Chapter 4: Senstation and Perception Flashcards

1
Q

Binocular Depth Cues

A

distance cues that are based off on the differing perspectives of both eyes

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2
Q

Cones

A

photoreceptors that are sensitive to the different wavelengths of the light that we perceive as colour

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3
Q

Convergence

A

occurs when the eye muscles contract so that both eyes focus on a single object

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4
Q

Cornea

A

The clear layer that covers the front portion of the eye and also contributes to the eye’s ability to focus

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5
Q

Dark adaption

A

the process by which the rods and cones become increasingly sensitive to the light under the low levels of illumination

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6
Q

A dorsal stream

A

a neural circuit for vision that extends from the visual cortex to the parietal lobe

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7
Q

Feature detection cells

A

set of cells in the visual cortex that respond selectively to simple and specific aspects of a stimulus such as angles and edges

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8
Q

Fovea

A

the central region of the retina

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9
Q

Iris

A

A round muscle that adjusts the size of the pupil; it also gives the eyes characteristic colour

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10
Q

Lens

A

a clear structure that forces light onto the back of the eye

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11
Q

Monocular cues

A

depth cues that we can perceive with only one eye

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12
Q

Opponent process theory

A

theory of colour perception stating that we perceive colour in terms of opposing pairs: red to green, yellow to blue, and white to black

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13
Q

Optic chiasm

A

the point at which the optic nerve crosses at the mid line of the brain

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14
Q

optic nerve

A

a dense bundle of fibers that connect to the brain

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15
Q

perceptual constancy

A

the ability to perceive objects as having constant shape, size, and colour despite changes in perception

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16
Q

prosopagnosia

A

an inability to recognize faces or face blindness

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17
Q

pupil

A

regulates the amount of light that enters the eye by changing size, it dilates (expands) to allow more light in and constricts (shrinks) to allow less light in

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18
Q

retina

A

lines the inner surface of the eye and consists of specialized receptors that absorb light and send signals related to the properties of the light to the brain

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19
Q

retinal disparity (binocular disparity)

A

the difference in the relative position of an object as seen by both eyes, which provides info to the brain about depth

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20
Q

rods

A

photoreceptors that occupy peripheral regions of the retina; they are highly sensitive under low light levels

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21
Q

Scerla

A

is the white outer surface of the eye

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22
Q

trichromatic theory (young Helmholtz theory)

A

maintains that coulour vision is determined by three different cone types that are sensitive to short, medium and long wavelengths of light

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23
Q

ventral stream

A

a neural circuit for vision that extends from the visual cortex to the lower part of the temporal lobe

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24
Q

How does visual info travel from the eye through the brain to give us the experience of sight

A

Light is transformed into the neutral signal by photoreceptors in the retina

  • this info is relayed to the optic nerve through the thalamus and then to the occipital lobe of the cortex
  • from this location, neural circuits travel to the other regions for specific levels of processing
  • these include the temporal lobe for object recognition (ventral stream) and the parietal lobe for the visually guided movement (dorsal stream)
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25
Q

Explain the TT colour theory

A
  • TT: the retina contains 3 cones that are sensitive to diff wavelengths.
  • Colour is experienced as the net combined stimulation of these receptors.
  • not supported by phenomena such as the negative afterimage
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26
Q

explain the OP colour theory

A

-emphasizes how colour perception is based on excitation and inhibition of opposing colours (red-green, blue-yellow, white to black.

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27
Q

explain how we perceive depth in our visual field?

A
- pictorial depth cues: 
linear perspective
texture gradient
height in plane
relative size
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28
Q

How do we perceive objects and faces

A
  • accomplished by specialized perceptual regions of the temporal lobe (ventral stream of vision)
  • damage to this could cause impairments in recognizing specific categories of objects
  • ## facial recognition is a specialized perceptual process, which is supported by evidence from people who are face blind but are otherwise successful at seeing objects
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29
Q

absolute threshold

A

the minimum amount of energy or quantity of a stimulus required for it to be reliably detected at least 50% of the time

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30
Q

bottom-up process

A

occurs when we perceive individual bits of sensory information and use them to construct a more complex perception

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31
Q

difference threshold

A

the smallest difference between stimuli that can be reliably detected at least 50% of the time

32
Q

divided attention

A

paying attention to more than one stimulus or task at the same time

33
Q

the doctrine of specific nerve energies

A

first proposed in 1826 by the German physiologist Johannes Muller, the doctrine states that the different senses are separated in the brain

34
Q

inattentional blindness

A

a failure to notice clearly visible events or objects because attention is directed elsewhere

35
Q

perception

A

involves attending to, organizing and interpreting stimuli that we sense

36
Q

priming

A

the activation of individual concepts in long-term memory

37
Q

psychophysics

A

the study of the relationship between the physical world and the mental representation of that world

38
Q

sensory adaptation

A

the reduction of the activity in sensory receptors with repeated exposure to a stimulus

39
Q

signal detection theory

A

whether a stimulus is perceived depends on both sensory and experience and judgements made by the subject

40
Q

subliminal perception

A

perception below the threshold of conscious awareness

41
Q

top-down processing

A

when our perceptions are influenced by our expectations or by our expectations or our prior knowledge

42
Q

transduction

A

takes place when specialized receptors transforms the physical energy of the outside world into neural impulses

43
Q

Weber’s Law

A

states the tendency to focus on a weapon at the expense of peripheral info including the identity of the person holding weapon

44
Q

What are stimulus thresholds?

