Sensation & Perception

Question 1

cornea

Answer 1

gathers & focuses incoming light

clear, domelike window in front of eye

Question 2

pupil

Answer 2

hole in iris, contracts in bright light, expands in dim light to let more light in

Question 3

iris

Answer 3

colored part; has involuntary muscles, controls size of pupil

Question 4

lens

Answer 4

behind iris, helps control curvature of light coming in & can focus near or distant objects on retina

Question 5

retina

Answer 5

screen filled with neural elements & blood vessels

• very back of eye
• image-detecting part

Question 6

duplicity theory of vision

Answer 6

retina contains two kinds of photoreceptors

Question 7

where is the blind spot in the eye?

Answer 7

where optic nerve leaves the eye; no photoreceptors here

Question 8

cones

Answer 8

used for color vision & fine detail

• most effective in bright light
• chromatic & achromatic colors

both begin with c

Question 9

rods

Answer 9

function best in reduced illumination; allow perception only of achromatic colors
- low sensitivity to detail; not involved in color vision

Question 10

fovea

Answer 10

contains only cones

so…visual acuity best here & fovea is most sensitive in normal daylight vision

Question 11

are there more rods or cones in the eye?

Answer 11

rods

Question 12

describe connection between receptors & optic nerve

Answer 12

rods & cones –> bipolar neurons –> ganglion cells

Question 13

ganglion cells group together to form

Answer 13

optic nerve

Question 14

neurons in the eye

Answer 14

horizontal, amacrine, bipolar, ganglion

Question 15

optic chiasm

Answer 15

fibers from nasal half of retina cross paths; fibers not on nasal side DON’T cross paths

Question 16

nasal fibers

Answer 16

fibers that cross at chiasm, closer to nose

Question 17

temporal fibers

Answer 17

fibers on outside of eyes, don’t cross at chiasm

Question 18

info from left visual field is processed in

Answer 18

right cerebral hemisphere

Question 19

where does info go after the optic chiasm?

Answer 19

lateral geniculate nucleus of thalamus –> visual cortex in occipital lobe –> superior colliculus

Question 20

Hubel & Wiesel

Answer 20

feature detection theory

Question 21

feature detection theory

Answer 21

certain cells in cortex are maximally sensitive to certain features of stimuli

Question 22

simple cell (feature detection)

Answer 22

responds to info about orientation

Question 23

complex cell (feature detection)

Answer 23

responds to info about movement

Question 24

hypercomplex (feature detection)

Answer 24

responds to info about shape

Question 25

illumination

Answer 25

physical, objective measurement that is simply amount of light falling on surface

Question 26

brightness

Answer 26

subjective impression of intensity of light stimulus

Question 27

dark adaptation

Answer 27

when you first walk into theater, it's dark, and you adapt to dark light caused by regeneration of rhodopsin

Question 28

rhodopsin

Answer 28

photochemical in rods; decomposes when molecule absorbs photon of light

Question 29

what is rhodopsin made of?

Answer 29

retinal & opsin

Question 30

simultaneous brightness contrast

Answer 30

target area of particular luminance appears brighter when surrounded by darker stimulus than when surrounded by lighter stimulus

Question 31

lateral inhibition

Answer 31

adjacent retinal cells inhibit one another; sharpens & highlights borders between light & dark areas

Question 32

color perception

Answer 32

related to wavelength of light entering eye

Question 33

subtractive color mixture

Answer 33

happens when you mix pigments

Question 34

additive color mixing

Answer 34

has to do with lights primary colors: blue, green, red (NOT yellow)

Question 35

Young-Helmhotz / trichromatic theory

Answer 35

3 types of color receptors: red, blue, green | correct

Question 36

Hering / opponent process theory

Answer 36

3 opposing pairs: red-green, blue-yellow, black-white | incorrect, but does apply to LGN cells

Question 37

afterimage

Answer 37

visual sensation that appears after prolonged or intense exposure to stimulus - used to support Hering's theory

Question 38

interposition / overlap

Answer 38

one object (A) covers or overlaps with object (B)

Question 39

relative size

Answer 39

as an object gets farther away, its image on the retina gets smaller

Question 40

linear perspecive

Answer 40

convergence of parallel lines in the distance | lines that are actually parallel appear to converge

Question 41

texture gradients

Answer 41

variations in perceived surface texture as a function of the distance from the observer - more distant parts of scene appear to have smaller, more densely packed elements

Question 42

motion parallax

Answer 42

when observer moves, objects in a stationary environment appear to move relative to distance from observer

Question 43

kinetic depth effect

Answer 43

when object rather than perceiver moves, motion of that object gives us cues about relative depth of parts of object

Question 44

binocular disparity / stereopsis

Answer 44

each eye sees slightly different scene; when brain combines scenes, we get a perception of depth

Question 45

binocular depth clue

Answer 45

requires use of two eyes

Question 46

monocular depth clue

Answer 46

requires use of one eye

Question 47

binocular parallax

Answer 47

degree of disparity between retinal images of eyes due to slight differences in horizontal position

Question 48

figure

Answer 48

integrated visual experience that stands out at center of attention

Question 49

ground

Answer 49

background against which figure appears

Question 50

law of priximity

Answer 50

elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit

Question 51

law of similarity

Answer 51

objects that are similar tend to be grouped together

Question 52

law of good continuation

Answer 52

elements that appear to follow in the same direction tend to be grouped together

Question 53

subjective contours

Answer 53

tendency to see incomplete figures as complete

Question 54

law of pragnanz

Answer 54

perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple, and symmetric as possible

Question 55

theory of isomorphism (Kohler)

Answer 55

one-to-one correspondence between object in perceptual field & pattern of stimulation in brain