Chapter 1 - Foundations

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

The initial steps in the perceptual process, whereby physical features of the environment are converted into electrochemical signals that are sent to the brain for processing

Question 2

Senses

Answer 2

Physiological functions for converting particular environmental features into electrochemical signals

Question 3

Perception

Answer 3

The later steps in the perceptual process, we’re by the initial sensory signals are used to represent objects in the van so they can be identified, stored in memory, and used in thought and action

Question 4

Representations

Answer 4

Information in the mind and brain used to identify objects and events, just store them in memory and to support thought and action

Question 5

Stimuli

Answer 5

Objects and events that are perceived (distal stimuli) and the physical phenomenon they produce (proximal stimuli)

Question 6

Distal stimulus

Answer 6

Perceived object or event in the world

Question 7

Proximal stimulus

Answer 7

A physical phenomenon evoked by a distal stimulus that impinges on the specialized cells of a sense

Question 8

Neurons

Answer 8

Cells of the nervous system that produce and transmit information carrying signals

Question 9

Neural signals

Answer 9

Information carrying electrochemical signals produced and transmitted by neurons

Question 10

Sensory receptors

Answer 10

Specialized neurons that convert proximal stimuli into neural signals

Question 11

Top – down information

Answer 11

And observer’s knowledge, expectations, and goals, which can affect perception

Question 12

Bottom – up information

Answer 12

The information contained in neural signals from receptors

Question 13

Transduction

Answer 13

The transformation of a physical stimulus into neural signals (i.e. distal to proximal to neural signals)

Question 14

Neural code

Answer 14

A pattern of neural signals that carries information about a stimulus and can serve as a representation of that stimulus

Question 15

Psychophysics

Answer 15

A field of study concerned with relating psychological experiences to physical stimuli

Question 16

Natural selection

Answer 16

The basic mechanism of a biological evolution, whereby adaptive traits are more likely to be passed on to offspring through genetic inheritance and to become increasingly prevalent in a population

Question 17

Neuron doctrine

Answer 17

The principle that perception depends on the combined activity of many specialized neurons, each of which responds to a specific aspect of a stimulus

Question 18

Cell membrane

Answer 18

A cell structure that separates what’s inside the cell from what outside the cell

Question 19

Cell body

Answer 19

The part of a cell that contains the nucleus us

Question 20

Dendrites

Answer 20

Projections that emanate from the cell body of a neuron that receives signals from other neurons

Question 21

Axon

Answer 21

A projection that emanates from the cell body of a neuron and that conducts neural signals to the axon terminal’s, for transmission to other neurons

Question 22

Axon terminals

Answer 22

Endings of an axon, we’re neural signals are transmitted to other neurons

Question 23

Nerve

Answer 23

A bundle of axons that travel together from One location in the nervous system to another

Question 24

Action potential

Answer 24

And electrochemical signals that begins in the dendrites of a neuron and travels down the axon to the axon terminals

Question 25

Ion

Answer 25

And Adam that has an imbalance in the number of protons and electrons and that therefore have an electric charge

Question 26

Membrane potential

Answer 26

A difference in electrical potential across the cell membrane, due to a difference in the concentrations of positive and negative ions inside and outside the cell

Question 27

Resting potential

Answer 27

The membrane potential in a neuron is at rest (about -70 mV)

Question 28

Single cell recording

Answer 28

A technique used to measure the membrane potential

Question 29

Ion channels

Answer 29

Small pores in the cell membrane of neurons through which certain ions can flow into or out of the cell

Question 30

Depolarization

Answer 30

Part of the sequence of events of an action potential, during which an inflow a positively charged ions causes the membrane potential to become markedly more positive

Question 31

Refractory Period

Answer 31

Following an action potential, a brief period during which a new action potential cannot be initiated

Question 32

Firing rate

Answer 32

The rate at which a neuron produces action potential's usually expressed in terms of spikes per second

Question 33

Baseline firing rate

Answer 33

A neurons low rate of spontaneous firing at fairly random intervals in absence of any stimulus

Question 34

Synapse

Answer 34

A tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite or cell body of another neuron

