Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
Describe the five stages that comprise the process of sensory processing and perception of information.
perception:
stimulation, organization, interpretation, memory, recall
sensation: reception, transduction, transmission through neural pathways to the brain
How do psychologists differentiate between sensation and perception?
sensation is the raw input, perception makes sense of it all
What two kinds of sensory capabilities are studied by psychophysics researchers?
absolute limits of sensitivity and sensitivity to detect difference between different stimuli
What is the absolute threshold, and how is it technically defined and measured?
the lowest intensity at which stimulus can be detected 50% of the time
Why do signal detection theorists view stimulus detection as a decision? What are the four possible outcomes of such a decision?
you’re diverting your focus somewhere. ??
What kinds of personal and situational factors influence signal detection decision criteria?
ie. being in a dark alley, you pay attention to sounds a little more closely.
According to research results, what effects do subliminal stimuli have on consumer behavior, attitudes, and self-improvement outcomes?
subliminal stimuli can affect - maybe make people eat more popcorn.
What is the technical definition of a difference threshold? How does Weber’s law help us compare jnd sensitivities in the various senses?
difference threshold is the smallest different between two stimuli that can be perceived 50% of the time.
What accounts for sensory adaptation? Of what survival value is adaptation?
sensory adaptation is when it becomes less sensitive to unchanging stimulil. ‘
cold lake becomes warm after a while, or a bad smell becomes normal.
How does the lens affect visual acuity, and how does its dysfunction cause the visual problems of myopia and hyperopia?
myopia: nearsightedness, lens focuses the image in front of retina
hyperopia: lens focuses image behind the retina (farsightedness)
How are the rods and cones distributed in the retina, and how do they contribute to brightness perception, color vision, and visual acuity?
rods are brightness receptors, cones are color receptors.
way more rods than cones.
they are connected by bipolar cells which also connect to ganglion cells.
By what route do rods and cones send neural messages to the brain?
the ganglion cells whose axons bundle the optic nerve, send the visual information to thalamus, send that to primary visual cortex.
What is the physiological basis for dark adaptation? What are the two components of the dark adaptation curve?
people can adapt to bright and dark conditions (the pupil lets in more or less light).
Describe the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory of color vision. What kinds of evidence support this theory, and what two phenomena challenge it?
trichromatic theory: three types of color receptors - blue, green, or red.
evidence is from a prism.
Describe the opponent process theory. What evidence supports it?
each of the three different cones responds to two different wave lengths: one to red or green, a second to blu eor yellow, and a third to black or white.
evidence is from looking at an afterimage.
