4- Sensation and Perception

Question 1

process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Answer 1

sensation

Question 2

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

Answer 2

perception

Question 3

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

Answer 3

bottom-up processing

Question 4

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

Answer 4

top-down processing

Question 5

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Answer 5

selective attention

Question 6

ability to attend to only one voice among many

Answer 6

cocktail party effect

Question 7

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

Answer 7

inattentional blindness

Question 8

failing to notice changes in the environment

Answer 8

change blindness

Question 9

change deafness, choice blindness, choice-blindness blindness

Answer 9

types of blindness

Question 10

demand our attention rather than us choosing to turn our attention towards it

Answer 10

popout

Question 11

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

Answer 11

psychophysics

Question 12

minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

Answer 12

absolute threshold

Question 13

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise); detection depends on experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness; ratio of “hits” to “false alarms”

Answer 13

signal detection theory

Question 14

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Answer 14

subliminal

Question 15

the activation,often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

Answer 15

priming

Question 16

interrupts the brain’s processing before conscious perception; follows brief subliminal message

Answer 16

masking stimulus

Question 17

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time (just noticeable difference (jnd))

Answer 17

difference threshold

Question 18

the principle, that, to be perceived as different two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)

Answer 18

Weber’s Law

Question 19

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Answer 19

sensory adaptation

Question 20

conversion of one form of energy into another; stimulus energy into neural impulses

Answer 20

transduction

Question 21

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next (determines the color we see) (determines the pitch we hear)

Answer 21

wavelength

Question 22

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

Answer 22

hue (color)

Question 23

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

Answer 23

intensity

Question 24

protects the eye and bends light to provide focus

Answer 24

cornea

Question 25

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

Answer 25

pupil

Question 26

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

Answer 26

iris

Question 27

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

Answer 27

lens

Question 28

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

Answer 28

accommodation

Question 29

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

Answer 29

retina

Question 30

central part of focus on the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

Answer 30

fovea

Question 31

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

Answer 31

rods

Question 32

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions; detect fine detail and color sensations

Answer 32

cones

Question 33

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

Answer 33

optic nerve

Question 34

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there

Answer 34

blind spot

Question 35

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus

Answer 35

feature detectors

Question 36

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision

Answer 36

parallel processing

Question 37

step-by-step processing

Answer 37

serial processing

Question 38

a localized area of blindness in part of the field of vision

Answer 38

blindsight

Question 39

objects appear a certain color because they _____ the wavelengths of that color

Answer 39

rejects/reflects

Question 40

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

Answer 40

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory

Question 41

staring at one color for a while, then looking at white and you see the opponent color

Answer 41

afterimage

Question 42

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision

Answer 42

opponent-process theory

Question 43

the sense or act of hearing

Answer 43

audition

Question 44

determines the loudness of sound waves

Answer 44

strength/amplitude

Question 45

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

Answer 45

frequency

Question 46

a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Answer 46

pitch

Question 47

channels sound waves through the auditory canal to the eardrum

Answer 47

outer ear

Question 48

tight membrane that vibrates with the waves

Answer 48

eardrum

Question 49

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

Answer 49

middle ear

Question 50

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

Answer 50

cochlea

Question 51

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

Answer 51

inner ear

Question 52

oval window, basilar membrane, hair cells, auditory nerve

Answer 52

other parts of the ear

Question 53

damage to hair cells

Answer 53

account for most hearing loss

Question 54

alerts us to possible hearing damage

Answer 54

ringing of the ears

Question 55

number of activated hair cells

Answer 55

perceive loudness

Question 56

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

Answer 56

place theory

Question 57

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

Answer 57

frequency theory

Question 58

neural cells can alternate firing

Answer 58

volley principle

Question 59

placement of our two ears allows us to enjoy stereophonic ("three-dimensional") hearing

Answer 59

locating sounds

Question 60

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

Answer 60

conduction hearing loss

Question 61

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; nerve deafness

Answer 61

sensorineural hearing loss

Question 62

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Answer 62

cochlear implant

Question 63

When someone touches a real hand and a fake hand, the person feels as though the seen fake hand is her own

