(Solution) Nursing 113 Exam 2, Answered, Verified Solution

Sensory Reception is the process of receiving data about the external or internal environment through the senses. The senses by which individuals maintain contact with the external environment are: vision (visual), hearing (auditory), smell (olfactory), taste (gustatory), and touch (tactile). Sterognosis is the sense that perceives the solidity of objects and their size, shape, and texture. Ex -- putting a paperclip in someone's hand when their eyes are closed and they are able to tell you what it is. Kinesthesia refers to awareness of positioning of body parts and body movement; visceral pertains to inner organs. The kinesthetic and visceral senses arise internally from muscles and hollow organs, respectively, and are the body's basic orienting systems. Proprioception is the term used to describe the sense, usually at a subconscious level, of the movements and position of the body and especially its limbs, independent of vision. Proprioception is gained primarily from input from sensory nerve terminals in muscles and tendons and the fibrous capsules of joints combined with input from the vestibular apparatus. Sensory perception is the conscious process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting data from the senses into meaningful information. Perception is influenced by the intensity, size, change, or representation of stimuli, as well as by the past experiences, knowledge, and attitudes. For a person to receive the necessary data to experience the world, FOUR conditions must be met: • A *stimulus*--an agent, act, or other influence capable of initiating a response by the nervous system--must be present • A receptor or sense organ must receive the stimulus and convert it to a nerve impulse. • The nerve impulse must be conducted along a nervous pathway from the receptor or sense organ to the brain. • A particular area in the brain must receive and translate the impulse into a sensation. To receive stimuli and respond appropriately the brain must be alert and aroused. The *reticular activating system (RAS)*, a poorly defined network that extends from the hypothalamus to the medulla, mediates arousal. Sensoristasis is the optimal arousal state of the RAS. The RAS selectively allows certain impulses to reach the cerebral cortex and be perceived. The RAS serves to monitor and to regulate incoming sensory stimuli, thus maintaining, enhancing, or inhibiting cortical arousal. Somolence is extreme drowsiness, but will respond normally to stimuli. Locked-in Syndrome