System — Sensory Receptors Most activities of the nervous system are initiated by sensory experiences that excite sensory receptors, whethervisual receptors in the eyes, auditory receptors in the ears, tactile receptors on the
surface of the body, the brain, or memories of the experiences can be stored in the brain for minutes,
weeks, or years and determine bodily reaction s at some future date.
Processing of Information —―Integrative‖ Function of the Nervous System One of the
most important functions of the nervous system is to process incoming information in such a way that
appropriate mental and motor responses will occur. More than 99 percent of all sensory information is
discarded by the brain as irrelevant and unimportant. For instance, one is ordinarily unaware of the
parts of the body thatare in contact with clothing, as well as of the seat pressure when sitting.
Likewise, attention is drawn only to an occasional object in one‘s field of vision, and even the
perpetual noise of our surroundings is usually relegated to the subconscious.
