Assuming that a food critic or wine taster most values their ability to perceive the flavors and aromas of these consumable items, then a loss of their sense of smell—olfactory loss—would be the greatest of these misfortunes they could suffer. The vestibular sense is that which informs us as to the orientation of our bodies in space. The semicircular canals contribute to this sense, and are housed within the inner ears. The loss of this sense might not compromise a food critic or wine taster as severely in their professional life. The striate cortex is a key component of the visual cortex, and damage therein would likely result in partial or total blindness. This would not hinder the food critic or wine taster's abilities to perceive their foods or wines however.

The frequency of a vibration corresponds to the pitch of the perceived sound produced from it. Higher frequencies will produce higher pitched notes, while lower frequencies will produce lower pitched notes. On the other hand, the amplitude of a sound wave will determine the volume of a perceived sound. Timbre is a complex component of a sound, and is the result of a variety of other elements. To provide a brief illustration however, timbre explains why a G# note on a trumpet sounds distinct from a G# note played on a piano. The longevity of a note is not the result of either the frequency or the amplitude of a sound. This is simply determined by how long the vibration continues.

The somatosensory system is a sense system based around information about the physical body. This includes the senses of touch, of heat, of pain, pressure, and vibration; of orientation and balance; and of muscular movement. The tactile and skin senses, the vestibular sense, and the kinesthetic sense comprise it. The tactile sense is that of touch. Other skin senses include detection of heat, pain, pressure, and vibration. The vestibular sense is that which detects the body's orientation in space, and contributes to our sense of balance and motion. The kinesthetic sense is based off the movements and positions of our muscles, and may also be referred to as proprioception. This sense is how we can close our eyes yet remain aware of where our limbs are positioned in space, or why we don't need to follow our legs and arms with our eyes to direct them while we walk or reach for objects out of view. The other answer choices do not involve correct groupings of senses to summarize the somatosensory system.

The cocktail party effect, demonstrated and named by Colin Cherry, illustrates people's ability to selectively attend to common stimuli--even in the presence of several conflicting conversations or auditory stimuli--which the brain identifies as more important. This is demonstrated by people's ability to hear their name, or the voice of a partner or friend, more clearly than other stimuli in a crowded environment.

The somatosensory system is a sense system based around information about the physical body. This includes the senses of touch, of heat, of pain, pressure, and vibration; of orientation and balance; and of muscular movement. The tactile and skin senses, the vestibular sense, and the kinesthetic sense comprise it. The tactile sense is that of touch. Other skin senses include detection of heat, pain, pressure, and vibration. The vestibular sense is that which detects the body's orientation in space, and contributes to our sense of balance and motion. The kinesthetic sense is based off the movements and positions of our muscles, and may also be referred to as proprioception. This sense is how we can close our eyes yet remain aware of where our limbs are positioned in space, or why we don't need to follow our legs and arms with our eyes to direct them while we walk or reach for objects out of view. The other answer choices do not involve correct groupings of senses to summarize the somatosensory system.

The frequency of a vibration corresponds to the pitch of the perceived sound produced from it. Higher frequencies will produce higher pitched notes, while lower frequencies will produce lower pitched notes. On the other hand, the amplitude of a sound wave will determine the volume of a perceived sound. Timbre is a complex component of a sound, and is the result of a variety of other elements. To provide a brief illustration however, timbre explains why a G# note on a trumpet sounds distinct from a G# note played on a piano. The longevity of a note is not the result of either the frequency or the amplitude of a sound. This is simply determined by how long the vibration continues.

Assuming that a food critic or wine taster most values their ability to perceive the flavors and aromas of these consumable items, then a loss of their sense of smell—olfactory loss—would be the greatest of these misfortunes they could suffer. The vestibular sense is that which informs us as to the orientation of our bodies in space. The semicircular canals contribute to this sense, and are housed within the inner ears. The loss of this sense might not compromise a food critic or wine taster as severely in their professional life. The striate cortex is a key component of the visual cortex, and damage therein would likely result in partial or total blindness. This would not hinder the food critic or wine taster's abilities to perceive their foods or wines however.

The cocktail party effect, demonstrated and named by Colin Cherry, illustrates people's ability to selectively attend to common stimuli--even in the presence of several conflicting conversations or auditory stimuli--which the brain identifies as more important. This is demonstrated by people's ability to hear their name, or the voice of a partner or friend, more clearly than other stimuli in a crowded environment.

Macular degeneration is a degenerative condition affecting the retina and choroid—the blood supply that feeds the retina. In either "dry" or "wet" forms, it causes progressive central blindness while leaving the peripheral vision largely intact. It is estimated that from 40-55 million people worldwide suffer from the condition, which is suspected to have been long under-diagnosed.

Hearing aids replace the cochlea and the essential apparatuses contained within. Most significantly, they perform the role of the receptor cells lining the basilar membrane within the cochlea, which are responsible for the transduction of information carried by physical energy into electrical energy within the nervous system. This type of hearing aid is of value to an individual suffering from conduction deafness, which is deafness brought about due to damage to the apparatuses of the ear. An example of this would be a soldier deafened by exploding ordinance, or an airport worker continuously exposed to the loud volume of plane engines without sufficient ear protection. Cortical deafness, also known as nerve or sensorineural deafness, however, is brought about through damage to the auditory regions of the nervous system. As such, an individual with perfectly healthy ears might be rendered deaf due to damage caused by a stroke or brain trauma. This kind of deafness cannot be rectified by hearing aids, or any other form of extant medical intervention. "Ossicle" may refer to the bones of the inner ears (the auditory ossicles), but is not itself the name for a form of deafness nor is "auditory."