(4) Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

the process of detecting external events with sense organs and turning those stimuli into neural signals

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

involves attending to, organizing, and interpreting stimuli that we sense

Question 3

Transduction

Answer 3

when specialized receptors transform the physical energy of the outside world into neural impulses

Question 4

Doctrine of specific nerve energies

Answer 4

first proposed in 1826 by the German physiologist Johannes Muller, the doctrine states that the different senses are separated In the brain

Question 5

Sensory Adaptation

Answer 5

the reduction of activity in sensory receptors with repeated exposure to a stimulus

Question 6

Psychophysics

Answer 6

the field of study that explores how physical energy such as light and sound and their intensity relate to psychological experience

Question 7

Absolute Threshold

Answer 7

the minimum amount of energy or quantity of a stimulus required for it to be reliably detected at least 50% of the time it is presented

Question 8

Difference Threshold

Answer 8

the smallest difference between stimuli that can be reliably detected at least 50% of the time

Question 9

Weber’s Law

Answer 9

states that the just noticeable difference between two stimuli changes as a proportion of those stimuli

Question 10

Signal Detection Theory

Answer 10

Whether a stimulus is perceived depends on both the sensory experience and the judgment made by the subject

Question 11

Subliminal Perception

Answer 11

perception below the threshold of conscious awareness

Question 12

Priming

Answer 12

which previous exposure to a stimulus can influence that individual’s later responses, either to the same stimulus or to one that is related to it

Question 13

Top-down Processing

Answer 13

when our perceptions are influenced by our expectations or by our prior knowledge

Question 14

Bottom-up Processing

Answer 14

occurs when we perceive individual bits of sensory information (e.g. sounds) and use them to construct a more complex perception (e.g. a message)

Question 15

Perceptual Set

Answer 15

a filter that influences what aspects of a scene we perceive or pay attention to

Question 16

Divided Attention

Answer 16

paying attention to more than one stimulus or task at the same time

Question 17

Selective Attention

Answer 17

involves focusing on one particular event or task

Question 18

Inattentional Blindness

Answer 18

a failure to notice clearly visible events or objects because attention is directed elsewhere

Question 19

Sclera

Answer 19

the white, outer surface of the eye

Question 20

Cornea

Answer 20

the clear layer that covers the front portion of the eye and also contributes to the eye’s ability to focus

Question 21

Pupil

Answer 21

regulates the amount of light that enters the eye by changing its size; it dilates (expands) to allow more light to enter and constricts (shrinks) to allow less light into the eye

Question 22

Lens

Answer 22

a clear structure that focuses light onto the back of the eye

Question 23

Retina

Answer 23

lines the inner surface of the eye and consists of specialized receptors that absorb light and send signals related to the properties of light to the brain

Question 24

Optic Nerve

Answer 24

a dense bundle of fibres that connect to the brain

Question 25

Rods

Answer 25

are photoreceptors that occupy peripheral regions of the retina; they are highly sensitive under low light levels

Question 26

Cones

Answer 26

photoreceptors that are sensitive to the different wavelengths of light that we perceive as colour

Question 27

Fovea

Answer 27

the central region of the retina

Question 28

Dark Adaptation

Answer 28

the process by which the rods and cones become increasingly sensitive to light under low levels of illumination

Question 29

Trichromatic Theory

Answer 29

(young-helmholtz theory) maintains that colour vision is determined by three different cone types that are sensitive to short, medium, and long wavelengths of light

Question 30

Opponent-process Theory

Answer 30

a theory of colour perception stating that we perceive colour in terms of opposing pairs; red to green, yellow to blue, and white to black

Question 31

Optic Chiasm

Answer 31

the point at which the optic nerves cross at the midline of the brain

Question 32

Feature Detection Cells

Answer 32

a set of cells in the visual cortex that respond selectively to simple and specific aspects of a stimulus, such as angles and edges

Question 33

Ventral Stream

Answer 33

a neural circuit for vision that extends from the visual cortex to the lower part of the temporal lobe

Question 34

Dorsal Stream

Answer 34

a neural circuit for vision that extends from the visual cortex to the parietal lobe

Question 35

Prosopagnosia

Answer 35

an inability to recognize faces or face blindness

Question 36

Perceptual Constancy

Answer 36

the ability to perceive objects as having constant shape, size, and colour despite changes in perspective

Question 37

Binocular Depth Cues

Answer 37

distance cues that are based on the differing perspectives of both eyes

Question 38

Convergence

Answer 38

occurs when the eye muscles contract so that both eyes focus on a single object

Question 39

Retinal Disparity

Answer 39

(binocular disparity) the difference in relative position of an object as seen by both eyes, which provides information to the brain about depth

Question 40

Monocular cues

Answer 40

Depth cues that we can perceive with only one eye

Question 41

Pitch

Answer 41

the perceptual experience of sound wave frequencies

Question 42

Cochlea

Answer 42

a fluid-filled membrane that is coiled in a snail-like shape and contains the structures that convert sound into neural impulses

Question 43

Sound Localization

Answer 43

the process of identifying where sound comes from

Question 44

Place Theory of Hearing

Answer 44

how we perceive pitch is based on the location (place) along the basilar membrane that sound stimulates

Question 45

Frequency Theory

Answer 45

the perception of pitch is released to the frequency at which the basilar membrane vibrates

Question 46

Primary Auditory Cortex

Answer 46

a major perceptual centre of the brain involved in perceiving what we hear

Question 47

Vestibular System

Answer 47

a sensory system in the ear that provides information about spatial orientation of the head as well as head motion

Question 48

Vestibular Sacs

Answer 48

structures that influence your ability to detect when your head is no longer in an upright position

Question 49

Semicircular Canals

Answer 49

three fluid-filled canals found in the inner ear that respond when the head moves in different directions (up-down, left-right, forward-backward)

Question 50

Haptics

Answer 50

the active, exploratory aspect of touch sensation and perception

Question 51

Kinesthesis

Answer 51

the sense of bodily motion and position

Question 52

Nociception

Answer 52

the activity of nerve pathways that respond to uncomfortable stimulation

Question 53

Gate-control Theory

Answer 53

explains our experience of pain as an interaction between nerves that transmit pain messages and those that inhibit these messages

Question 54

Phantom Limb Sensations

Answer 54

frequently experienced by amputees, who report pain and other sensations coming from the absent limb

Question 55

Gustatory system

Answer 55

functions the sensation and perception of taste

Question 56

Olfactory System

Answer 56

involved in smell—the detection of airborne particles with specialized receptors located in the nose

Question 57

Olfactory Epithelium

Answer 57

a thin layer of cells that are lined by sensory receptors called cilia

Question 58

Olfactory Bulb

Answer 58

a structure on the bottom surface of the frontal lobes that serves as the brain’s central region for processing smells

Question 59

Multimodal Integration

Answer 59

the ability to combine sensation from different modalities such as vision and hearing into a single integrated perception

Question 60

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

Answer 60

(ASMR) a phenomenon in which specific auditory or visual stimuli trigger tingling sensations in the scalp and neck, sometimes extending across the back and shoulders