Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Elements of a sensory system and the flow of info from a stimulus in the environment

Answer 1

Thalamus - processes signals and relays to cortex.

Question 2

Transduction

Answer 2

The process of converting incoming energy into nerual activity.

Question 3

Neural receptors

Answer 3

Specialized cells that detect certain forms of energy and transduce them into nerve cell activity

Question 4

Transduction and encoding

Answer 4

• Codes are usually intense - coded by the frequency of neural firing or number of neurons.
• Quality - coded by the type or location or pattern of specific neurons.
• Principles 1- anatomical feature for gathering, focusing, filtering stimuli. 2. sensory receptors - detect physical energy, translate physical stimulation into neural signals.

Question 5

Photoreceptors

Answer 5

At the back of the retina = rods and cones

Question 6

Ganglion cells

Answer 6

On the surface of retina, generates action potentials, edge detectors

Question 7

Interneurons

Answer 7

Pass signals from photoreceptors to ganglion cells

Question 8

common features across senses

Answer 8

1. accessory strucutres - anatomics features = gathering,focusing and filtering stimuli
2. Sensory receptors - detect physical enegy and translate physical stimulation into neural signals (Transduction)
3. Each system - minimum energy to activate it
4. Sensation = attention, decision making
5. Perception is complex interpretive process.

Question 9

Spectrum of electromagnetic energy - visible light

Answer 9

Small part of the electromagnet spectrum , 400 to 750 nanometers, light intensity vs wavelength.

https://www.notion.so/Sensation-Perception-448442fce81d49a9a731672d8049f13c?pvs=4#85ae4509f3f8469f9a2f7b85618916c3

Question 10

Psychological dimensions of light

Answer 10

Hue - colour
Colour saturation - purity
Brightness - intensity

Question 11

Trichromatic - young helmholtz theory of colour vision

Answer 11

• Mixing pure lights of blue, green, red = any colour
• Short wavelength = sensitive to blue
• Medium wavelength = sensitive to green
• Long wavelength - sensitive to reddish yellow

https://www.notion.so/Sensation-Perception-448442fce81d49a9a731672d8049f13c?pvs=4#dabe2d42e2bc4e13af6a8701cd2e4016

Question 12

Audition/hearing

Answer 12

• Vibration of air molecules due to objects, travels through air as waves at 340 m/s, travels around and through objects, enter the ear and are transduced.

Question 13

Dimensions of sound

Answer 13

Frequency - cycles per sec, Hz, psychological experiences of pitch

Amplitude - sound pressure, psychological experience of loudness, decibels, dB

Complexity - spectrum and transients, timbre or “quality”

Question 14

Structure of the ear

Answer 14

Outer ear - pinna - collects, shapes sound, ear canald

Middle ear - tympanic membrane , ossicles including malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), stapes (stirrup)

Inner ear - cochlea, semicircular canals

https://www.notion.so/Sensation-Perception-448442fce81d49a9a731672d8049f13c?pvs=4#8e54b00c71c246c9a02e252fa99f5429

Question 15

Structures of inner ear

Answer 15

https://www.notion.so/Sensation-Perception-448442fce81d49a9a731672d8049f13c?pvs=4#3c4de02657eb4597b9e7dcf15ed16e37

Question 16

Cochlea structure

Answer 16

https://www.notion.so/Sensation-Perception-448442fce81d49a9a731672d8049f13c?pvs=4#bdb9bfdd718e493e9b3d87b15da4f09b

Question 17

Cochlea info

Answer 17

Vibrations stimulate inner and outer hair cells. The stereocilia bens on the hair cells releasing neurotransmitters = nerve impulses

Projections to the brain come from inner hair cells = outer hair cells amplify and control membrane vibrations.

Question 18

Fusion

Answer 18

Two primary tones of the roughly the frequency fuse. The amplitude changes depending on phase primary tone 1, primary tone 2 and fused tones.

Question 19

Beats

Answer 19

Tones separated by less than 1/4 a critical band beat. This results in a frequency and amplitude modulated at a rate equal to the difference in primary frequencies = unpleasant - sensory dissonance

Question 20

Roughness

Answer 20

Beats faster than 20Hz, not individually processed but rough and nasty sounding. 300/320 roughness, 300 Hz primary tone, 320Hz primary tone.

Disappears when tones are far apart in separate critical bands = 400 Hz primary tone, swept primary tone and combined tone

Question 21

Absolute pitch

Answer 21

The ability to identify the musical notes associated with specific sound frequencies.

