. We will also discuss primary tastes, anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of taste. We will then touch on transducer and neural effects including receptor types, stimulus-receptor transducer mechanisms, neural channels, neural codes, and cortical cell types and mechanisms. We will do an activity on taste adaptation and finish the module with an optional podcast conversation with Joel Sidel. Let's get started.

What's included

11 videos7 readings1 assignment4 discussion prompts

11 videos Total 53 minutes

Course Introduction 5 minutes
Module Introduction 1 minute
Taste - One of the Chemical Senses 6 minutes
Taste Anatomy: Taste Buds 5 minutes
Taste Nerve System 2 minutes
Taste Transduction 10 minutes
Taste Adaptation 4 minutes
Mixture Effects, Inhibition and Synergy 7 minutes
Trigeminal Chemical Sensitivity 5 minutes
Taste Sensitivity 3 minutes
Basic Taste 4 minutes

7 readings Total 181 minutes

Course Navigation and Safety Statement 1 minute
Taste Adaptation Activity 15 minutes
Selected Sensory Demonstration Activities (Optional) 30 minutes
(Optional) Podcast: A Conversation with Joel Sidel 45 minutes
Receptors and Transduction in Taste 30 minutes
Two Decades of Supertasting: Where do we Stand? 20 minutes
The Human Preference for Excess Salt 40 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Module 1 Quiz 30 minutes

4 discussion prompts Total 50 minutes

Learning Goals 10 minutes
Taste Adaptation Activity Results 15 minutes
Selected Sensory Demonstration Activities Results 15 minutes
(Optional Forum) Podcast: Joel Sidel 10 minutes

In this module, we will continue discussing the senses focusing on olfaction and the tactile sensations. We will discuss the chemical nature of odorous stimuli, the anatomy of the olfactory system, and smell transduction. Let's begin.

What's included

6 videos2 readings1 assignment

6 videos Total 22 minutes

Module Introduction 2 minutes
Smell: The Chemical Nature of Odorous Stimuli 3 minutes
Olfactory System Anatomy 4 minutes
Smell Transduction 3 minutes
Perception of Smell 6 minutes
Classification of Odors 3 minutes

2 readings Total 85 minutes

A Novel Mutigene Family May Encode Odorant Receptors: A Molecular Basis for Odor Recognition 45 minutes
Combinatorial Receptor Codes for Odors 40 minutes

1 assignment Total 15 minutes

Module 2 Quiz 15 minutes

In this module, we will discuss retronasal olfaction versus orthonasal olfaction, dysfunctions in olfaction, and the basic system to describe the tactile senses. We will also do an activity on temperature adaptation. This module will end with an optional podcast conversation with Dr. Ann Noble. Let's begin.

What's included

4 videos4 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

4 videos Total 25 minutes

Stereochemical Theory: Lock and key 3 minutes
Adaptation 2 minutes
Orthonasal and Retronasal Olfaction 4 minutes
Tactile Sensations, Cutaneous Perception 16 minutes

4 readings Total 69 minutes

Temperature Adaptation Activity 15 minutes
(Optional) Podcast: A Conversation Dr. Ann Noble 34 minutes
Predicting the Handle and Comfort of Military Clothing Fabrics from Sensory and Instrumental Data 10 minutes
Odorant Shape and Vibration Likely Lead to Olfaction Satisfaction 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 15 minutes

Module 3 Quiz 15 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

Temperature Adaptation Activity Results 10 minutes
(Optional Forum) Podcast: Dr. Ann Noble 10 minutes

In this final module, we will continue discussing the senses focusing on vision and audition. At the end of the lesson, you will be able to describe the parts of the eye and parts of the retina. We will explain how receptor functions work, describe how to explain optical illusions, and go through aspects of depth perception. Finally, we will go into concepts surrounding hearing anatomy, transduction and adaptation. We will finish off this module with an optional podcast conversation with Dr. Armand Cardello.