Research questions and their formulation in academic inquiry

¶ … functional relationship of the PNS to the CNS?

The CNS effectively "controls" the PNS, and the PNS' main function is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs. The PNS transmits nerve impulses produced by the CNS.

List the structural components of the PNS, and briefly describe the function of each component.

The structural components of the PNS are sensory receptors, which receive external stimuli; motor endings, which act to innervate muscle fibers and glands; and nerves and ganglia, which act as pathways for impulses to travel through the PNS.

How many different types of sensory receptors does the nervous system express and briefly, what kind of stimulus does each class respond to?

According to which way you might go about classifying, there are either five different types of sensory receptors or three different types of receptors. The group of five looks like this: 1) mechanoreceptors -- receptors that respond to mechanical stimuli, 2) thermoreceptors -- receptors that respond to temperature changes, 3) chemoreceptors -- receptors that respond to chemical stimuli, 4) photoreceptors -- receptors that respond to light, and 5) nociceptors -- receptors that respond to pain. The group of three looks like this: 1) exteroreceptors -- receptors that respond to external stimuli (source is outside the body), 2) interoreceptors -- receptors that respond to internal stimuli (i.e. A stomach ache), and 3) proprioceptors -- receptors that sense body position.

4. Differentiate clearly between sensation and perception.

Sensation is the process of receptors receiving external stimuli while perception is the process of interpreting this information. Sensation can be thought of as one of the primary components of perception.

5. What is meant by a sensory receptor's receptive field? How does the size of this filed affect the brains ability to process sensory information?

The receptive field is the amount of space around the receptor in which a stimulus will cause a receptor to fire that neuron. The size of the receptive field dictates how detailed the received information will be; the smaller a receptive field is, the more detailed the information.

6. Use a specific example to briefly explain how our bodies might use sensory adaptation in response to an environmental stimulus.

The first thing that comes to mind is having a fan or space heater on at night. One turns the thing on and can hear it spinning, or making heat, but after a few minutes we cannot hear it anymore and fall asleep.

7. Compare and contrast the terms ganglia and nuclei as they relate to the nervous system.

Ganglia are clusters of neurons in the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. Nuclei are complex structures of neurons in the brain. The fundamental difference between the two is that they lie in different parts of the nervous system. They are quite similar on a structural level.