Answer 63

Rubber-hand illusion

Question 64

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Answer 64

Kinesthesis

Question 65

The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Answer 65

Vestibular sense

Question 66

Sensory receptors that detect hurtful temperatures, pressure, or chemicals

Answer 66

Nociceptors

Question 67

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

Answer 67

Gate-control theory

Question 68

Natural painkillers

Answer 68

Endorphins

Question 69

Phantom limb

Answer 69

Phantom limb

Question 70

Ringing-in-the-ears sensations

Answer 70

Tinnitus

Question 71

Indicates an energy source

Answer 71

Sweet taste

Question 72

Indicates sodium essential to physiological processes

Answer 72

Salty taste

Question 73

Indicates a potentially toxic acid

Answer 73

Sour taste

Question 74

Indicates a potential poison

Answer 74

Bitter taste

Question 75

Indicates proteins that help grow and repair tissue; meaty and savory

Answer 75

Unami taste

Question 76

The principle that one sense may influence another

Answer 76

Sensory interaction

Question 77

Smell+texture+taste= ?

Answer 77

Flavor

Question 78

In the picture you were seeing ga, hearing ba, so we perceive da

Answer 78

McGurk effect

Question 79

One sort of sensation produces another

Answer 79

Synesthesia

Question 80

Olfaction

Answer 80

Olfaction

Question 81

The only sense that bypasses the thalamus

Answer 81

Smell

Question 82

An organized whole; our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

Answer 82

Gestalt

Question 83

The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

Answer 83

Figure-ground

Question 84

The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli I to coherent groups

Answer 84

Grouping

Question 85

Group nearby figures together

Answer 85

Grouping by proximity

Question 86

Group similar figures together

Answer 86

Grouping by similarity

Question 87

See two lines, one wavy and one straight

Answer 87

Grouping by continuity

Question 88

See items that are connected as one single unit

Answer 88

Grouping by connectedness

Question 89

Filling gaps, to create a whole object

Answer 89

Grouping by closure

Question 90

The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

Answer 90

Depth perception

Question 91

A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Answer 91

Visual cliff

Question 92

Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of the two eyes

Answer 92

Binocular cues

Question 93

A binocular cue for perceiving depth: by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance- the greater the distance between the two images, the closer the object

Answer 93

Retinal disparity

Question 94

How much our eyes, themselves, need to turn to focus on something; a key to depth perception

Answer 94

Convergence

Question 95

Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

Answer 95

Monocular cues

Question 96

Our perceiving vertical dimensions as longer than identical horizontal dimensions

Answer 96

Horizontal-vertical

Question 97

Perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away

Answer 97

Relative height

Question 98

Objects that are the same size we'll perceive the one that is a smaller image as farther away

Answer 98

Relative size

Question 99

If one object partially obstructs our view of another, we perceive the blocking image as closer

Answer 99

Interposition

Question 100

When parallel lines curved come together creating an illusion that they are farther away

Answer 100

Linear perspective

Question 101

Things in the distance appear to be moving with you

Answer 101

Relative motion

Question 102

Dark and light; helps perceive depth

Answer 102

Light and shadow

Question 103

Stroboscopic movement

Answer 103

Stroboscopic movement

Question 104

An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights turn on and off in quick succession

Answer 104

Phi phenomenon

Question 105

When someone touches a real hand and a fake hand, the person feels as though the seen fake hand is her own

Answer 105

Rubber-hand illusion

Question 106

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Answer 106

Kinesthesis

Question 107

The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Answer 107

Vestibular sense

Question 108

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

Answer 108

Perceptual constancy

Question 109

Perceiving the form of familiar objects as constant even while our retinal image changes

Answer 109

Shape constancy

Question 110

Perceiving objects as having a constant size even while our distance from them varies

Answer 110

Size constancy

Question 111

Perceiving an object as having a constant lightness even while it's illumination varies

Answer 111

Lightness/brightness constancy

Question 112

The amount of light an object reflects relative to its surroundings

Answer 112

Relative luminance

Question 113

Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

Answer 113

Color constancy

Question 114

Sensory restrictions on infant cats, monkeys, and humans suggest that there is a ________ for normal sensory and perceptual development

Answer 114

Critical period

Question 115

In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

Answer 115

Perceptual adaptation

Question 116

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Answer 116

Perceptual set

Question 117

The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

Answer 117

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

Question 118

The study of paranormal phenomena

Answer 118

Parapsychology

Question 119

Mind-to-mind communication

Answer 119

Telepathy

Question 120

Perceiving remote events

Answer 120

Clairvoyance

Question 121

Perceiving future events

Answer 121

Precognition

Question 122

Mind over matter; being able to levitate a table with one's mind

Answer 122

Psychokinesis