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Ap Pscyh Tri 2, Final > sensation and perception key term > Flashcards

sensation and perception key term Flashcards

(78 cards)

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1
Q

What is sensation?

A

The immediate response in the brain caused by excitation of a sensory organ.

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2
Q

What is perception?

A

The mental process of organizing sensations into meaningful patterns.

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3
Q

What is transduction?

A

Conversion of one type of energy into another.

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4
Q

What is sensory adaptation?

A

A decrease in sensory response to an unchanging stimulus; olfactory receptors are among the most quickly adapting.

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5
Q

What is absolute threshold?

A

The minimum amount of physical energy necessary to produce a sensation.

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6
Q

What is difference threshold?

A

A change in stimulus intensity that is detectable to an observer.

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7
Q

What is just noticeable difference (JND)?

A

Any noticeable difference in a stimulus.

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8
Q

What is Weber’s Law?

A

The just noticeable difference is a constant proportion of the original stimulus intensity.

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9
Q

What is Fechner’s Law?

A

The smallest noticeable difference was roughly proportional to the intensity of the stimulus; sensation increases proportionate to the stimulus.

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10
Q

What is Steven’s power law?

A

Relating the objective, instrument-measured intensity of a stimulus to its intensity as perceived by a human; the magnitude of the perceived intensity is related to the magnitude of the physical intensity raised to some power.

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11
Q

What is signal detection theory?

A

People decide whether a signal is present or not based on certain, quantifiable conditions, amount of background ‘noise’, etc.

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12
Q

What is the retina?

A

The light sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye.

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13
Q

What are photoreceptors?

A

Light sensitive cells located in the retina.

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14
Q

What are rods?

A

Visual receptors for dim light that produce only black and white sensations, sensitive to movement in peripheral vision.

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15
Q

What are cones?

A

Visual receptors for colors and daylight visual acuity.

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16
Q

What is the fovea?

A

An area at the center of the retina containing only cones; vision is sharpest when an image falls on the fovea.

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17
Q

What is the optic nerve?

A

Transmits electrical impulses from the retina to the brain.

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18
Q

What is a blind spot?

A

An area of the retina lacking visual receptors, where the optic nerve leaves the eye.

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19
Q

What is brightness?

A

The intensity of lights or colors.

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20
Q

What is color?

A

Psychological sensation derived from the wavelength of visible light; color, itself, is not a property of the external world.

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21
Q

What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

A

Entire range of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves, X-rays, microwaves, and visible light.

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22
Q
A
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23
Q

What is the Visible Spectrum?

A

The part of the electromagnetic spectrum to which the eyes are sensitive (400-700 nanometers)

This range includes all colors visible to the human eye.

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24
Q

What does the Trichromatic Theory explain?

A

Color vision based on three cone types, each most sensitive to red, green, or blue; applies to the retina

This theory suggests that the combination of activation of these cones creates the perception of various colors.

