Day 34

Learning Targets:  

• Students will be able to describe the structure and function of the 5 basic senses and how these processes influence human behavior.
• Students will be able to understand the impact of perception on the influence of behavior.

Opener:  Vision and hearing both sense physical energy in the form of light and sound waves.  What exactly do smell and taste sense?

https://www.sciencealert.com/what-are-the-worst-smells-in-the-world-according-to-science

Activity #1:  Mini - Lecture

• As we breathe in air through our nostrils, we inhale airborne chemical molecules, which are detected by the 10 million to 20 million receptor cells embedded in the olfactory membrane of the upper nasal passage.

• When an odor receptor is stimulated, the membrane sends neural messages up the olfactory nerve to the brain.
  
  

  Smell Receptors. There are more than 1,000 types of odor receptor cells in the olfactory membrane.

• We have approximately 1,000 types of odor receptor cells , and it is estimated that we can detect 10,000 different odors.

• Different chemical molecules fit into different receptor cells, and odors are detected according to their influence on a combination of receptor cells. 

• Just as the 10 digits from 0 to 9 can combine in many different ways to produce an endless array of phone numbers, odor molecules bind to different combinations of receptors, and these combinations are decoded in the olfactory cortex.

Activity #2:  Summarize the key findings from the study below regarding smell and distraction.  Then answer the two questions below.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180605172521.htm

1. What is "habituation" and how does it related to the term "tolerance"?  
2. What implications are there for people that are easily distracted?

Activity #3:  Sometimes, it's just good to have a laugh.

Close:  Live Q&A Here: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CM74hfGqmTM7TYcfCXOZMfKe7W83BeFwJk3oYxCAe-8/edit?usp=sharing