Chapter 1

Question 1

the ability to detect a stimulus and, perhaps, to turn that detection into a private experience

Answer 1

Sensation

Question 2

the act of giving meaning to a detected sensation

Answer 2

Perception

Question 3

in reference to philosophy, private conscious experiences of sensation or perception

Answer 3

Qualia

Question 4

A pattern of light striking the eye and making photoreceptors activate is _______, whereas recognizing the pattern of light as a cat is ______.

Answer 4

sensation; perception

Question 5

Which conceptual approach to understanding sensation and perception might measure the lowest volume that you can hear at different frequencies?

Answer 5

thresholds

Question 6

When we are studying thresholds we are seeking to determine…?

Answer 6

the limits of perception, relating the physical magnitude of stimulus to our psychological ability to perceive it

Question 7

Which conceptual approach to understanding sensation and perception studies how people make difficult perceptual decisions?

Answer 7

Signal detection theory

Question 8

Which conceptual approach to understanding sensation and perception might measure your brain activity while taking a hearing test?

Answer 8

Neuroimaging

Question 9

Founder of experimental psychology

Answer 9

Gustav Fechner

Question 10

the idea that the mind has an existence separate from the material world of the body

Answer 10

Dualism

Question 11

the idea that the only thing that exists is matter, and that all things, including the mind and consciousness, are the results of interaction between bits of matter

Answer 11

Materialism

Question 12

the idea that the mind exists as a property of all matter - that is, that all matter has consciousness

Answer 12

Panpsychism

Question 13

the science of defining quantitative relationships between physical and psychological (subjective, perceptual) events

Answer 13

Psychophysics

Question 14

the minimum distance at which two stimuli (e.g., two simultaneous touches) are just perceptible as separate

Answer 14

Two - Point Touch Threshold

Question 15

the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, or the minimum change in a stimulus that enables it to be correctly judged as different from a reference stimulus

Answer 15

Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

Question 16

the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, or the minimum change in a stimulus that enables it to be correctly judged as different from a reference stimulus

Answer 16

Difference Threshold

Question 17

the constant of proportionality in Weber’s law

Answer 17

Weber Fractions

Question 18

the principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation that says the JND is a constant fraction of the comparison stimulus

Answer 18

Weber’s Law

Question 19

ΔI

Answer 19

Detectable Difference

Question 20

K

Answer 20

Constant Proportion

Question 21

I

Answer 21

The level of the Stimulus

Question 22

a principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation that says the magnitude of subjective sensation increases proportionally to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity

Answer 22

Fechner’s Law

Question 23

the minimum amount of stimulation necessary for a person to detect a stimulus 50% of the time

Answer 23

Absolute Threshold

Question 24

a psychophysical method in which many stimuli, ranging from rarely to almost always perceivable (or rarely to almost always perceivable different from a reference stimulus), are presented one at a time. Participants respond to each presentation: “yes/no”, “same/different”, and so on

Answer 24

Method of Constant Stimuli

Question 25

A psychophysical method in which the particular dimension of a stimulus, or the difference between two stimuli, is varied incrementally until the participant responds differently.

Answer 25

Method of Limits

Question 26

A psychophysical method in which the participant assigns values according to the perceived magnitudes of the stimuli.

Answer 26

magnitude estimation

Question 27

A principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation that says the magnitude of subjective sensation is proportional to the stimulus magnitude raised to an exponent.

Answer 27

Stevens’s power law

Question 28

The ability to match the intensities of sensations that come from different sensory modalities. This ability allows insight into sensory differences. For example, a listener might adjust the brightness of light until it matches the loudness of a tone.

Answer 28

cross-modality matching

Question 29

A psycho­physical theory that quantifies the response of an observer to the presentation of a signal in the presence of noise. Measures obtained from a series of presentations are sensitivity (d ʹ) and criterion of the observer.

Answer 29

signal detection theory

Question 30

In reference to signal detection theory, an internal threshold that is set by the observer. If the internal response is above criterion, the observer gives one response (e.g., “yes, I hear that”). Below criterion, the observer gives another response (e.g., “no, I hear nothing”).

Answer 30

criterion

Question 31

1. The ability to perceive via the sense organs. 2. Extreme responsiveness to radiation, especially to light of a specific wavelength. 3. The ability to respond to transmitted signals. 4. In reference to signal detection theory, a measure that defines the ease with which an observer can tell the difference between the presence and absence of a stimulus or the difference between Stimulus 1 and Stimulus 2.

Answer 31

sensitivity

Question 32

n reference to studies of signal detection, the graphical plot of the hit rate as a function of the false-alarm rate. If these are the same, points fall on the diagonal, indicating that the observer cannot tell the difference between the presence and absence of the signal. As the observer’s sensitivity increases, the curve bows upward toward the upper left corner. That point represents a perfect ability to distinguish signal from noise (100% hits, 0% false alarms).

Answer 32

receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve

Question 33

A doctrine, formulated by Johannes Müller, stating that the nature of a sensation depends on which sensory fibers are stimulated, rather than how they are stimulated.

Answer 33

doctrine of specific nerve energies

Question 34

The junction between neurons that permits information transfer.

Answer 34

synapse

Question 35

A chemical substance used in neuronal communication at synapses.

Answer 35

neurotransmitters

Question 36

A set of methods that generate images of the structure and/or function of the brain. In many cases, these methods allow us to examine the brain in living, behaving humans.

Answer 36

neuroimaging

Question 37

A technique that, using many electrodes on the scalp, measures electrical activity from populations of many neurons in the brain.

Answer 37

electroencephalography (EEG)

Question 38

A measure of electrical activity from a subpopulation of neurons in response to particular stimuli that requires averaging many EEG recordings.

Answer 38

event-related potential (ERP)

Question 39

A technique, similar to electroencephalography, that measures changes in magnetic activity across populations of many neurons in the brain

Answer 39

magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Question 40

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 40

An imaging technology that uses the responses of atoms to strong magnetic fields to form images of structures like the brain. The method can be adapted to measure activity in the brain, as well.

Question 41

A variant of magnetic resonance imaging that makes it possible to measure localized patterns of activity in the brain. Activated neurons provoke increased blood flow, which can be quantified by measuring changes in the response of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to strong magnetic fields.

Answer 41

functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI

Question 42

The ratio of oxygenated to deoxygenated hemoglobin that permits the localization of brain neurons that are most involved in a task.

Answer 42

blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) signal

Question 43

An imaging technology that enables us to define locations in the brain where neurons are especially active by measuring the metabolism of brain cells using safe radioactive isotopes.

Answer 43

Positron emission tomography (PET)