by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist
There are two distinct areas we will need to have a closer look at when talking about sensorimotor function:
“Sensorics” on the one hand, and “motorics” on the other.
Sensorics is a collective term for the physical process of all sensory perception (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting), and the forwarding of the gathered information to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
Motorics is defined as the control and resulting tensioning of the muscles.
The two terms combined form the term “sensorimotor function” – the interplay of the nervous system and muscles.
Where sensory perception, however, does not occur via the main receptors eye, skin, ear or inner ear, but via much smaller receptors (proprioceptors), which are located e.g. in the joints or muscles, then we talk about “proprioception”.
Hence, proprioception is a subsection of sensorimotor function.
