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The Five Senses

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In order for the senses to be representations of the physical world, people would have to step outside themselves (meaning outside perceptual constraints and representations) and evaluate the extent that their perceptual representations resemble the physical world. A person's percepts, judgments and observations of the physical world are conclusions that are based on inference.

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Solution Summary

The senses are NOT veridical (truthful) representations of the physical world, because there is no resemblance relation.

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The five sensory modalities are sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch. The eye consists of a lens which focuses light (a kind of electromagnetic energy) through a small hole (the pupil) onto a sheet of cells (the retina). The ear funnels air pressure waves onto the tympanic membrane, where vibrations are transmitted to the inner ear. Taste buds are small bumps on the tongue and parts of the throat which are continuously bathed in liquid. The nasal mucosa is a layer of cells lining parts of the nasal passageways and throat. The skin consists of receptors called mechanoreceptors that are triggered by mechanical movements of the skin and send signals that the brain interprets. The first step of sensation, the interception of external ...

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