General

Question 1

Define Perception

Answer 1

Giving meaning and/or purpose to a detected sensation.

Question 2

Define Top-down processing

Answer 2

knowledge, memory and expectations’ (cognitive processes’) influence on perception and recognition

Question 3

How many senses does a human have?

Answer 3

Depends on definition of “sense”.
Obvious 5: Hearing, Vision, Touch, Smell, Tase
Possible options: Thermoception, Chemoreception, Proprioception (Movement) …

Question 4

What are the 3 physical input forms that we can perceive?

Answer 4

• Mechanical
• Chemical
• Light

Question 5

Define Psychophysics

Answer 5

Investigating the relationship between stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce -> Gustav Fechner

Question 6

Absolute Threshold

Answer 6

Minimum amount of physical stimulus energy required for an individual to detect it.

Question 7

Method of Limits

Answer 7

Providing a stimulus with ascending/descending intensity -> Subject indicates, when the stimulus can be detected.

Question 8

Method of Adjustment

Answer 8

The subject itself regulates the stimulus intensity in a way, that it is barely detectable.

Question 9

Method of constant stimuli

Answer 9

Experimenter gives 5 - 9 constant stimuli with differing intensities in random order. The threshold is defined as the value of intensity, for which the subject can detect the stimulus at least 50 % of the time.

Question 10

Difference Threshold/Just noticeable difference

Answer 10

Minimum difference in physical intensity between two stimuli, which is detectable by an individual.

Question 11

Weber’s Law

Answer 11

As the magnitude of the reference stimulus increases, so does the JND.

• > K=DL/S / DL=K*S
• K: Weber’s Fraction (relatively constant for each sense)
• S: Value of constant stimulus
• DL: Difference Threshold Level

Question 12

Fechner’ Law

Answer 12

Says that the Stimulus-Sensation plot has the form of a logarithmic function.

Question 13

Steven’ Power Law

Answer 13

Another approach to describing the relationship between stimulus and sensation.

• P=K*S^n
• Exponent says, whether it is expansion (n>1), compression (0

Question 14

Light can be…

Answer 14

• Absorbed
• Reflected
• Transmitted
• Refracted
• Scattered

Question 15

What does the iris consist of?

Answer 15

Muscles regulating the amount of light that passes through the pupil.

Question 16

What’s the name of the muscles responsible for changing the shape of the lens?

Answer 16

Ciliary Muscles

Question 17

Electrophysiology

Answer 17

Present a stimulus and measure brain activity

Question 18

Neuropsychology

Answer 18

Study the effects of the brain on behavior

Question 19

Cognitive Neuroscience

Answer 19

Present a stimulus and measure both behavior and brain activity.

Question 20

Does light depolarize or hyperpolarize the photoreceptors?

Answer 20

It hyperpolarizes them.

The Bipolar cells in turn however, react more actively to the less active, hyperpolarized photoreceptors.

Question 21

Electrochemical Signals from the receptors vs Ganglion cells

Answer 21

Receptors: Graded Potential

Ganglion Cells: All-or-nothing responses

Question 22

Distal Stimulus VS Proximal Stimulus

Answer 22

Distal: The stimulus when it’s still “far away”. When looking at a tree f.ex. it would be the light reflected of the tree.

Proximal: The stimulus we directly detect. In the case of the example above it would be the photons hitting our retina.

Question 23

Can Fechner’s Law explain response expansion or compression, or both?

Answer 23

Only Compression.

Question 24

Astigmatism

Answer 24

The condition of the cornea not being round (enough)

Question 25

Emmetropia

Answer 25

When the 4 refractions in the eyeball match up with the length of it, so the light gets focused on the retina

Question 26

Properties of Midget bipolar cells

Answer 26

- input from single cones - pass the information on to single ganglion cells - > High Visual Acuity

Question 27

How are the cells dividing the layers in the LGN called?

Answer 27

Koniocellular cells

Question 28

What do you call the general phenomenon of neurons only reacting, if the stimulus has a certain feature?

Answer 28

Specificity Coding

Question 29

How do you call the process of adding up the information of both eyes?

Answer 29

Binocular summation

Question 30

Variability Problem is solved by...

Answer 30

Categorical Perception

Question 31

What helps us deal with the cones of confusion?

Answer 31

Adjusting our head position

Question 32

Cones of confusion

Answer 32

Imaginary cones going out from our ears. On their surface, ILD's and ITD's are the same for both ears, so exact sound localization is impossible. There are infinite cones of confusion.

Question 33

Principle of Univariance

Answer 33

From one photoreceptor only, we can not deduct any information about the Color of the light shining on the retina, since different compositions of wavelengths and amplitudes can all elicit f.ex. the optimal response of this receptor.

Question 34

About what does absolute disparity give us information?

Answer 34

The distance to the object.

Question 35

Relative Disparity

Answer 35

Difference between the absolute disparity of two objects

Question 36

Method of forced choice

Answer 36

Presenting the subject with intervals and then asking whether or not the stimulus was present -> For absolute threshold Presenting 2 stimuli and having the participant indicate which one was larger -> JND

Question 37

Golden Standard for Threshold measurements

Answer 37

- Two alternative forced choice tracking - Combine forced choice procedures with staircase - > Most efficient and reliable