Sensory perception

Terms and Structure

Sensory perception occurs in organisms capable of performing neurophysiological processing of the stimuli in their environment, and covers the processes commonly called "the senses": hearing, vision, taste, smell and so on. Sensory perception involves detection of the stimulus and subsequent recognition and characterization of it. There are five different stimulus types involved in sensory processing - chemical, mechanical, electrical, light and temperature.

   neurophysiological process
       [i] sensory perception
           [p] detection of stimulus during sensory perception
               [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception
               [i] detection of electrical stimulus during sensory perception
               [etc.]
           [i] sensory perception of chemical stimulus
               [p] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception
           [i] sensory perception of electrical stimulus
               [p] detection of electrical stimulus during sensory perception
           [etc.]

The (known) senses are represented as processes underneath sensory perception. Most are worded sensory perception of [stimulus modality], e.g. sensory perception of sound, sensory perception of touch, although some have more common names, such as visual perception or electroception.

A combination of stimuli may be used by some of the senses; for example, sensory perception of pain may come from temperature, mechanical, electrical or chemical stimuli. Similarly, stimuli of a certain type may be perceived by different senses: e.g. both sense of smell and taste use chemical stimuli. The structure is as follows:

   sensory perception
       [i] sensory perception of chemical stimulus
           [i] sensory perception of smell
               [p] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of smell
           [i] sensory perception of taste
               [p] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of taste
           [p] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception
               [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of smell
               [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of taste
               [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of pain

...

   [i] sensory perception of pain
       [p] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of pain
       [p] detection of electrical stimulus during sensory perception of pain
       [p] detection of mechanical stimulus during sensory perception of pain
       [p] detection of temperature stimulus during sensory perception of pain

This structure is also repeated under the response to stimulus node:

   response to stimulus
       [i] detection of stimulus
           [i] detection of chemical stimulus
               [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception
                   [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of smell
                   [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception of taste
           [i] detection of stimulus during sensory perception
               [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception

...

   [i] sensory perception
       [p] detection of stimulus during sensory perception
           [i] detection of chemical stimulus during sensory perception
   [etc.]

sensory perception of xxx may have the exact synonym perception of xxx.

Standard Definitions

• sensory perception: The series of events required for an organism to receive a sensory stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal.
• sensory perception of [stimulus type] stimulus: The series of events required for an organism to receive a [stimulus type] stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal.
• detection of [stimulus type] stimulus during sensory perception of [sensory modality]: The series of events during the perception of [sensory modality] in which a [stimulus type] stimulus is received and converted to a molecular signal.

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