Petra has just identified the funky smell in her kitchen as an old peach that she threw away in the trash and then forgot.The process of having her olfactory system detect the odour is best described as:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The olfactory system's detection of the odor is best described as sensation, as it involves the detection of sensory stimuli (in this case, the odor molecules) through the sensory receptors in the nose. Transduction refers to the process by which sensory stimuli are converted into neural signals, which is also a part of the olfactory system's function, but not the best descriptor in this case. Perception and top-down processing involve higher-level cognitive processes related to interpreting sensory information and using context and other factors to make sense of it, which are not directly relevant to the initial detection of the odor.

Petra Has Just Identified the Funky Smell in Her Kitchen