Chapter 4: Sensation & Perception

Question 0

Absolute threshold

Answer 0

Minimum amount of a stimulus that an observer can reliably detect

Question 1

Bottom-Up Processing

Answer 1

Information processing beginning “at the bottom” with raw sensory data that are sent “up” to the brain for higher-level analysis; data driven processing that moves from the parts to the whole

U—–>n

Question 2

Accommodation

Answer 2

Automatic adjustment of the eye, which occurs when muscles change the shape of the lens so that it focuses light on the retina from objects at different distances

Question 3

Sensation

Answer 3

Process of detecting, converting, and transmitting raw sensory information from the external and internal environments to the brain

Ex: Brian’s brain

Question 4

Perception

Answer 4

Process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information into meaningful patterns

Ex. Patterns of design

Question 6

Top-Down Processing

Answer 6

Information processing starting “at the top”, with higher level cognitive processes (such as, expectations and knowledge), and then working down; conceptually driven processing that moves from the whole to the parts

n—–>U

Question 7

Synesthesia

Answer 7

A mixing of sensory experiences.

Ex: “seeing” colors when a sound is heard

Question 8

Transduction

Answer 8

Converting a receptor’s energy into neural implicates that are sent on to the brain

Question 9

Coding

Answer 9

Converting sensory inputs into different situations

Ex. Driving learning etc

Question 10

Sensory reduction

Answer 10

Filtering and analyzing incoming sensations before sending a neural message to the cortex

Question 11

Psychophysics

Answer 11

Studies the link between the physic characteristics of stimuli and our sensory experience of them

Question 12

Difference threshold

Answer 12

Minimal difference needed to notice a stimulus change; also called the “just noticeable difference” (JND)

Question 13

Subliminal

Answer 13

Pertaining to stimuli presented below conscious awareness

Question 14

Sensory Adaption

Answer 14

Decreased sensitivity due to repeated or constant stimulation

Question 15

Gate-Control theory

Answer 15

Theory that pain sensations are processed and altered by mechanisms within the spinal cord

Question 16

Wavelength

Answer 16

Distance between the crests (or peaks) of light or sound waves; the shorter the wavelength, the higher the frequency

Question 17

Frequency

Answer 17

How often a light or sound wave cycles

Ex: the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

Question 17

Amplitude

Answer 17

Height of a light or sound wave-pertaining to light, it refers to brightness; for sound, it refers to loudness

Question 18

Rods

Answer 18

Visual receptor cells in the retina that detect shades of gray and are responsible for peripheral vision; most important in dim light and at night

Question 19

Cones

Answer 19

Visual receptor cells, concentrated near the center of the retina, responsible for color vision and fine detail; most sensitive in brightly lit conditions ex. Red blue green

Question 20

Retina

Answer 20

Light-sensitive inner surface of the back of the eye, which contains the receptor cells for vision (rods and cones)

Question 21

Fovea

Answer 21

Tiny put in the center of the retina filled with cones; responsible for sharp vision

Question 22

Blind spot

Answer 22

Point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye; contains no receptor cells for vision-thus creating a “blind spot”

Question 23

Nearsightedness (myopia)

Answer 23

Visual acuity problem resulting from the cornea and focusing an image in front of the retina

Question 24

Farsightedness (hyperopia)

Answer 24

Visual acuity problem resulting from the cornea and lens focusing an image behind the retina

Question 25

Trichromatic theory

Answer 25

Theory stating that color perception results from three types of cones in the retina, each most sensitive to either red, green, or blue. Other colors result from a mixture of these three

Question 26

Opponent-process theory

Answer 26

Hering's theory that color perception is based on three systems of color opposites: blue-yellow, red-green, and black-white

Question 27

Audition

Answer 27

Sense of hearing

Question 28

Outer ear

Answer 28

Pinna, auditory canal, and eardrum, which funnel sound waves to the middle ear

Question 29

Middle ear

Answer 29

Hammer, anvil, and stirrup, which concentrate eardrum vibrations onto the cochlea's oval window

Question 30

Inner ear

Answer 30

Cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs, which generate neural signals sent to the brain

Question 31

Cochlea

Answer 31

Three-chambered, snail-shaped structure in the inner ear containing the receptors for hearing

Question 32

Place theory

Answer 32

Explains that pitch perception is linked to the particular spot on the cochlea' basilar membrane that is most stimulated

Question 33

Frequency theory

Answer 33

Explains that pitch perception occurs when nerve impulses sent to the brain match the frequency of the sound wave

Question 34

Olfaction

Answer 34

Sense of smell

Question 35

Conduction deafness

Answer 35

Middle ear deafness resulting from problems with transferring sound waves to the inner ear

Question 36

Nerve deafness

Answer 36

Inner ear deafness resulting from damage to the cochlea, hair cells, or auditory nerve

Question 37

Pheromones

Answer 37

Airborne chemicals that affect behavior, including recognition of family members, aggression, territorial marking, and sexual mating

Question 38

Gustation

Answer 38

Sense of taste

Question 39

Kinesthesia

Answer 39

Sensory system for body posture, orientation, and bodily movement

Question 40

Illusion

Answer 40

False or misleading perception

Question 41

Selective attention

Answer 41

Filtering out and attending only to important sensory messages

Question 42

Feature detectors

Answer 42

Specialized neurons that respond only to certain sensory information

Question 43

Habituation

Answer 43

Tendency of the brain to ignore environmental factors that remain constant ex. Nature

Question 44

Perceptual constancy

Answer 44

Tendency for the environment to be perceived as remaining the same even with changes in sensory input

Question 45

Death perception

Answer 45

The ability to perceive three-dimensional space and to accurately judge distance Ex. Box cube

Question 46

Binocular cues

Answer 46

Visual input from two eyes that allows perception of depth or distance

Question 47

Monocular cues

Answer 47

Visual input from a single eye alone that contributes to perception of depth or distance

Question 48

Retinal disparity

Answer 48

Binocular cue to distance in which the separation of the eyes causes different images to fall on each retina

Question 49

Convergence

Answer 49

Binocular depth cue in which the closer the object, the more the eyes converge, or turn inward

Question 50

Perceptual set

Answer 50

Readiness to perceive in a particular manner based on expectations

Question 51

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 51

Perceptual, or "psychic" abilities that supposedly go beyond the known senses Ex: telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis