Sensation + Perception

Question 1

Define sensation

Answer 1

Gathering sensory information from the environment

Question 2

Define perception

Answer 2

psychological/mental organisation + interpretation of sensory info

Question 3

What are the two ways we process sensory info?

Answer 3

1. bottom-up processing

2. top-down processing

Question 4

Describe bottom-up processing

Answer 4

• based on physical features of the stimulus

- as each aspect is processed, our perception builds up

Question 5

Describe top-down processing

Answer 5

• information processing guided by higher-level mental processes (i.e. what we expect to see)
• based on our past experiences/expectations

Question 6

What are the 4 elementary tastes?

Answer 6

• sweet
• salty
• sour
• bitter
  ( and umami )

Question 7

What are umami receptors and what do they do?

Answer 7

• fat/glutamate receptors

- they enhance the flavours

Question 8

What is transduction?

Answer 8

changing the physical simulus into a neural signal

Question 9

Describe the 4 steps in transduction

Answer 9

Physical > receptor organ > receptor > neural signal

Question 10

How does Taste transduction occur?

Answer 10

By having a food chemical react with a taste bud

Question 11

Describe the steps leading up to taste transduction

Answer 11

• chemicals dissolve in saliva
• find their way into fungiform papillae
• each F. Papillae contains specialised taste buds
• food enters taste buds = action potentials

Question 12

For each taste there is a _____?

Answer 12

Different type of taste bud

Question 13

What is sensory interaction?

Answer 13

When one sense influences another

Question 14

What is synaesthesia?

Answer 14

when one sense is simultaneously experienced with another.

• normally people experience one

Question 15

What’s special about non-tasters + supertasters?

Answer 15

non-tasters: have fewer taste buds than normal

super-tasters: have more taste buds than normal

Question 16

What impacts differences in perception?

Answer 16

• cultural differences

- individual histories differ [ex. food you prefer are probably determined by upbringing]

Question 17

What is stability provided by?

Answer 17

the vestibular system

Question 18

Where is the vestibular system located?

Answer 18

In the middle ear

Question 19

The vestibular system provides us with: _____?

Answer 19

the ability to balance and maintain posture

Question 20

What are the 5 aspects of visual info processing?

Answer 20

1. scene
2. retinal processing
3. feature detection
4. abstraction
5. recognition

Question 21

What is light?

Answer 21

the physical stimulus for vision

Question 22

What is the eye designed to do?

Answer 22

take incoming light rays + focus them so they hit the retina

Question 23

describe the Lens [4 points]

Answer 23

• transparent
• flexible
• convex
• performs 20% of refraction

Question 24

What is accommodation?

Answer 24

process where the ciliary muscles (attaches to lens) changes the shape of the lens
- this brings the image into focus

Question 25

Describe the retina [3 points]

Answer 25

- light sensitive inner surface - has 2 types of photoreceptors: rods + cones - layers of neurons that begin visual info processing

Question 26

What do rods do?

Answer 26

- greatly increase visual sensitivity >> ability to see in many light levels >> low levels to bright levels

Question 27

What do cones do?

Answer 27

Detect differences in details

Question 28

Where are the rods found?

Answer 28

in the sides, NOT FOVEA

Question 29

Where are cones found?

Answer 29

In the fovea, NOT THE SIDES

Question 30

What is colour-deficient vision caused by?

Answer 30

- missing 1 type of photo pigment OR - an atypical proportion of 3 cone types - genetically based

Question 31

What is acuity?

Answer 31

- lack of convergence in the cones/fovea | - can distinguish one point from another

Question 32

What is sensitivity?

Answer 32

the convergence or pooling of info in rods/periphery

Question 33

What happens when the rods converge?

Answer 33

- can't discriminate 2 stimuli

Question 34

What can't you perceive?

Answer 34

things that aren't in the real world

Question 35

What specific features do neurones in the brain respond to? [4]

Answer 35

- shape - angle - intersections - movement

Question 36

Describe the Nasty Contact Lens study

Answer 36

- Pritchard et al | - stabilised retinal image to fatigue feature detectors

Question 37

Conclusion from the Nasty Contact Lens study?

Answer 37

- Humans have feature detectors

Question 38

What are Gestalt Principles?

Answer 38

the idea that the whole is MORE THAN the sum of the parts

Question 39

What do Gestalt principles help us to do?

Answer 39

make sense of ambiguous inputs

Question 40

What is perceptual organisation?

Answer 40

the tendncy to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

Question 41

Define 'grouping'

Answer 41

the perceptual tendency to organise stimuli into coherent groups

Question 42

What are the 6 key things for grouping?

Answer 42

1. simplicity 2. closure 3. continuity 4. similarity 5. proximity 6. common fate

Question 43

What is the symmetry rule?

Answer 43

symmetric shapes = better figures

Question 44

What is the lower region rule?

Answer 44

regions @ the bottom = better figures

Question 45

What are the 2 aspects of depth perception?

Answer 45

- monocular rules | - binocular rules

Question 46

What are the 4 aspects of monocular rules?

Answer 46

- linear perspective: converging lines on horizons points - texture gradient: fewer, learger units = closer - interposition: closer in front relative height: lower objects are closer

Question 47

What is binocular disparity?

Answer 47

>> space between the eyes - each eye registers a slightly diff view of the world >> these differences provides brain w important direct info