Question 35

Presynaptic membrane

Answer 35

The membrane of the axon terminal of a neuron producing an action potential

Question 36

Postsynaptic membrane

Answer 36

The membrane of the dendrite or cell body receiving a neural signal

Question 37

Synaptic vesicles

Answer 37

With an axon terminal's, tiny sacs that contain neurotransmitter molecules

Question 38

Neurotransmitters

Answer 38

Chemical substances involved in the transmission of signals between neurons; neurotransmitter molecules released into the synapse by the neuron sending a signal bind to receptors on the neuron receiving the signals

Question 39

Excitatory neurotransmitters

Answer 39

Neurotransmitters that have an excitatory effect on the postsynaptic neuron, increasing the probability that an action potential will be initiated

Question 40

Inhibitory neurotransmitter's

Answer 40

Neurotransmitters that happened and have a Tory effect on the postsynaptic neuron, decreasing the probability that an action potential will be initiated

Question 41

Excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP)

Answer 41

The effect of an excitatory neurotransmitter, making the postsynaptic neuron's membrane potential more positive

Question 42

Inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)

Answer 42

The effect of an inhibitory neurotransmitter, making a post an optic neuron's membrane potential more negative

Question 43

Gyrus

Answer 43

An elongated bump on the surface of the cerebral hemispheres

Question 44

Sulcus

Answer 44

On the indentation between two gyri on the surface of the cerebral hemispheres

Question 45

Cognitive neuropsychology

Answer 45

The investigation of perceptual and cognitive deficits and individuals with brain damage in order to discover how perception and cognition are carried out in normal, undamaged brains

Question 46

Modularity

Answer 46

The idea that the human mind and brain consists of a set of distinct modules, each of which carries out one or more specific function

Question 47

Dissociation

Answer 47

In cognitive neuropsychology, a pattern of brain damage and impaired function in which damage to some specific brain region is associated with impairment of some specific function but not with impairment of another function

Question 48

Double dissociation

Answer 48

In cognitive neuropsychology, a pattern of brain damage and impaired function in which damage to some specific brain region is associated with impairment of some specific function A but not with impairment of another function B. Along with a pattern in which damage to a different region is associated with impairment a function B but not with a permit to function A

Question 49

Assumption of cognitive uniformity

Answer 49

The assumption that the functional organization of human cognition in the brain is essentially the same in everyone

Question 50

Functional neural imaging

Answer 50

I don't real techniques for measuring productivity and healthy volunteers carrying out carefully designed tasks

Question 51

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Answer 51

A functional neural imaging techniques based on measurement of the electrical Field associated with brain activity

Question 52

Magnetoencephalopathy (MEG)

Answer 52

Functional neural imaging technique based on measurements of the magnetic field associated with brain activity

Question 53

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Answer 53

Functional neural imaging technique based on measurements of changes in blood flow associated with brain activity, using a radioactive substance introduced into the blood

Question 54

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI)

Answer 54

A functional neural imaging technique based on measurements of the changes in blood oxygenation associated with brain activity

Question 55

Absolute threshold

Answer 55

The minimum intensity of a physical stimulus that can just be detected by an observer

Question 56

Method of adjustment

Answer 56

A behavioural method used in psychophysical experiments; the participant observes a stimulus and adjusts a knob that directly controls the intensity of the stimulus

Question 57

Method of constant stimuli

Answer 57

A behavioural method used in psychophysical experiments; the participant is presented with a fixed set of stimuli covering a range of intensities is that are presented repeatedly in random order, and the participant must indicate whether or not each stimulus was detected

Question 58

Psychometric function

Answer 58

Kerf that relates a measure of perceptual experience to the intensity of a physical stimulus

Question 59

Staircase method

Answer 59

A behavioural method used in psychophysical experiments the participant is presented with a stimulus and indicates whether it was detected, and based on that response, the next stimulus is either one step up or one step down in intensity

Question 60

Difference threshold or just noticeable difference

Answer 60

The minimum difference between two stimuli that allows an observer to perceive that the two stimuli are different

Question 61

Weber's law

Answer 61

A statement of the relationship between the intensity of a standard stimulus and the size of the just noticeable difference

Question 62

Psychophysical scaling

Answer 62

The process of measuring how changes in stimulus intensity related changes in perceived intensity

Question 63

Fechner's law

Answer 63

A statement of how the perceived intensity of the stimulus changes as its physical intensity changes

Question 64

Signal detection theory

Answer 64

A framework for measuring help people make decisions based on Noisey perceptual evidence, provides a way to measure perceptual sensitivity a part in the decision making style