chapter 3: sensation and perception

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

the process that occurs when special receptors in the sense organs are activated, allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural signals in the brain

Question 2

transduction

Answer 2

the process of converting outside stimuli, such as light, into neural activity

Question 3

sensory receptors

Answer 3

specialized forms of neurons that are stimulated by different kinds of energy

Question 4

synesthesia

Answer 4

condition in which the signals from the various sensory organs are processed differently, resulting in the sense information being interpreted as more than one sensation

Question 5

just noticeable differences

Answer 5

the smallest differentce between two stimuli that is detectable 50% of the time

JND, difference threshold

Question 6

absolute threshold

Answer 6

the lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50% of the time the stimulation is present

Question 7

subliminal stimuli

Answer 7

stimuli below the level of conscious awareness

Question 8

signal detection theory

Answer 8

provides a method for assessing the accuracy of judgements or decisions under uncertain conditions; used in perception research and other areas an individual’s correct “hits” and rejections are compared against their “misses” and “false alarms”.

Question 9

habituation

Answer 9

tendency of the brain to stop attending to constant, unchanging information

Question 10

sensory adaptation

Answer 10

tendency of sensory receptors to become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging

Question 11

visual accommodation

Answer 11

the change in thickness of the les as the eye focuses on objects that are far away or close

Question 12

rods

Answer 12

visual sensory receptors found at the back of the retina, responsible for noncolor sensitivity to low levels of light

Question 13

cones

Answer 13

visual sensory receptors found at the back of the retina, responsible for color vision and sharpness of vision

Question 14

blind spot

Answer 14

area in the retina where the axons of the retinal ganglion cells exit the eye to form the optic nerve, insensitive to light

Question 15

dark adaptation

Answer 15

the recovery of the eye’s sensitivity to visual stimuli in darkness after exposure to bright lights

Question 16

light adaptation

Answer 16

the recovery of the eye’s sensitivity to visual stimuli in light after exposure to darkness

Question 17

trichromatic

Answer 17

theory of color vision that proposes three types of cones: red, blue, and green

Question 18

afterimages

Answer 18

images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus has been removed

Question 19

opponent-process theory

Answer 19

theory of color vision that proposes visual neurons (or groups of neurons) are stimulated by light of one color and inhibited by light of another color

Question 20

herts (Hz)

Answer 20

cycles or waves per second, a measurement of frequency

Question 21

pinna

Answer 21

the visible part of the ear

Question 22

auditory canal

Answer 22

short tunnel that runs from the pinnacle to the ear drum

ear canal

Question 23

cochlea

Answer 23

snail-shaped structure of the inner ear that is filled with fluid

Question 24

auditory nerve

Answer 24

bundles of axons from the hair cells in the inner ear

Question 25

pitch

Answer 25

psychological experience of sound that corresponds to the frequency of the sound waves; higher frequencies are perceived as higher pitches

Question 26

place theory

Answer 26

theory of pitch that states that different pitches are experienced by the stimulation of hair cells in different locations on the organ of Corti

Question 27

frequency theory

Answer 27

theory of pitch that states that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane

Question 28

volley principle

Answer 28

theory of pitch that states that frequencies from about 400 Hz to 4,000 Hz cause hair cells (auditory nerves) to fire in a volley pattern, or take turns in firing

Question 29

conduction hearing impairment

Answer 29

problems with the mechanics of the outer or middle ear and means that sound vibrations can't be passed to the cochlea

Question 30

nerve hearing impairment

Answer 30

problems in the inner ear or in the auditory pathways and cortical areas of the brain

Question 31

gustation

Answer 31

the sensation of taste

Question 32

the five basic tastes

Answer 32

sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami

Question 33

olfaction

Answer 33

(olfactory senses) the sensation of smell

Question 34

olfactory bulbs

Answer 34

located right on top of the sinus cavity on each side of the brain directly beneath the frontal lobes; process smell information

Question 35

somesthetic senses

Answer 35

the body senses consisting of the skin senses; the kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses, and the vestibular senses

Question 36

kinesthetic

Answer 36

the awareness of body movement

Question 37

proprioception

Answer 37

awareness of where the body and body parts are located in reaction to each other in space and to the ground

Question 38

vestibular senses

Answer 38

the awareness of the balance, position, and movement of the head and body through space in relation to gravity's pull

Question 39

sensory conflict theory

Answer 39

an explanation of motion sickness in which the information from the eyes conflicts with the vestibular sense, resulting in dizziness, nausea, and other physical discomfort

Question 40

biofeedback

Answer 40

using feedback about biological conditions to bring involuntary responses, such as blood pressure and relaxation, under voluntary control

Question 41

perception

Answer 41

the method by which the sensations experienced at any given moment are interpreted and organized in some meaningful fashion

Question 42

size constancy

Answer 42

the tendency to interpret an object as always being the same actual size, regardless of its distance

Question 43

shape constancy

Answer 43

the tendency to interpret the shape of an object as being constant, even when its shape changes on the retina

Question 44

brightness constancy

Answer 44

the tendency to perceive the apparent brightness of an object as the same even when the light conditions change

Question 45

figure-ground relationship

Answer 45

the tendency to perceive objects, or figures, as existing on a background

Question 46

reversible figures

Answer 46

visual illusions in which the figure and background can be reversed

Question 47

proximity

Answer 47

a Gestalt principle of perception; the tendency to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping; physical or geographical nearness

Question 48

similarity

Answer 48

a Gestalt principle of perception; the tendency to perceive things that look similar to each other as being part of the same group

Question 49

closure

Answer 49

a Gestalt principle of perception; the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete

Question 50

continuity

Answer 50

a Gestalt principle of perception; the tendency to perceive things as simply as possible with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up pattern

Question 51

contiguity

Answer 51

a Gestalt principle of perception; the tendency to perceive two things that happen close together in time as being related

Question 52

depth perception

Answer 52

the ability to perceive the world in three dimensions

Question 53

monocular cues

Answer 53

(pictoral depth cues) cues for perceiving depth based on one eye only

Question 54

binocular cues

Answer 54

cues for perceiving depth based on both eyes

Question 55

linear perspective

Answer 55

monocular depth perception cue; the tendency for parallel lines to appear to converge on each other

Question 56

relative size

Answer 56

monocular depth perception cue; perception that occurs when objects that a person expects to be of a certain size appear to be small, and are, therefore, assumed to be much farther away

Question 57

overlap

Answer 57

(interposition) monocular depth perception cue; the assumption that an object that appears to be blocking part of another object is in front of the second object and closer to the viewer

Question 58

aerial perspective

Answer 58

(atmospheric) monocular depth perception cue; the haziness that surrounds objects that are farther way from the viewer, causing the distance to be perceived as greater