Chapter 5- Sensation and Perception

Question 1

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

Answer 1

sensation

Question 2

the process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information, transforming it into meaningful objects and events

Answer 2

perception

Question 3

analysis that begins with the 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 our experience and expectations

Answer 4

top-down processing

Question 5

changing one form of energy into another. in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret

Answer 5

transduction

Question 6

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

Answer 6

absolute threshold

Question 7

below our absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Answer 7

subliminal

Question 8

activating, often unconsciously, associations in our mind, thus setting us up to perceive, remember, or respond to objects or events in certain ways

Answer 8

priming

Question 9

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. we experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (or jnd)

Answer 9

difference threshold

Question 10

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

Answer 10

weber’s law

Question 11

reduced sensitivity in response to constant stimulation

Answer 11

sensory adaptation

Question 12

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Answer 12

perceptual set

Question 13

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

Answer 13

wavelength

Question 14

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

Answer 14

hue

Question 15

the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave, which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness. intensity is determined by the wave’s amplitude (height)

Answer 15

intensity

Question 16

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

Answer 16

retina

Question 17

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

Answer 17

rods

Question 18

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina; in daylight or well-lit conditions, cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Answer 18

cones

Question 19

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

Answer 19

optic nerve

Question 20

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye; this part of the retina is “blind” because it has no receptor cell

Answer 20

blind spot

Question 21

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as edges, lines, and angles

Answer 21

feature detectors

Question 22

the processing of many aspects of a problem or scene at the same time; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision

Answer 22

parallel processing