Handbook of Perception Volume 6A

Handbook of Perception, Volume VIA Tasting and Smelling focuses on the psychophysics of tasting and smelling and covers topics ranging from food technology and the neurophysiology of taste to the chemistry of odor, the neural code, the olfactory process, and chemical signals in the environment. This volume is organized into five sections encompassing 10 chapters and begins with a historical overview of taste research, followed by a discussion on the biophysics and chemistry of taste and its phylogenetic basis in vertebrates. The focus then shifts to the nature of taste qualities, the psychophysical methods of studying them, and the influence on taste sensation of factors such as intensity, duration and area of stimulation. The important phenomenon of adaptation is well covered, with attention to the role of water. The book methodically introduces the reader to the pleasantness or unpleasantness of a food, the physicochemical basis of olfaction, information processing in the olfactory nerve pathway, and the relationship between molecular structure and odor. A chapter on the extraneous stimulation caused by industrial processes, the psychophysical foundation for applications of olfactory research, and real and potential applications in the realm of odor abatement concludes the volume. This book will serve as a basic source and reference work for psychologists and natural scientists, as well as for those who are interested in human perception.