Chapter 5: Sensation

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

(in the moment processing) the process by which our senses, sensory receptors and nervous system, receive stimuli and sends it to the brain. -

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events. -

Question 3

Bottom-up Processing

Answer 3

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information. -

Question 4

Top-down Processing

Answer 4

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations. -

Question 5

Psychophysics

Answer 5

The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them. -

Question 6

Absolute Threshold

Answer 6

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time. -

Question 7

Signal Detection Theory

Answer 7

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (“signal”) amid background stimulation (“noise”). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and level of fatigue. -

Question 8

Subliminal

Answer 8

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness. -

Question 9

Difference Threshold

Answer 9

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. -

Question 10

Weber’s Law

Answer 10

states that the difference threshold is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which the comparison is being made. -

Question 11

Sensory Adaptation

Answer 11

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation. -

Question 12

Transduction

Answer 12

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret. -

Question 13

Wavelength

Answer 13

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. -

Question 14

Hue

Answer 14

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light. -

Question 15

Intensity

Answer 15

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude. -

Question 16

Pupil

Answer 16

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters. -

Question 17

Iris

Answer 17

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening. -

Question 18

Lens

Answer 18

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina. -

Question 19

Accomodation

Answer 19

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina. -

Question 20

Rods

Answer 20

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond. -

Question 21

Cones

Answer 21

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations. -

Question 22

Optic Nerve

Answer 22

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain. -

Question 23

Blind Spot

Answer 23

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, no receptor cells are located there. -

Question 24

Fovea

Answer 24

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster. -

Question 25

Retina

Answer 25

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information. -

Question 26

Acuity

Answer 26

the sharpness of vision. -

Question 27

Nearsightedness

Answer 27

a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina. -

Question 28

Farsightedness

Answer 28

a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina. -

Question 29

Feature Detectors

Answer 29

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement. -

Question 30

Parallel Processing

Answer 30

the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. -

Question 31

Young-Helmholtz Theory

Answer 31

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue - which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color. -

Question 32

Opponent-Process Theory

Answer 32

the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision. -

Question 33

Color Constancy

Answer 33

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object. -

Question 34

Audition

Answer 34

the sense of hearing. -

Question 35

Frequency

Answer 35

the number of waves that pass a given point in a specific time, usually one second. -

Question 36

Pitch

Answer 36

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency. -

Question 37

Middle Ear

Answer 37

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window. -

Question 38

Inner Ear

Answer 38

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs. -

Question 39

Cochlea

Answer 39

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses. -

Question 40

Place Theory

Answer 40

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated. -

Question 41

Frequency Theory

Answer 41

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch. -

Question 41

Conduction Hearing Loss

Answer 41

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea. -

Question 42

Nerve Deafness

Answer 42

hearing loss created by damage to the hair cells or the auditory nerve fibers in the inner ear. -

Question 43

Gate Control Theory

Answer 43

theory that spinal cord contains neurological gate that blocks pains signals or allows them to pass. Opened by activity of pain going up small nerve fibers & is closed by act of large fibers or by info coming from brain. -

Question 44

Sensory Interaction

Answer 44

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste. -

Question 45

Kinesthesis

Answer 45

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts. -

Question 46

Vestibular Sense

Answer 46

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance. -

Question 47

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Answer 47

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness. -