noun
- a sensory receptor that responds to stimuli from outside the body, such as light, sound, touch, or temperature
Usage: technical term used in physiology and neuroscience; contrasts with interoceptor (internal stimuli) and proprioceptor (body position)
Examples
- The eyes contain exteroceptors that detect light from the environment.
- Exteroceptors in the skin respond to pressure, temperature, and pain.
- Sound waves stimulate exteroceptors in the inner ear.
- Touch receptors are a type of exteroceptor located on the body's surface.
- Exteroceptors allow us to perceive the external world through our senses.