Chapter 5 - Sensation

Question 1

perception

Answer 1

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Question 2

bottom up processing

Answer 2

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information

Question 3

top-down processing

Answer 3

information processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

Question 4

psychophysics

Answer 4

The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

Question 5

absolute threshold

Answer 5

The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

Question 6

Signal detection theory

Answer 6

theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (“signal”) amid background stimulation (“noise”). assumes that there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and level of fatigue

Question 7

subliminal

Answer 7

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Question 8

priming

Answer 8

The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

Question 9

difference threshing

Answer 9

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection and 50% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference

Question 10

weber’s law

Answer 10

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount).

Question 11

sensory adaptation

Answer 11

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Question 12

transduction

Answer 12

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, The transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret

Question 13

wavelength

Answer 13

The distance from the peak of one light or soundwave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission

Question 14

Hue

Answer 14

The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know is the color names blue, green, and so forth

Question 15

intensity

Answer 15

The amount of energy in a light or soundwave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the waves amplitude

Question 16

pupil

Answer 16

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

Question 17

iris

Answer 17

ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of that Eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Question 18

lens

Answer 18

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Question 19

accommodation

Answer 19

The process by which the eyes lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

Question 20

retina

Answer 20

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

Question 21

acuity

Answer 21

The sharpness of vision

Question 22

nearsightedness

Answer 22

A condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina

Question 23

farsightedness

Answer 23

A condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because image of near objects is focused behind the retina

Question 24

rods

Answer 24

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond

Question 25

cones

Answer 25

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Question 26

optic nerve

Answer 26

nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Question 27

blind spot

Answer 27

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there

Question 28

fovea

Answer 28

The central focal point in the retina, around which the eyes cones cluster

Question 29

feature detectors

Answer 29

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

Question 30

parallel processing

Answer 30

The processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brains natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

Question 31

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

Answer 31

theory that the retina contains three different color receptors – one most sensitive to read, one to green, one to blue – which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color

Question 32

opponent process theory

Answer 32

The three that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

Question 33

Color constancy

Answer 33

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

Question 34

audition

Answer 34

The sense or active hearing

Question 35

frequency

Answer 35

The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second)

Question 36

pitch

Answer 36

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Question 37

middle ear

Answer 37

The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stir up) the concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window

Question 38

cochlea

Answer 38

A coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear through which soundwaves trigger nerve impulses

Question 39

inner ear

Answer 39

The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Question 40

place theory

Answer 40

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

Question 41

frequency theory

Answer 41

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense it’s pitch

Question 42

conduction hearing loss

Answer 42

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts soundwaves to the cochlea

Question 43

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 43

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

Question 44

cochlear implant

Answer 44

I device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Question 45

Gate control theory

Answer 45

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Question 46

sensory interaction

Answer 46

The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

Question 47

kinesthesis

Answer 47

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Question 48

vestibular sense

Answer 48

The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Question 49

sensation

Answer 49

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment