Sensation and Perception Week 7 Flashcards
(120 cards)
1
Q
sensation
A
The physical processing of environmental stimuli by the sense organs.
2
Q
transduction
A
A process in which physical energy converts into neural energy.
3
Q
perception
A
The psychological process of interpreting sensory information.
4
Q
absolute threshold
A
The smallest amount of stimulation needed for detection by a sense.
5
Q
signal detection
A
Method for studying the ability to correctly identify sensory stimuli.
6
Q
differential threshold
A
The smallest difference needed in order to differentiate two stimuli.
7
Q
just noticeable differences (JND)
A
The smallest difference needed in order to differentiate two stimuli.
8
Q
Weber’s law
A
States that just noticeable difference is proportional to the magnitude of the initial stimulus.
9
Q
bottom up processing
A
Building up to perceptual experience from individual pieces.
10
Q
top-down processing
A
Experience influencing the perception of stimuli.
11
Q
sensory adaptation
A
Decrease in sensitivity of a receptor to a stimulus after constant stimulation.
12
Q
retina
A
Cell layer in the back of the eye containing photoreceptors.
13
Q
binocular disparity
A
Difference is images processed by the left and right eyes.
14
Q
binocular vision
A
Our ability to perceive 3D and depth because of the difference between the images on each of our retinas.
15
Q
rods
A
Photoreceptors of the retina sensitive to low levels of light. Located around the fovea.
16
Q
cones
A
Photoreceptors of the retina sensitive to color. Located primarily in the fovea.
17
Q
primary visual cortex
A
Area of the cortex involved in processing visual stimuli.
18
Q
agnosia
A
Loss of the ability to perceive stimuli.
19
Q
ventral pathway
A
Pathway of visual processing. The “what” pathway.
20
Q
dorsal pathway
A
Pathway of visual processing. The “where” pathway.
21
Q
dark adaptation
A
Adjustment of eye to low levels of light.
22
Q
light adaptation
A
Adjustment of eye to high levels of light.
23
Q
trichromatic theory
A
Theory proposing color vision as influenced by three different cones responding preferentially to red, green and blue.
24
Q
opponent process theory
A
Theory proposing color vision as influenced by cells responsive to pairs of colors.
pairs of colors (red-green, blue-yellow, black-white).
25
sound waves
Changes in air pressure. The physical stimulus for audition.
26
audition
Ability to process auditory stimuli. Also called hearing.
27
amplitude (or intensity)
loudness of a stimulus
28
pitch
frequency of a sound wave
29
timbre
complexity of the sound wave. This allows us to tell the difference between bright and dull sounds as well as natural and synthesized instruments
30
pinna
Outermost portion of the ear.
31
auditory canal
Tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear.
32
tympanic membrane
Thin, stretched membrane in the middle ear that vibrates in response to sound. Also called the eardrum.
33
ossicles
A collection of three small bones in the middle ear that vibrate against the tympanic membrane.
- the malleus (hammer), the incus (anvil), and the stapes (stirrup)
34
cochlea
Spiral bone structure in the inner ear containing auditory hair cells.
35
Depending on age, humans can normally detect sounds between:
20 Hz and 20 kHz
36
primary auditory cortex
Area of the cortex involved in processing auditory stimuli.
37
vestibular system
Parts of the inner ear involved in balance.
38
somatosensation
Ability to sense touch, pain and temperature.
39
Tactile sensation
associated with texture
40
mechanoreceptors
Mechanical sensory receptors in the skin that response to tactile stimulation.
41
primary somatosensory cortex
A strip of cerebral tissue just behind the central sulcus engaged in sensory reception of bodily sensations.
42
somatotopic map
Organization of the primary somatosensory cortex maintaining a representation of the arrangement of the body.
- Put simply, various areas of the skin, such as lips and fingertips, are more sensitive than others, such as shoulders or ankles
43
nociception
Our ability to sense pain.
44
phantom limbs
The perception that a missing limb still exists.
45
phantom limb pain
Pain in a limb that no longer exists.
46
chemical sense
Our ability to process the environmental stimuli of smell and taste.
47
olfaction
Ability to process olfactory stimuli. Also called smell.
48
gustation
Ability to process gustatory stimuli. Also called taste.
48
odorants
Chemicals transduced by olfactory receptors.
49
olfactory epithelium
Organ containing olfactory receptors.
(i assume nose)
50
shape theory of olfaction
Theory proposing that odorants of different size and shape correspond to different smells.
51
anosmia
Loss of the ability to smell.
52
taste receptor cells
Receptors that transduce gustatory information.
53
tastants
Chemicals transduced by taste receptor cells.
54
flavor
The combination of smell and taste.
55
multimodal perception
The effects that concurrent stimulation in more than one sensory modality has on the perception of events and objects in the world.
56
superadditive effect of multisensory integration
The finding that responses to multimodal stimuli are typically greater than the sum of the independent responses to each unimodal component if it were presented on its own.
