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Psychology > Lecture 4 + Ch6 Module 18-20 > Flashcards

Lecture 4 + Ch6 Module 18-20 Flashcards

1
Q

Define Prosopagnosia

A

face blindness, inability to recognize faces

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2
Q

Define Sensation

A

Receiving, translating, and transmitting raw sensory information from the external and internal environments to the brain

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3
Q

Define Sensory Receptors

A

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

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4
Q

Define Perception

A

Our brain organizes and interprets sensory info, enabling us to recognize objects and events as meaningful

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5
Q

Define Bottom-up Processing

A

info processing that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

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6
Q

Define Top-down Processing

A

Interpreting what our senses detect

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7
Q

What are the 3 steps of the sensation process?

A
  1. Reception
  2. Transduction
  3. Transmission
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8
Q

Define Reception

A

the stimulation of sensory receptor cells by energy

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9
Q

Define Transduction

A

transforming cell stimulation into neural impulses

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10
Q

Define Transmission

A

Delivering neural info to the brain to be processed

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11
Q

Define Psychophysics

A

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them

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12
Q

Define Absolute Threshold

A

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus half the time

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13
Q

Define Subliminal

A

Anything below Absolute Threshold

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14
Q

Define Sensory Reduction

A

Filter and analyze incoming sensations before sending neural impulses onto the brain

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15
Q

Define Signal Detection Theory

A

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint signal amid background noise

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16
Q

Define The Difference Threshold

A

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection half the time. “Just noticeable difference”

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17
Q

Define Sensory Adaptation

A

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

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18
Q

Why don’t we visually notice sensory adaption?

A

Our eyes are always moving, causing the stimulation on the eyes’ receptors to continually change

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19
Q

Define Perceptual Set

A

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

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20
Q

What is Context?

A

Affects our interpretations, our expectations influence our perceptions constantly

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21
Q

What is Motivation?

A

Motives give us energy as we work toward a goal

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22
Q

What is Emotion?

A

It can shove our perceptions in one direction or another

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23
Q

How does light travel?

A

in waves, and the shape of those waves influence what we see

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24
Q

Define Wavelength

A

The distance from one peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

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25
Light wave's amplitude determines...
the intensity -- the amount of energy the wave contains
26
Short light wavelength =
high frequency (bluish colours)
27
Long light wavelength =
low frequency (reddish colours)
28
Great light amplitude =
bright colours
29
Small light amplitude =
dull colours
30
How does light enter our eye?
through the cornea, which bends light to help provide focus
31
Define Iris
a coloured muscle that dilates or constricts in response to light intensity
32
Define Rods
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement
33
Why are Rods necessary?
For peripheral and twilight vision when cones don't respond
34
Define Cones
retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina, and function in well-lit conditions
35
Why are Cones necessary?
they detect fine detail and give rise to colour sensations
36
Are there more rods or cones in our eye?
Rods (20 times more common than cones)
37
What are the 2 stages of colour processing?
1. Trichromatic Theory 2. Opponent-Process Theory
38
What is Trichromatic Theory?
The retina's red, green, and blue-sensitive cones respond in varying degrees to different colour stimuli
39
What is Opponent-Process Theory?
within one colour pair, one will respond positively to one colour and negatively to the other
40
Define Parallel Processing
processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously
41
Define Feature Detectors
nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus
42
Amplitude of sound waves determines...
their perceived loudness
43
short sound waves =
high frequency and high pitch
44
long sound waves =
low frequency and low pitch
45
great sound amplitude =
loud sounds
46
small sound amplitude =
soft sounds
47
What is the absolute threshold for hearing?
zero decibels
48
What does the outer ear do?
collects the sound and funnels it to the eardrum
49
What does the middle ear do?
a piston made of three tiny bones -- the hammer, anvil, and stirrup -- picks up the vibrations and transmits them to the cochlea
50
What does the inner ear do?
moves waves of fluid from the oval window over the cochlea’s “hair” receptor cells which send signals through the auditory nerves to the temporal lobe of the brain
51
Define Sensorineural Hearing Loss
the most common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerve (nerve deafness)
52
Conduction Hearing Loss
a less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
53
Define Place Theory
we hear different pitches because different sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochlea's basilar membrane
54
Define Frequency Theory
the brain reads pitch by monitoring the frequency of neural impulses traveling up the auditory nerve
55
What is the problem with frequency theory?
An individual neuron cannot fire faster than 1000 times per second, so what about sounds with frequencies above 1000 waves per second?
56
Define Volley Principle
Neural cells can alternate firing, so by firing in rapid succession, they can achieve a combine frequency above 1000 waves per second (the solution to frequency theory problem)
57
Which theory best explains how we sense low pitches?
Frequency Theory + Volley Principle
58
Which theory best explains how we can sense high pitches?
Place Theory
59
What are the 3 basic perceptual processes?
1. Selection 2. Organization 3. Interpretation
60
Define Selection
attending to some sensory stimuli while ignoring others
61
Define Organization
assembling information into patterns that help us understand the world
62
Define Interpretation
how the brain explains sensations
63
We organize sensory information in terms of:
form depth motion constancy colour
64
Define Depth Perception
Depth perception involves both binocular (two eyes) and monocular (one eye) cues
65
What are Binocular Depth Cues?
retinal disparity (different images fall on each retina due to the distance between our eyes) & convergence (The closer the object, the more our eyes are turned inward)
66
Define Perceptual Illusions
False or misleading perceptions that help scientists study normal processes of perception
67
What are the 4 major factors of interpretation?
1. Perceptual Adaptation 2. Perceptual Set 3. Context effects 4. bottom up vs top down processing
68
What are our chemical senses?
Taste and Smell
69
Define Anosmia
unable to smell
70
What are the 5 taste's sensations?
sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (MSG)
71
We smell something when...
molecules of a substance carried in the air reach a tiny cluster of receptor cells at the top of each nasal cavity
72
Pain is the body's way of saying...
something has gone wrong
73
Pain is a...
biopsychosocial phenomenon
74
What is Gate-Control Theory?
the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that controls the transmission of pain messages to the brain
75
How can chronic pain be treated?
gate-closing stimulation and mental activity
76
What are the 3 ways to control pain?
1. placebo 2. distraction 3. hypnosis
77
What are the four sensations of touch?
1. pressure 2. warmth 3. cold 4. pain
78
What is Kinesthesia?
keeps you aware of your body parts' position and movement
79
What is Vestibular Sense?
monitors your head's position and movement

Psychology (4 decks)

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