A

they can be either absolute (min amount of energy to notice a stimulus) or based on difference (the min change between stimuli required to notice they are different).

45
Q

Understand principles of Gestalt psychology

A
  • G psych is that although the individual parts of a stimulus may have little meaning on their own, these parts can be grounded together in ways that are perceived as distinct patterns or objects.
    example: individual stimuli can be grounded together according to principles of figure and ground, proximity, similarity, continuity, and closure
46
Q

How can subliminal advertising influence brain behaviour?

A
  • we can sometimes perceive stimuli below the level of conscious awareness and this perception can affect our behaviour in some ways.
  • research says that subliminal advertising has little effect on our consumer behaviour
47
Q

how can backward messages influence our behaviour

A

-studies of backward messages in music have shown that individuals typically do not perceive the meaning of these messages unless they are specifically told what they should listen for, suggesting that the devil in heavy metal music is really just top-down processing

48
Q

the acquaintance is not nearby and the student is confident they did not hear anything

A

correct rejection

49
Q

the acquaintance shouted the student’s name, but they did not hear it

A

miss

50
Q

the acquaintance shouted the student’s name and they heard it

A

hit

51
Q

the acquaintance is not there, but the student insists they heard their name being called

A

false alarm

52
Q

cochlea

A

A fluid filled membrane that is coiled in a snail like shape and contains the structures that convert sound into neural impulses

53
Q

frequency theory

A

the perception of pitch is related to the frequency at which the basilar membrane vibrates

54
Q

pitch

A

the perceptual experience of sound wave frequencies

55
Q

place theory of hearing

A

how we perceive pitch is based on the location (place) along the basilar membrane that sound stimulates

56
Q

Primary auditory cortex

A

a major perceptual center of the brain involved in perceiving what we hear.

57
Q

Semicircle canals

A

Three fluid-filled canals found in the inner ear that respond when the head moves in different directions

58
Q

Sound localization

A

the process of identifying where sound comes from

59
Q

vestibular sacs

A

structures that influence your ability to detect when your head is no longer in an upright position

60
Q

vestibular system

A

a sensory system in the ear that provides info about spatial orientation of the head as well as head motion

61
Q

What are the different characteristics of sound and how they correspond to the perception

A
  • sound can be analyzed based on its frequency (# of cycles a sound wave travels per second)
  • and based on amplitude (height of sound wave)
  • pitch is based off of frequencies and amplitude corresponds to loudness
  • higher amplitude the louder the sound
62
Q

How are musical beats related to movement

A
  • studies show basal ganglia activity when people follow beats but we must remember that the activity does not mean that the bg is necessary for beat perception
  • people with damage to bg, structures in the middle of the brain related to movement show that these structures are likely necessary for us to be able to follow a musical beat
63
Q

autonomous sensory meridian response

A

a condition in which specific auditory or visual stimuli trigger tingling sensations in the scalp and neck, sometimes across back and shoulders

64
Q

gate control theory

A

explains our experience of pain as an interaction between nerves that transmit pain messages and those that inhibit these messages

65
Q

gustatory system

A

Functions in the sensation and perception of taste

66
Q

haptics

A

the active, exploratory aspects of touch sensation and perception

67
Q

kinesthesis

A

the sense of bodily motion and position

68
Q

multimodal integration

A

the ability to combine sensation from different modalities such as vision and hearing into a single integrated perception

69
Q

nociception

A

the activity of nerve pathways that respond to uncomfortable stimulation

70
Q

olfactory bulb

A

a structure on the bottom of the surface of the frontal lobe that serves as the brain’s central region for processing smells

71
Q

olfactory systems

A

involves smells-detection of airborne particles with specialized receptors located in the nose

72
Q

olfactory epithelium

A

a thin layer of cells that are lined by sensory receptors called cilia

73
Q

phantom limb sensations

A

frequently experienced by amputees, who report pain and other sensations coming from the absent limb

74
Q

how do pain messages travel to the brain?

A
  • gate control theory: small nerve fibres carry pain messages from their source to the spinal cord, and then among other regions, the anterior cingulate gyrus and somatosensory cortex
  • large nerve cells that register other types of touch sensations (such as rubbing) can override signals sent by small pain fibres
75
Q

understand the relationship between smell, taste, and food flavour experience

A
  • both senses combine to give us a flavour
  • contact with food activates patterns of neural activity among nerve cells connected to the taste buds and food odours activate patterns of nerve activity in the olfactory epithelium
  • secondary gustatory cortex and the olfactory bulb are involved in the perceptual experience of flavour
76
Q

How are different senses combined together?

A
  • 5 senses
  • can interact with one another to have vivid experiences
  • flavour of food is an experience that involves both taste and smell.
  • visual perception interacts with auditory systems