57
principle of inverse effectiveness
The finding that, in general, for a multimodal stimulus, if the response to each unimodal component (on its own) is weak, then the opportunity for multisensory enhancement is very large. However, if one component—by itself—is sufficient to evoke a strong response, then the effect on the response gained by simultaneously processing the other components of the stimulus will be relatively small.
58
In which part of the brain do we perceive touch, temperature, and pain?
primary somatosensory cortex
59
Differentiate the processes of sensation and perception.
Explain the basic principles of sensation and perception.
Describe the function of each of our senses.
Outline the anatomy of the sense organs and their projections to the nervous system.
Apply knowledge of sensation and perception to real world examples.
Explain the consequences of multimodal perception.
60
interaural time differences (ITD)
Differences (usually in time or intensity) between the two ears.
61
interaural level differences (ILDs)
Differences (usually in time or intensity) between the two ears.
62
Tympanic membrane is:
an ear drum, which separates the outer ear from the middle ear.
63
primary function of the malleus, incus, and stapes?
transmitting vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the oval window
64
Mathilda is studying the parts of the brain and their various functions. When she gets to the sense of hearing, she should probably realize that the primary auditory centers are located in the ______ lobes of her brain.
temporal
65
If you were to go to a concert of your favorite band, you’d want to avoid sitting right next to the powerful speakers. Based on your reading, you know that a sound amplitude over ______ decibels (db) sound pressure level (SPL) is considered dangerously loud.
120
66
Brian is listening to his son, Abel, talk about what he did in school today. Suddenly Brian has difficulty hearing the story because Abel's brother--who has a very similar voice--starts talking on the telephone nearby. Which phenomenon describes Brian's difficulty?
masking
67
Describe the basic auditory attributes of sound.
Describe the structure and general function of the auditory pathways from the outer ear to the auditory cortex.
Discuss ways in which we are able to locate sounds in space.
Describe various acoustic cues that contribute to our ability to perceptually segregate simultaneously arriving sounds.
68
pain
Defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage,” according to the International Association for the Study of Pain.
69
12-year-old “Thomas”
never felt pain
- Swedish mutated gene that affects the growth of the nerves conducting deep pain
70
interoception
The sense of the physiological state of the body. Hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, and other sensations relevant to homeostasis. Visceral input such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestive activity give rise to an experience of the body’s internal states and physiological reactions to external stimulation. This experience has been described as a representation of “the material me,” and it is hypothesized to be the foundation of subjective feelings, emotion, and self-awareness.
71
exteroception
The sense of the external world, of all stimulation originating from outside our own bodies.
72
cutaneous senses
The senses of the skin: tactile, thermal, pruritic (itchy), painful, and pleasant.
73
nociception
Our ability to sense pain.
74
transduction
A process in which physical energy converts into neural energy.
75
three main groups of receptors in our skin:
mechanoreceptors, responding to mechanical stimuli, such as stroking, stretching, or vibration of the skin
thermoreceptors, responding to cold or hot temperatures
chemoreceptors, responding to certain types of chemicals either applied externally or released within the skin (such as histamine from an inflammation)
76
nociceptors
High-threshold sensory receptors of the peripheral somatosensory nervous system that are capable of transducing and encoding noxious stimuli. Nociceptors send information about actual or impending tissue damage to the brain. These signals can often lead to pain, but nociception and pain are not the same.
77
A-fibers
Fast-conducting sensory nerves with myelinated axons. Larger diameter and thicker myelin sheaths increases conduction speed. Aβ-fibers conduct touch signals from low-threshold mechanoreceptors with a velocity of 80 m/s and a diameter of 10 μm; Aδ-fibers have a diameter of 2.5 μm and conduct cold, noxious, and thermal signals at 12 m/s. The third and fastest conducting A-fiber is the Aα, which conducts proprioceptive information with a velocity of 120 m/s and a diameter of 20 μm
78
somatosensory
Consists of primary sensory cortex (S1) in the postcentral gyrus in the parietal lobes and secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), which is defined functionally and found in the upper bank of the lateral sulcus, called the parietal operculum. Somatosensory cortex also includes parts of the insular cortex.
79
somatotopically organized
When the parts of the body that are represented in a particular brain region are organized topographically according to their physical location in the body
80
C-pain or Aδ-fibers
C-pain fibers convey noxious, thermal, and heat signals
81
Harlow and Suomi (1970)
The monkey babies spent most of their time clinging to the soft mother, and only briefly moved over to the hard, steel mother to feed, indicating that touch is of “overpowering importance” to the infant
82
C-fibers
C-fibers: Slow-conducting unmyelinated thin sensory afferents with a diameter of 1 μm and a conduction velocity of approximately 1 m/s. C-pain fibers convey noxious, thermal, and heat signals; C-tactile fibers convey gentle touch, light stroking.
