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Gen Psych Midterm > Ch 4: Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Ch 4: Sensation and Perception Flashcards

(65 cards)

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1
Q

sensation

A

detection of physical energy by our sense organs

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2
Q

perception

A

brain’s interpretation of raw sensory data

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3
Q

transduction

A

when the neurons system converts an external stimulus into electrical signals within neurons

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4
Q

sensory adaption

A

activation is highest when the stimulus is first detected

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5
Q

absolute threshold

A

lowest level of a stimulus we can detect 50% of the time

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6
Q

just noticeable difference (JND)

A

the smallest amount of stimulus change we can detect

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7
Q

weber’s law

A

the stronger the stimulus, the larger the JND
- JND/original stimulus intensity

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8
Q

signal detection theory

A

regards how stimuli are detected under diff. conditions
- response bias

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9
Q

signal to noise ratio

A

harder to detect a signal as background noise increase

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10
Q

selective attention

A

brain picks and chooses important sensory information
- other “channels” are still processed at some level

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11
Q

cocktail party effect

A

the ability to focus one’s attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli (usually auditory)

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12
Q

inattentional blindness

A

failure to see stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is focused elsewhere
- ex.: monkey business allusion

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13
Q

change blindness

A

failure to detect changes in the environment
- ex.: door study

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14
Q

the binding problem

A

how do our brains combine all the various stimuli around us into a coherent whole?

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15
Q

light

A

see color based on what is absorbed and reflected
- white things reflect all wavelengths
- black things absorb all wavelengths

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16
Q

qualities of light

A
  • brightness: intensity of reflected light
  • hue (color): absorbed light
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17
Q

sclera

A

white portion of the eye

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18
Q

iris

A

colored portion of the eye that has muscles which control the pupil

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19
Q

pupil

A

where light enters
- dilate (get bigger)
- constrict (get smaller)

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20
Q

rods (in the retina)

A

responsible for basic chapes and forms

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21
Q

cones (in the retina)

A

responsible for color and detail

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22
Q

occipital lobe

A

primary visual cortex

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23
Q

trichromatic theory

A
  • we perceive 3 primary colors: red, blue, and green
  • support: 3 types of specialized cones
  • color blindness
  • challenges: can’t explain everything
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24
Q

color blindness

A
  • monochromats can’t see color at all
  • cause by: absence/reduced number of cones
  • brain damage to a color vision area in the brain
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25
opponent process theory
explains what trichromatic theory can't - 3 pairs of opponent cells: red/green, blue/yellow, black/white - support: afterimages appear in complementary colors
26
coping with blindness
- rely on other senses more heavily - brain may reproduce visual cortex
27
blindsight
blind people performing above-average on visual tests - happens without conscious awareness
28
sound
sound waves are mechanical vibrations - usually traveling through air or other mediums
29
pitch (frequency, Hz)
- high frequency = higher pitch - lower frequency = lower pitch
30
loudness (amplitude, dB)
- higher amplitude = louder - lower amplitude = quieter
31
outer ear
funnels sound to the ear drum
32
pinna
- part of the outer ear - visible cartilage flap
33
ear canal
- part of the outer ear - carries sound waves to the ear drum
34
middle ear
transmits sound from ear drum to inner ear
35
ossicles
- part of the middle ear - hammer, anvil, stirrup (small bones)
36
inner ear
site of auditory transduction
37
cochlea
- part of the inner ear - converts vibrations into neural activity - contains fluid that is disturbed by sound vibrations, and this fluid movement exerts pressure on hair cells
38
hair cells
- part of the inner ear - convert sound waves into action potentials - located in the organ of corti and basilar membrane
39
place theory (pitch perception)
- base = high pitch - top = low pitch - only accounts for high-pitched tones - 5,000 - 20,000 Hz
40
frequency theory (pitch perception)
- neurons rate of firing reproduces the frequency of the sound - only accounts for very low pitches - up to 100 Hz
41
volley theory (pitch perception)
- sets of neurons fire together at their maximum rate to produce higher pitches - tones between 100 - 5,000 Hz
42
olfaction
smell
43
gustation
taste - individual differences are caused by "supertasters", smoking, age-related declines, etc
44
taste
- sweet - salty - sour - bitter - umami (meaty or savory)
45
smell receptors
- each olfactory neuron contains a single type of receptor - they recognize an odorant based on its shape
46
taste receptors
taste buds are contained in bumps on the tongue
47
somatosensory
touch, temperature, pain
48
sensory receptors
nerve endings in the skin
49
post transduction
travel first to the spinal cord, then to the brain stem and somatosensory cortex
50
gate control theory
- spinal nerves act as gates to let pain travel through to reach the brain OR - close these gates and prevent pain messages from getting through at all
51
acute pain
short lived
52
chronic pain
enduring
53
proprioception
kinesthetic sense - body position - your body's ability to sense movement, action, and location
54
vestibular sense
equilibrium and balance
55
perception
sense meet the brain - after transduction data is organized/consolidated in the brain
56
parallel processing
attending to multiple senses at the same time
57
bottom up processing
features of the stimulus affect perception
58
top down processing
beliefs, expectations, stereotypes
59
perceptual constancy: shape
can perceive diff. stimuli are the same thing
60
facial perception
recognize whole faces, not just individual features
61
monocular cues (one eye)
relative size, texture gradient, interposition, etc.
62
binocular cues (both eyes)
binocular disparity - the difference in image location of an object seen by the left and right eyes - ex.: alternate closing one eye w/ a pen in front
63
binocular convergence
eyes turn inward to closer stimuli
64
subliminal perception
stimuli presented outside of awareness - may affect behavior - NOT equal to subliminal persuasion - effects tend to disappear when subjects gain awareness
65
psychic predictions
- often do no come true - they use other methods to make it seem as if they are accurate - cold read techniques

Gen Psych Midterm (8 decks)

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