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25
What is the Opponent-Process Theory?
Theory of color vision based on three coding systems (red or green, yellow or blue, black or white), where one color in a pair blocks the other ## Footnote This theory explains how color information is processed in the optic pathways and the brain after leaving the eye.
26
What are Afterimages?
Visual sensation that persists after a stimulus is removed ## Footnote Afterimages occur because of the temporary adaptation of photoreceptors in the retina.
27
What is Color Blindness?
A total inability to perceive colors; caused by lack of cones, or cones that do not function normally ## Footnote Color weakness is more common, usually in males, typically affecting red and green perception.
28
Fill in the blank: The range of the Visible Spectrum is _______.
400-700 nanometers ## Footnote This range defines the wavelengths that humans can see.
29
True or False: Trichromatic Theory applies to the brain's processing of color information.
False ## Footnote Trichromatic Theory applies to the retina, while Opponent-Process Theory explains later processing in the brain.
30
List the three cone types identified in the Trichromatic Theory.
* Red * Green * Blue ## Footnote Each type is sensitive to different wavelengths of light corresponding to these colors.
31
What causes color weakness?
Lack of cones, or cones that do not function normally ## Footnote This condition is often genetic and more prevalent in males.
32
33
What is frequency in relation to sound waves?
Number of cycles completed by a sound wave in a given time
34
Define amplitude in the context of sound waves.
Physical 'height' of a sound wave, tells how much energy it contains, corresponds to sensed loudness
35
What is the tympanic membrane commonly known as?
The eardrum
36
What does pitch refer to?
Higher or lower tones; related to the frequency of sound waves
37
How is loudness determined?
The intensity of a sound; determined by the amplitude of sound waves
38
What is timbre?
Quality of a sound wave that derives from the wave’s complexity
39
What is conduction deafness?
Poor transfer of sounds from the eardrum to inner ear; hearing aid can help
40
What causes nerve deafness?
Damage to the hair cells or auditory nerve; hearing aid can’t help, there are artificial hearing systems
41
Define vestibular sense.
The sense of balance, position in space, and acceleration
42
What is kinesthetic sense?
The sense of body movement and positioning
43
What does olfaction refer to?
The sense of smell
44
Define pheromone.
An airborne chemical signal; affects mating, sexual behavior, recognition of family members, and territorial marking
45
What is gustation?
The sense of taste
46
What are skin senses?
The senses of touch, pressure, pain, heat and cold
47
Explain the Gate-Control Theory.
Proposes that pain messages pass through neural 'gates' in the spinal cord; if the gate is 'closed' by one pain message, other messages may not be able to pass through
48
What is the placebo effect?
Changes in behavior due to expectations that a drug (or other treatment) will have some effect
49
Define percept.
What we perceive, the meaning we attach to a sensation, the meaningful product of a perception
50
What is a feature detector?
A sensory system highly attuned to a specific stimulus pattern
51
What does the binding problem refer to?
A major unsolved mystery in cognitive psychology concerning how the brain combines many aspects of sensation into a single percept
52
Fill in the blank: _______ is organizing perceptions by beginning with low-level features.
Bottom-Up Processing
53
Fill in the blank: _______ applies higher level knowledge to rapidly organize sensory information into a meaningful perception.
Top-Down Processing
54
What is perceptual constancy?
The perceived size/shape of an object remains constant despite changes in its retinal image
55
Define illusion.
A misleading or distorted perception
56
What are ambiguous figures?
Images that can have more than one correct interpretation
57
What does Gestalt psychology emphasize?
Much of perception is shaped by innate factors built into the brain
58
What is the figure in figure-ground organization?
Object that stands out against a background
59
Define ground in the context of figure-ground organization.
Background
60
What is closure in perception?
The tendency to complete a figure so that it has a consistent overall form
61
What are the Laws of Perceptual Grouping?
Objects in a scene appear to group preattentively according to certain laws or principles.
62
What is the Law of Similarity?
Stimuli that are similar in size, shape, color, or form tend to be grouped together.
63
What is the Law of Proximity?
All other things being equal, stimuli that are near each other tend to be grouped together.
64
What is the Law of Continuity?
Perceptions tend toward simplicity or continuity.
65
What is the Law of Common Fate?
When objects move in the same direction, we tend to group them as a unit.
66
What is the Law of Pragnanz?
Reality is organized or reduced to the simplest, most stable form possible.
67
What are Binocular Cues?
A depth clue that requires two eyes, including convergence and retinal disparity.
68
What is convergence in the context of Binocular Cues?
Used when you estimate a distance under fifty feet.
69
What is retinal disparity?
Discrepancy in the images that reach the right and left eyes.
70
What are Monocular Cues?
A depth clue that can be sensed with one eye, including accommodation and pictorial depth clues.
71
What is accommodation in the context of Monocular Cues?
Judges distances within four feet of the eye.
72
What is Learning-Based Inference?
The view that perception is primarily shaped by learning, rather than innate factors.
73
What is Perceptual Set (or expectancy)?
A readiness to perceive in a particular manner, induced by strong emotions.
74
What is a Phosphene?
Visual sensation produced by mechanical stimulation of the retina.
75
What is the Lens in the eye?
Structure in the eye that focuses light rays.
76
What is the Cornea?
Transparent membrane covering the front of the eye.
77
What is Anosmia?
Loss or impairment of the sense of smell, can affect only a single odor.
78
What are some causes of Anosmia?
Infections, allergies, blows to the head.

Ap Pscyh Tri 2, Final (2 decks)

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