Chapter 3.1 & 3.2

Question 1

perception

Answer 1

a mental process that brings understanding to what one sees

Question 2

transduction

Answer 2

transformation of one form of information into another

Question 3

absolute threshold

Answer 3

the amount of stimulation needed for something to be detected

Question 4

difference threshold

Answer 4

the smallest amount that something can be changed and a difference can be detected half the time

Question 5

weber’s law

Answer 5

the concept that the size of the “Just Noticeable Difference” is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus; the JND is large when the intensity is high and small when the intensity is low

Question 6

signal detection theory

Answer 6

explains how we detect signals consisting of stimulation affecting our senses. Sensation is a judgement that the sensory system makes about the incoming stimulation that usually occurs outside of consciousness. This also takes the observer characteristics into account

Question 7

sensory adaptation

Answer 7

loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while, as when a swimmer becomes adapted to the temperature of the water

Question 8

retina

Answer 8

the thin light-sensitive area at the back of the eyeball containing million of photoreceptors and other nerve cells

Question 9

photoreceptors

Answer 9

light-sensitive neurons in the retina that convert light energy to neural impulses; light does not get past these

Question 10

rods

Answer 10

photoreceptors that are especially sensitive to dim light but not to colors…125 million in the retina

Question 11

cones

Answer 11

photoreceptors that are especially sensitive to colors but no dim light…7 million in the retina

Question 12

fovea

Answer 12

tiny area of sharpest vision in the very center of the retina

Question 13

optic nerve

Answer 13

the bundle of neurons that carry that carry visual information from the retina to the brain

Question 14

blind spot

Answer 14

the point where the optic nerve exits the eye and where no photoreceptors exist, creating a point which cannot be seen

Question 15

brightness

Answer 15

a psychological sensation caused by the intensity (amplitude) of light waves

Question 16

color

Answer 16

also called hue; it is not a property of the external world but only a sensation that is created in the brain using the information sent from the retina

Question 17

electromagnetic spectrum

Answer 17

entire range of electromagnetic energy including radio waves, x-rays, microwaves, and visible light

Question 18

visible spectrum

Answer 18

the tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which our eyes are sensitive

Question 19

trichromatic theory

Answer 19

the idea that colors are sensed by three different types of cones sensitive to light in the red, green, and blue wavelengths; explains earliest stage of color sensation

Question 20

opponent-process theory

Answer 20

the idea that cells in the visual system process colors in complimentary pairs (red/green or yellow/blue); explains color sensation from bipolar cells onward

Question 21

afterimages

Answer 21

sensations that linger after the stimulus has been removed; most are negative, appearing in reversed colors

Question 22

color blindness

Answer 22

a genetic disorder that prevents a person from discriminating color; most common form is red-green

Question 23

frequency

Answer 23

the number of cycles completed by a wave in a second (width of the wave)

Question 24

amplitude

Answer 24

the physical strength of the wave (height of the wave)

Question 25

tympanic membrane

Answer 25

eardrum

Question 26

cochlea

Answer 26

primary organ of healing; coiled tube in inner ear where sound waves are transduced into neural messages

Question 27

basilar membrane

Answer 27

thin strip of tissue sensitive to the vibrations in the cochlea that contains hair cells connected to neurons; when the hair cells vibrate, transduction occurs

Question 28

pitch

Answer 28

sensory characteristic of sound produced by frequency of the sound wave (width of wave)

Question 29

loudness

Answer 29

sensory characteristic of sound produced by loudness of the sound wave (height of wave)

Question 30

timbre

Answer 30

quality of the sound derived from the wave’s complexity

Question 31

vestibular sense

Answer 31

the sense of body orientation in respect to gravity; associated with the inner ear

Question 32

kinesthetic sense

Answer 32

the sense of body position and movement of body parts in relation to each other

Question 33

pheremones

Answer 33

chemical signals released by organisms to communicate with other members of their species; human use is unclear

Question 34

olfaction

Answer 34

the sense of smell

Question 35

gustation

Answer 35

the sense of taste

Question 36

skin senses

Answer 36

sensory systems for processing touch, warmth, cold, texture, and pain

Question 37

synesthesia

Answer 37

mixing of the sensations across the senses; numbers are colors, tastes like a shape

Question 38

gate-control theory

Answer 38

explanation for pain control that proposes that we have a “neural gate” that can, under certain circumstances, block incoming pain signals

Question 39

placebo

Answer 39

substances that appear to be a drug but are not; sugar pills

Question 40

placebo effect

Answer 40

the response to a placebo caused by thinking it is a real drug