Question 22

Timbre

Answer 22

The mixture of frequencies and amplitudes that make up the quality of the sound

Question 23

Psychophysics

Answer 23

Scientific study of - elationship between physical attributes and psychological experience by gustav fechner
- Frechner method - original methods - limits, adjustments, constant stimuli, modern enhancements, staircase methods, PEST.

Question 24

Thresholds: absolute threshold; just noticeable difference; magnitude

Answer 24

• Detection threshold - minimum intensity required to detect stimulus 50% of the time
• Varies across persons, but rough averages are often cited

Question 25

Modality and thresholds

Answer 25

Vison - candle flames at 48km away on a clear night Hearing - ticking watch or breathing 6m away taste - 1 stp sugar in 7.5L of water

Question 26

Fechner's classical method - signal detection theory

Answer 26

- Sensitivity - intesity of the signal, capacity of sensory systems, affected by noise level. - Response criterion - willingness to respond to a stimulus, influenced by motivation and expectancies https://www.notion.so/Perception-6bad362722cd489589e9f7ad16e538cb?pvs=4#05e75c0999594813b10d2ff0e56b6202

Question 27

Psychophysical "Laws"

Answer 27

Webers law - JND constant proportion of stimulus magnitude , JND = Kl Fechners law - magnitude of stimulus growth logarithmically as the subjective experience of intensity growths artithmetically Steven's power Law - subjective intensity increases linearly as actual intensity grows exponentially and different stimuli/modalities have different exponent.

Question 28

Fechners Law and stevens law diagam

Answer 28

https://www.notion.so/Perception-6bad362722cd489589e9f7ad16e538cb?pvs=4#adf25e8edd5a4c78a164bfe3102516d0

Question 29

Key features of the constructivist, computational and ecological approaches to perception

Answer 29

- Computational - Constructivist - Ecological - Perceptual organisation and examples of figure-ground separation and the gestalt grouping principles.

Question 30

Basic processes in perceptual organisation : Gestalt principles

Answer 30

Proximity, similarity, contnuinty, closure, texture, simplicity, common fate

Question 31

Palmers grouping principles

Answer 31

Common region, connectedness, synchrony https://www.notion.so/Perception-6bad362722cd489589e9f7ad16e538cb?pvs=4#683b00c5a6524256a7becc3e9d20fe50

Question 32

Depth or distance perception

Answer 32

- The organisation of perception in three dimensions - Two kinds of visual information provide important info about depth and distance - binocular cues: visual input integrated from the two eyes - monicular cues - visual input from one eye

Question 33

Binocular Cues/ cells

Answer 33

Convergence - sensing how "turned" in the eyes are to focus on an object

Question 34

Monocular cues

Answer 34

Interposition - object blocking anohter Linear perspective - lines converge Texture gradient: Distant objects finer Shaind: 3D objects cast shadows Aerial persepctive - far objects = blurry Familiar size - familiar objects are small, distant Relative size: The smaller object seen as further away

Question 35

Perception in Emotion

Answer 35

Optical flow cues - motion parallax loming, role of the senses of equilibrium and touch Stroboscopic illusion - principles of likelihood and simplicity

Question 36

Perceptual Constancy

Answer 36

https://www.notion.so/Perception-6bad362722cd489589e9f7ad16e538cb?pvs=4#1d83356b1e7f46a8889137b692cfc5e6

Question 37

Perceptual processing, object superiority effect

Answer 37

https://www.notion.so/Perception-6bad362722cd489589e9f7ad16e538cb?pvs=4#428cf42e90e94ec3bc8c770812a74b5d

Question 38

Structure of the eye

Answer 38

https://www.notion.so/Perception-6bad362722cd489589e9f7ad16e538cb?pvs=4#ccf4f74b01e34cf195c467164bb7ba19

Question 39

Rods and cones

Answer 39

Rods - highly light sensitive photoreceptors in the retina that allow vision even in dim light but cannot distinguish colours Cones - photoreceptors in the retina that help us distinguish colours.

Question 40

Photoreceptors

Answer 40

Specialised cells in the retina that convert light energy into nerve cell activity and they contain photopigments that respond to light.

Question 41

Synaesthesia

Answer 41

A blending of sensory experience that causes some people to 'see' sounds or 'taste' colours, for example

Question 42

Olfactory perception

Answer 42

Our sense of smell, detects chemicals that are airborne or volatile

Question 43

Taste perception

Answer 43

Gustatory perception or our senses of taste, detects chemicals in solution that come into contact with receptors inside the mouth.

Question 44

Olafactory receptors

Answer 44

Odour stimulates these todifferent degrees and the particular patterns of stimuluation create codes for particular odour sensations.

Question 45

Olfaction and brain structure

Answer 45

Olfactory bulb where processing of olfactory information continues. Information is sent for further processin tional experience