Smell, Taste, Touch, and Other Senses
Smell, Taste, and Touch
In addition to the senses of vision and hearing, there are several other senses that play key roles in your experience of the world. These senses can function quite differently from the senses of vision and hearing, but they are no less important to your daily life. In this interactivity, explore the senses of taste, touch, and smell. Click the player to begin.
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Sensory Interaction
Smell and taste are tightly connected, and this is a good example of a phenomenon called sensory interaction. The senses rarely work entirely independently of one another; often two or more senses will work together to give a fuller picture of the outside world. In the case of experiencing the flavor of food, taste and smell work together. In many ways, smell might be more important to you in differentiating specific foods. For example, try shredding an apple and an onion. If you taste each with your nose plugged, you will find it very difficult to tell the difference. When you eat food or drink liquids, much of the flavor does not come from the taste buds on the tongue, but from the molecules of the food that rise from your mouth and throat into your nasal cavity, where the specific odor can be detected. If you have ever had to eat a meal while sick with a cold or allergies, you have likely experienced the diminished flavor of foods that comes with a blocked nasal passage.
Body Senses
Although generally not thought of as one of the “five senses,” the senses of body position and body movement are extremely important. The kinesthetic sense and the vestibular sense combine to help you move throughout the world. If you did not have these senses, you might feel very dizzy, or unable to move without falling. In this interactivity, explore the two body senses. Click the player to begin.
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Smell, Taste, Touch, and Other Senses Review
Now that you have learned about smell, taste, touch and other senses, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player to get started.