Chapter 5 - Sensation and Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

stimulation of the sense organs is?

A

sensation

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2
Q

the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input is?

A

perception

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3
Q

What is psychophysics?

A

the study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experiences.

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4
Q

any detectable input from the environment is a:

A

stimulus

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5
Q

what is an absolute threshold?

A

the minimum amount of stimulation that an organism can be detected (50% of the time)

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6
Q

what is the just noticeable difference (JND)?

A

the smallest difference in the amount of stimulation that a specific sense can detect

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7
Q

what is weber’s law?

A

the size of a JND is a constant proportional to the size of the initial stimulus

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8
Q

do constants differ depending on the type of sensory input in weber’s law?

A

yes

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9
Q

in perception, everything is _____.

A

relative

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10
Q

what is fechner’s law?

A

subjective sensation is proportional to the stimulus intensity

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11
Q

under fechner’s law, the ______ changes depending on the intensity of the stimuli.

A

just noticeable difference

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12
Q

detection of stimuli involving decision processes and sensory processes is:

A

signal detection theory

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13
Q

according to signal detection theory, the presence of a stimulus and the presence of a participant response is a:

A

hit

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14
Q

according to signal detection theory, the absence of a stimulus and the presence of a participant response is a:

A

false alarm

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15
Q

according to signal detection theory, the presence of a stimulus and absence of a participant response is a:

A

miss

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16
Q

according to signal detection theory, the absence of a stimulus and absence of a participant response is a:

A

correct rejection

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17
Q

the registration of sensory input without conscious awareness is:

A

subliminal perception

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18
Q

what is sensory adaptation?

A

a gradual decline in sensitivity due to prolonged stimulation (tuning something out)

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19
Q

_____ are vibrations of molecules that travel through a medium.

A

sound waves

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20
Q

frequency is measured in:

A

cycles per seconds of hertz (Hz)

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21
Q

what is wavelength?

A

distance from crest-to-crest or trough-to-trough

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22
Q

loudness depends mainly on the _____ of a sound wave.

A

amplitude

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23
Q

what is purity?

A

a sound that has a single frequency and wavelength.

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24
Q

what are the three major parts of the human ear?

A

outer ear, middle ear, inner ear

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25
Q

what are the parts of the outer ear?

A

auditory canal, tympanic membrane (eardrum)

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26
Q

what are the three bones in the middle ear?

A

malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), stapes (stirrup)

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27
Q

the oval window is located in the _____ ear

A

middle

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28
Q

what are the three main parts of the inner ear?

A

semicircular canals, cochlea, auditory vestibular nerve

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29
Q

what is the basilar membrane? where is it located?

A

the basilar membrane is a stiff structure that separates two liquid-filled tubes in the cochlea

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30
Q

the perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different places along the basilar membrane is:

A

place theory

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31
Q

the perception of pitch corresponds to the the frequency at which the entire bsilar membrane vibrates is:

A

frequency theory

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32
Q

low-frequency tones are translated into pitch through:

A

frequency coding

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33
Q

high-frequency pure tones are translated into pitch through:

A

place theory

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34
Q

what is auditory localization? what are two important cues for it?

A

locating the source of a sound in space. cues: loudness and timing of sounds arriving at each ear.

35
Q

what are some causes of deafness?

A

genetics, disease, injury, exposure to loud noise

36
Q

what are the two major types of deafness?

A

conductive deafness and nerve deafness

37
Q

what is the gustatory system?

A

sensory system for taste

38
Q

what are gustatory receptors? where are they found?

A

clusters of taste cells found in the taste buds

39
Q

what does perception of taste depend on?

A

complex patterns of neural activity

40
Q

what are non-tasters?

A

people who don’t have as many taste receptors

41
Q

what are supertasters?

A

people with more densely packed taste receptors or have better perception

42
Q

_____ is a combination of taste, smell, and the tactile sensation of food in one’s mouth

A

flavour

43
Q

in the olfactory system, stimuli are:

A

volatile chemical substances

44
Q

the hair-like structures located in the upper portion of the nasal passages are:

A

olfactory cilia

45
Q

sense of smell shows:

A

sensory adaptation

46
Q

chemical messages that can be sent by one organism and received by another member of the same species are:

A

pheromones

47
Q

physical stimuli for touch are _______________ that affect the skin.

A

mechanical, thermal, and chemical energy

48
Q

nerve cells that carry information about tactile stimulation are routed through the ______ to the ______.

A

spinal cord, brain-stem

49
Q

does sensory adaptation occur with sense of pressure?

A

yes

50
Q

what is perception of pain influenced by?

A

expectations, personality, mood

51
Q

what is the gate control theory?

A

incoming pain sensations must pass through a “gate” in the spinal cord that can be closed, thus blocking ascending pain signals

52
Q

which neurotransmitters modulate pain perception?

A

endorphins and serotonin

53
Q

what is the kinesthetic system?

A

monitors the positions of the various parts of the body

54
Q

what is the vestibular system?

A

responds to gravity and keeps you informed of your body’s location in space

55
Q

what is the major organ involved in the vestibular system?

A

the semicircular canals in the inner ears

56
Q

light enters the eye through the ____ and then passes through the ____.

A

cornea, lens

57
Q

what are accommodations in the lens?

A

the lens changes shape to focus an image

58
Q

what is the iris?

A

coloured ring of muscle around the pupil

59
Q

what is the retina? what does it do?

A

the neural tissue lining the back of the eye. it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain.

60
Q

what are cones?

A

specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and colour vision.

61
Q

what is the fovea?

A

the “focal point” of the retina. only contains cones.

62
Q

what are rods?

A

specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision

63
Q

the process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination is:

A

dark adaptation

64
Q

what properties of light influence the perception of colour?

A

wavelength (hue), amplitude (brightness), purity (saturation)

65
Q

what kind of colour mixing superimposes lights, putting more light in the mixture that exists in any one light by itself?

A

additive colour mixing

66
Q

what kind of colour mixing removes some wavelengths of light, leaving less light than was originally there?

A

subtractive colour mixing

67
Q

what theory suggests that the human eye has three types of receptors with differing sensitivities to different light wavelengths?

A

trichromatic theory

68
Q

what does trichromatic theory explain? why?

A

colour blindness. most people who are colourblind are dichromats.

69
Q

what is opponent-process theory?

A

each cone is responsive to two wavelengths (on/off switch)

70
Q

what does opponent-process theory explain?

A

afterimages

71
Q

what theory combines trichromatic and opponent-process theories?

A

dual-process theory

72
Q

the interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or how far away objects are is:

A

depth perception

73
Q

what are the two main components of monocular depth cues?

A

motion parallax and pictorial depth cues

74
Q

what are the two main components of binocular depth cues?

A

retinal disparity and convergence

75
Q

emphasizes the stimulus characteristics that are important when you recognize an object

A

bottom-up processing

76
Q

what are the steps to bottom-up processing?

A

1) start with the individual elements
2) put them together
3) interpret the object as a whole

77
Q

what process interprets sensory information in light of existing knowledge, concepts, and ideas?

A

top-down processing

78
Q

what is Gestalt psychology?

A

humans have basic tendencies to actively organize what they see.

79
Q

what are illusory contours?

A

you can “see” boundaries that do not exist.

80
Q

what are the four gestalt laws of organization?

A

1) law of similarity
2) law of proximity
3) law of closure
4) law of continuity

81
Q

shape constancy, size constancy, and brightness constancy are all:

A

perceptual constancies

82
Q

perceptual constancies show that context can produce ______.

A

illusions

83
Q

the impossible triangle, never-ending staircase, and the devil’s tuning fork are all examples of:

A

illusions