83
C-tactile fibers
C-tactile fibers convey gentle touch, light stroking
84
social touch hypothesis
Proposes that social touch is a distinct domain of touch. C-tactile afferents form a special pathway that distinguishes social touch from other types of touch by selectively firing in response to touch of social-affective relevance; thus sending affective information parallel to the discriminatory information from the Aβ-fibers. In this way, the socially relevant touch stands out from the rest as having special positive emotional value and is processed further in affect-related brain areas such as the insula.
85
Aron Ralston
floor of Blue John Canyon in Utah, forced to make an appalling choice: face a slow but certain death—or amputate his right arm.
86
descending pain modulatory system
A top-down pain-modulating system able to inhibit or facilitate pain. The pathway produces analgesia by the release of endogenous opioids. Several brain structures and nuclei are part of this circuit, such as the frontal lobe areas of the anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and insular cortex; and nuclei in the amygdala and the hypothalamus, which all project to a structure in the midbrain called the periaqueductal grey (PAG). The PAG then controls ascending pain transmission from the afferent pain system indirectly through the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) in the brainstem, which uses ON- and OFF-cells to inhibit or facilitate nociceptive signals at the spinal dorsal horn.
87
analgesics
Pain relief
88
placebo affect
Effects from a treatment that are not caused by the physical properties of a treatment but by the meaning ascribed to it. These effects reflect the brain’s own activation of modulatory systems, which is triggered by positive expectation or desire for a successful treatment. Placebo analgesia is the most well-studied placebo effect and has been shown to depend, to a large degree, on opioid mechanisms. Placebo analgesia can be reversed by the pharmacological blocking of opioid receptors. The word “placebo” is probably derived from the Latin word “placebit” (“it will please”)
89
endorphins
An endogenous morphine-like peptide that binds to the opioid receptors in the brain and body; synthesized in the body’s nervous system.
90
allodynia
Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain, e.g., when a light, stroking touch feels painful.
91
noxious stimuli
A stimulus that is damaging or threatens damage to normal tissues.
92
chronic pain
Persistent or recurrent pain, beyond usual course of acute illness or injury; sometimes present without observable tissue damage or clear cause.
93
sensitization
Occurs when the response to a stimulus increases with exposure
94
phantom pain
Pain that appears to originate in an amputated limb.
95
The estimated annual cost associated with chronic pain the United States is:
$560–$635 billion
96
High-threshold sensory receptors of the peripheral somatosensory nervous system that are capable of transducing and encoding noxious stimuli are known as:
nociceptors
97
Describe the transduction of somatosensory signals: The properties of the receptor types as well as the difference in the properties of C-afferents and A-afferents and what functions these are thought to have.
Describe the social touch hypothesis and the role of affective touch in development and bonding.
Explain the motivation–decision model and descending modulation of pain, and give examples on how this circuitry can promote survival.
Explain how expectations and context affect pain and touch experiences.
Describe the concept of chronic pain and why treatment is so difficult.
98
signal detection
Method for studying the ability to
correctly identify sensory stimuli
99
Weber's law
States that just noticeable difference is proportional to the magnitude of the initial stimulus.
100
Bottom-up processing
vs
Top-down processing
Building up to perceptual experience from individual pieces.
Experience influences the perception of stimuli.
101
photons
light particles
102
Auditory stimuli
sound waves -- changes in air pressure
103
cochlea
Spiral bone structure in the inner
ear containing auditory hair cells.
104
basilar membrane
Runs along the length of the spiral, vibrates in response to the pressure differences produced by vibrations of the oval window
105
Organ of Corti
Runs along the basilar membrane, from the base (by the oval window) to the apex (the “tip” of the spiral). Has three rows of outer hair cells and one row of inner hair cells. The hair cells sense the vibrations by way of their tiny hairs, or stereocillia
106
somatosensory cortex
The region of the parietal lobe responsible for bodily sensations; the somatosensory cortex has a contralateral representation of
the human body.
107
cutaneous senses
The senses of the skin: tactile, thermal, pruritic (itchy), painful, and pleasant.
108
proprioception
Our sense of the position of our body
109
kinesthesis
Our sense of our bodily movement
110
nociception
Our ability to sense pain and
discomfort
111
mechanoreceptors
Mechanical stimuli (e.g. stroking, stretching or vibration of the skin)
112
thermoreceptors
Hot and cold temperatures
113
chemoreceptors
Chemicals applied externally or released within the skin (e.g. histamine)
114
nociceptors
Noxious stimuli. Nociceptors send information about actual or impending tissue damage to the brain. These signals can often lead to pain, but nociception and pain are not the same.
115
mechanoreceptors
Mechanical sensory receptors in the skin that response to tactile stimulation.
116
Aβ- or
Aα-fibers
Sharp pain travels quickly,
via thicker, more myelinated axons
117
C-pain or Aδ-fibers
The unpleasant ache is a signal
sent at the same time (but slower) from nociceptors
118
C-fibers
Narrow, unmyelinated sensory afferents with slow transmission. Often for noxious, thermal and heat signals
119
C-tactile fibers
Subtype of C-fibers that convey gentle touch, light stroking.
