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Tongue map

Tongue map is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tongue map rather than just read about it. In short: The tongue map or taste map is a common misconception that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different basic tastes. It is illustrated with a schematic map of the tongue, with certain parts of the tongue labeled for each taste.

Tongue map — main illustration
Tongue map — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Tongue map belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Tongue map to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Tongue map from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The tongue map or taste map is a common misconception that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different basic tastes. It is illustrated with a schematic map of the tongue, with certain parts of the tongue labeled for each taste. The concept is taught in some schools, but is incorrect; every taste sensation can come from all regions of the tongue, though certain parts are more sensitive to certain tastes.

History The theory behind this map originated from a book written by Harvard psychologist Edwin Boring in 1942, which included a translation of a German paper, Zur Psychophysik des Geschmackssinnes (The Psychophysics of Taste), by David P. Hänig, written in 1901. Boring replotted and normalized the graphs from the original paper, which were meant to show the taste thresholds of different parts of the tongue. The renormalized versions were interpreted incorrectly by other authors to indicate that there was no sensation where the curves showed a minimum, and maximum sensation where the curves showed a maximum, when the reality was a very small difference between the two. This misinterpretation suggested that each part of the tongue tastes exactly one basic taste. The paper showed minute differences in threshold detection levels across the tongue, but these differences were later taken out of context and the minute difference in threshold sensitivity was misconstrued in textbooks as a difference in sensation. Into the late 1990s, tongue map experiments were a teaching tool in high school biology classes. Students were given strips of paper with different tastes on them and told where each taste should be more noticeable. They then were instructed to touch those taste strips on different areas of their lab partner's tongue and record the (proper) sensation result. While some parts of the tongue may be able to detect a taste before the others do, all parts are equally capable of conveying the qualia of all tastes. Threshold sensitivity may differ across the tongue, but intensity of sensation does not. The same paper included a taste bud distribution diagram that showed a "taste belt". In 1974, Virginia Collings investigated the topic again, and confirmed that all the tastes exist on all parts of the tongue.

Taste belt The misinterpreted diagram that sparked this myth shows human taste buds distributed in a "taste belt" along the inside of the tongue. Prior to this, A. Hoffmann had concluded in 1875 that the dorsal center of the human tongue has practically no fungiform papillae and taste buds, and it was this finding that the diagram describes.

References

Illustrations

Tongue map: The myth of the tongue map: that 1 tastes bitter, 2 tastes sour, 3 tastes salty, and 4 tastes sweet.
The myth of the tongue map: that 1 tastes bitter, 2 tastes sour, 3 tastes salty, and 4 tastes sweet.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tongue map

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tongue map claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tongue map before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tongue map ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tongue map

In research
Tongue map appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Tongue map in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Tongue map is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gustation, Misconceptions, Obsolete biology theories, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Tongue map outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tongue map in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Tongue map means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Tongue map out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tongue map in simple terms?

The tongue map or taste map is a common misconception that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different basic tastes. It is illustrated with a schematic map of the tongue, with certain parts of the tongue labeled for each taste.

Why does Tongue map matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tongue map?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tongue map.

Tags

  • Gustation
  • Misconceptions
  • Obsolete biology theories
  • Tongue

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