Sensation and Perception

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

the process by which a sensory receptor creates a pattern of neural messages that represent the stimulus in the brain

Question 2

Bottom-Up Processing

Answer 2

analysis of stimuli begins with the sensory receptors and processes what is happening to you, sensation process

Question 3

Top-Down Processing

Answer 3

information processed by higher-level mental processes that constructs the world we see, perception process

Question 4

Perception

Answer 4

a mental process that explains and assigns meaning to the incoming sensory patterns enabling us to recognize objects and events

Question 5

Absolute Threshold

Answer 5

the last moment before the stimulus can no longer be detected, the weakest stimulus a sense organ can detect

Question 6

Priming

Answer 6

where exposure to one stimulus can alter behavior or thoughts in the future based on how it was at the time

Question 7

Difference Threshold (Just Noticeable Difference)

Answer 7

the smallest amount by which a stimulus can be changed to still be recognizable (difference can be detected half of the time)

Question 8

Sensory Adaptation

Answer 8

sensation is influenced by change, receptors specialize in gathering information about new and changing events and gets used to it

Question 9

Transduction

Answer 9

in all of the sense organs, it converts the stimulus into electrochemical signals (neural activity) (sensation->perception)

Question 10

Wavelengths

Answer 10

the frequency and length of the wave determines hue

Question 11

Hue

Answer 11

a color or shade

Question 12

Intensity

Answer 12

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave

Question 13

Cornea

Answer 13

outer clear layer of the eye that lets light in

Question 14

Pupil

Answer 14

dilates and retracts based on the amount of light

Question 15

Iris

Answer 15

colored part of the eye made of muscle tissue to allow light to travel through dilating and retracting

Question 16

Lens

Answer 16

focuses light and projects onto the retina

Question 17

Retina

Answer 17

back of the eye with photoreceptors to convert light into electrical signals

Question 18

Accommodation

Answer 18

adaptation process where one’s existing ideas are altered because of new information and experiences

Question 19

Rods

Answer 19

only register greyscale of black and white and use peripheral vision and shape

Question 20

Cones

Answer 20

detect fine detail and color (red, green, and blue types based on how they respond to different types of light)

Question 21

Optic Nerve

Answer 21

bundle of neurons that carries visual information from retina to brain

Question 22

Blind Spot

Answer 22

the part where the optic nerve exits the eye where there are no photoreceptors (no stimulus can be seen here)

Question 23

Fovea

Answer 23

sharpest vision with highest amount of rods and cones in the eye, helps in transduction

Question 24

Feature Detector

Answer 24

individual neurons or groups of neurons in the brain which code and detect for perceptually significant stimuli

Question 25

Parallel Processing

Answer 25

the transformation with neural impulses into visual sensations of color, form, boundary, and movement

Question 26

Three Colors Theory

Answer 26

by Young and Helmholtz that states eye has red, blue, and green receptors that mix to see other colors

Question 27

Opponent Process Theory

Answer 27

staring at a certain color for so long subtracts that light from the net thing you look at to see the opposite color

Question 28

Hearing

Answer 28

the ability to perceive and process sounds

Question 29

Audition

Answer 29

formal phrase of hearing to transduce sound waves into neural signals

Question 30

Frequency

Answer 30

number of waves that occur within a specific time, frequencies determine pitch

Question 31

Pitch

Answer 31

highness or lowness of a sound

Question 32

Gate Control Theory of Pain

Answer 32

the subjective experience of pain where large nerve fibers in the spinal cord act as gates is modulated where pain is experienced

Question 33

Sensory Interaction

Answer 33

the ability of one sense to influence or interact with another

Question 34

Vestibular Sense

Answer 34

concerned with body motion and position (posture and balance)

Question 35

Olfaction

Answer 35

the sense of smell

Question 36

Depth Perception

Answer 36

the ability to judge the distance of objects and spatial relationship of objects at different distances

Question 37

Binocular Cues

Answer 37

visual information taken in by two eyes that enable sense of depth perception

Question 38

Mononuclear Cues

Answer 38

visual information taken in by one eye that enable sense of depth perception

Question 39

Perceptual Constancy

Answer 39

the tendency of animals and humans to see familiar objects such as standard shape, size, color, or location regardless of change in angle of perspective, distance, or lighting

Question 40

Color Constancy

Answer 40

perceived or apparent color of a surface remains constant despite changes in intensity and illumination

Question 41

Lightness Constancy

Answer 41

ability to perceive the relative reflectance of objects despite changes in intensity and illumination

Question 42

Perceptual Adaptation

Answer 42

the ability to adapt to an environment by filtering out distractions

Question 43

Perceptual Set

Answer 43

the tendency to perceive or notice some aspects of available sensory data and ignore others