Final answer:
Alice felt pain through the sense of touch processed by the somatosensory system. Pain, or nociception, signals tissue damage to the brain, triggering a protective response. This sensation is a critical aspect of bodily awareness and injury response.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alice burns her forearm on the waffle iron. The sense of touch provides her brain with information about the pain she feels.
The sensations such as pain, temperature, and pressure are a part of the somatosensory system, sometimes referred to as somatosensation, which is responsible for processing these general senses related to the body.
Pain specifically, known as nociception, is the neural processing of injurious stimuli in response to tissue damage. Sensory neurons in the skin and within the body detect painful stimuli and send signals through the nerves to the brain, where the pain is perceived. Such neurons respond to various forms of stimulation, for example, thermal burns from a hot surface or chemical burns from corrosive substances, which can trigger a pain response.
Moreover, pain perception is a critical bodily function that alerts individuals to injury and motivates them to react accordingly, often protecting against further harm. Some pain reactions are so immediate they involve a reflex arc, with messages traveling only to the spinal cord rather than the brain, to prompt a quick response.