Chapter 47 Lecture Enrichment Ideas
Compare the kinds of receptors involved in perceiving sensation with the kinds of energy for each sensation.
Describe how the different receptors are suited for interacting with the different kinds of stimuli. Language is very important in this chapter and students must begin to distinguish between the mind perceiving and the organs receiving stimuli.
Examine the concept that different receptors can be stimulated to send a message to the wrong area of the brain, which is the final interpreter of the stimulus. Pain is a particularly good topic for discussion, since too much sound, light, pressure, heat, cold, etc., can send the message that there is pain. You might also discuss the fact that a blow to the head may make you "see stars" or a light, even though the visual receptors are not stimulated.
Discuss color blindness as a genetic defect in the operation of the cones, and ask students to try to determine how it might arise. Mention the relatedness of the photosynthetic pigment, bacteriorhodopsin, and ask students to determine why a similar molecule would be involved in our visual apparatus and in the chemical that absorbs the energy of light in bacteria. Projection slides can be used in class for students to test their color vision and the blind spot in class.
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