Chapter 5

Question 1

What is sensation?

Answer 1

Detection of stimuli (physical), goes to the brain

Question 2

What is perception?

Answer 2

Interpretation of sensory input

Question 3

What is bottom-up processing?

Answer 3

Start with the individual elements that make up an object, put them together, and interpret as a whole

Question 4

What is top-down processing?

Answer 4

Interpreting sensory information with existing knowledge, expectations, experience

Question 5

What is transduction?

Answer 5

Process whereby the sensory info is converted to neural signals for the brain to interpret

Question 6

What is a stimulus?

Answer 6

Any detectable input from the environment

Question 7

What is an absolute threshold?

Answer 7

The minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected (50% of the time)

Question 8

What is sensory adaption?

Answer 8

A decline in sensitivity due to constant stimulation

Question 9

The sense of hearing is associated with what system?

Answer 9

The auditory system

Question 10

What are sound waves?

Answer 10

Vibrations of molecules that travel through a medium, such as air

Question 11

How is sound measured?

Answer 11

In decibels (dB)

Question 12

Sounds can be described in _____

Answer 12

amplitude

Question 13

How can sounds be described? And how is it measured?

Answer 13

In terms of their frequency; cycles per second or hertz (Hz)

Question 14

Pitch depends on what?

Answer 14

Frequency

Question 15

The sense of taste is associated with what system?

Answer 15

Gustatory System

Question 16

What are gustatory receptors?

Answer 16

Clusters of taste cells found in the taste buds

Question 17

What are the 5 different types of how we perceive taste?

Answer 17

Sweet; salty; sour; bitter; umami

Question 18

What animal relies heavily on their taste buds?

Answer 18

Catfish

Question 19

What system is associated with sense of smell?

Answer 19

The Olfactory System

Question 20

In the olfactory system what are stimuli?

Answer 20

Chemical substances

Question 21

What are the receptors in the olfactory system?

Answer 21

Olfactory cilia (hair) to olfactory bulb to other parts of the brain

Question 22

Name an animal that uses the Jacobson’s organ (aka the vomeronasal)?

Answer 22

Snakes

Question 23

What is the Flehmen’s response?

Answer 23

When animals use their Jacobson’s organ to “smell” the pheromones of other animals

Question 24

What system is associated with the sense of touch?

Answer 24

The tactile system

Question 25

What parts of the brain does the tactile system activate?

Answer 25

Thalamus -> parietal lobe

Question 26

Anything that comes in contact with skin is considered to be what?

Answer 26

Tactile stimulation

Question 27

Tactile system is activated by what 3 senses/feelings?

Answer 27

Temperature, pressure, and pain

Question 28

Higher order processes matter (e.g. being tickled will effect mood) in what system?

Answer 28

Tactile system

Question 29

Spiders use the vibrations of their web for what?

Answer 29

Status of web (health or if they've captured anything); Courtship; territory defense

Question 30

The visual system is associated with what sense?

Answer 30

Sense of sight

Question 31

What is the visual system?

Answer 31

The sensory system for sight

Question 32

What is the stimulus for the visual system?

Answer 32

Light

Question 33

How is light measured in the visual system?

Answer 33

Nanometers (one billionth of a metre)

Question 34

What is the cornea?

Answer 34

The eye's outer layer

Question 35

Where is the lens located?

Answer 35

Behind the pupil

Question 36

What is the lens?

Answer 36

An elastic structure that focuses light to the optic nerve in the eye

Question 37

What is the retina?

Answer 37

A multilayered tissue at the rear of the rear (light is focused/collected here

Question 38

What nerve connects what we see/perceive to the brain?

Answer 38

Optic nerve

Question 39

What part of the brain would the eye be associated with?

Answer 39

Occipital lobe

Question 40

What are rods?

Answer 40

Receptor with key role in night vision and peripheral vision (concentrated around the edges of the eye)

Question 41

What are cones?

Answer 41

Receptors with key role in daylight vision and colour vision (located in center of the retina)

Question 42

What is Gestalt psychology when it comes to perception?

Answer 42

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and humans have basic tendencies to actively organize what they see

Question 43

What type of psychology are ambiguous figure-ground relationships considered to be a part of?

Answer 43

Gestalt Psychology

Question 44

What are the 4 Gestalt Laws of Organization?

Answer 44

1) Law of similarity 2) Law of proximity 3) Law of closure 4) Law of continuity

Question 45

What are 3 perceptual constancies?

Answer 45

Shape constancy; size constancy; brightness constancy