Sensation and Perception 1

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

occurs when special receptors in the sense organs are activated, allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural signals in the brains

Question 2

sense organs

Answer 2

eyes, ears, nose, skin, taste buds

Question 3

stimuli

Answer 3

anything in the environment that is picked up by the senses

Question 4

transduction

Answer 4

the process of converting outside stimuli into neural activity

Question 5

sensory receptors

Answer 5

specialized forms of neurons
stimulated by different kinds of energy
eyes = light
ears = vibrations
touch = pressure or temperature
taste and smell = chemical substances

Question 6

jnd

Answer 6

just noticeable difference
difference threshold
smallest difference between two stimuli that is detectable 50 percent of the time

Question 7

weber’s law

Answer 7

whatever the difference between stimuli may be, it is always a constant
need more sugar to taste it in a gallon than a cup

Question 8

absolute threshold

Answer 8

fechner

lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50 percent of the time the stimulation is present

Question 9

subliminal stimuli

Answer 9

stimuli that are below the level of conscious awareness
just strong enough to activate the sensory receptors but are not strong enough for people to be consciously aware of them

Question 10

subliminal perception

Answer 10

the process by which subliminal stimuli act upon the unconscious mind and influence bx

Question 11

vicary study

Answer 11

show subliminal messages at theater, say people buy more, but actually fake

Question 12

event related potentials

Answer 12

erps
used to verify existence of subliminal perception and associated learning
stimuli typically influence automatic relations rather than direct voluntary bx

Question 13

habituation

Answer 13

way brain deals with unchanging information from the environment
lower centers of brain filter sensory information and prevent conscious attention to stimuli that don’t change

Question 14

sensory adaption

Answer 14

process by which constant, unchanging information from sensory receptors ignored

Question 15

difference between habitation and sensory adaption

Answer 15

habituation = sensory receptors still responding to simulation but lower centers of brain aren't sending signals from those receptors to the cortex
sensory = receptor cells themselves become less responsive to unchanging stimulus and receptors no longer send signals to brain

Question 16

photons

Answer 16

wave packets of light
specific wavelengths associated with them
einstein

Question 17

three aspects to perception of light

Answer 17

brightness, color, and saturation

Question 18

brightness

Answer 18

determined by amplitude of wave

higher wave = brighter light, lower wave = dimmer

Question 19

color

Answer 19

determined by length of wave
long wavelength = red end
short wavelength = blue end

Question 20

visible spectrum

Answer 20

portion of whole spectrum of light that is visible to the human eye

Question 21

saturation

Answer 21

purity of the color people perceive
highly saturated = only one color
not saturated = mix of many colors

Question 22

how does light enter eye

Answer 22

directly from source (ex. sun) or indirectly by reflecting off an object

Question 23

cornea

Answer 23

clear membrane that covers the surface of the eye
protects eye and focuses most of light coming into eye
has fixed curvature that can be changed through techniques

Question 24

photoreative keratectomy (PRK) and laster assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)

Answer 24

procedures ophthalmologists use to remove small portions of the cornea, changing its curvature, and thus the focus in the eye

Question 25

aqueous humor

Answer 25

after cornea

clear watery fluid that is continually replenished and supplies nourishment to eye

Question 26

pupil

Answer 26

after aqueous humor
hole through which light from visual image enters interior of eye
exists in iris

Question 27

iris

Answer 27

after pupil (pupil in it)
round muscle, colored part of eye
changes size of pupil to let more or less light into eye
helps focus image

Question 28

lens

Answer 28

behind iris
flexible, visual accommodation
changes shape to focus on objects close or far away
variation in thickness allows it to project sharp image on retina

Question 29

visual accommodation

Answer 29

lens changes shape from thick to thin, enabling it to focus on objects that are close or far away
variation in thickness allows lens to project sharp image on retina

Question 30

presbyopia

Answer 30

disorder in which people lose ability to do visual accommodation as lens hardens through aging

Question 31

myopia

Answer 31

nearsightedness

visual accommodation may occur but shape of eye causes focal point to fall short of retina

Question 32

hyperopia

Answer 32

farsightedness

focus point is behind retina

Question 33

vitreous humor

Answer 33

after lens
large open space filled with clear, jelly-like fluid
fluid nourishes eye and gives it shape