The Human Senses Flashcards
(381 cards)
What does sensation refer to?
The passive prices of detecting environmental stimuli through our various senses
What does perception refer to?
The active process of receiving, re-organising, and interpreting raw sensory information
When does sensation occur?
Occurs when a sensory receptor become stimulating, absorbs energy from the stimulus itself, and converts it into neural impulses that the brain can interpret
When are we able to sense a stimulus?
When it reaches an absolute threshold
What is an absolute threshold?
The point at which energy from a serious becomes detectable
When can we detect ranges in the strength of a stimulus?
If the strength of the stimulus exceeds our difference threshold
What is the difference threshold?
The minimum change in stimulus intensity need for us to notice at least 50% of the time that a changes occurred
What does Weber’s Law state?
The magnitude of the just noticeable difference is proportional to the intensity of the original stimulus
What is background sensory information?
Noise
Define criterion
The level of confidence in filtering noise and judging its importance
What does the signal detection theory explain?
The detection of the stimulus depends not only on the intensity of that stimulus, but also the physical and psychological state of the individual
What is sensory adaptation?
The decrease in sensitivity to and and changing stimulus
What is psychophysics?
The quantified study of such sensations in the stimuli that produce them
What initiates the process of sensation?
Sensory receptors
And in telling stimulus alters the membrane permeability of the sensory receptors nerve ending stimulating a?
Receptor potential
What does the receptor potential generate? Where does this lead?
An action potential; it really is the information to the CNS
What is sensory transduction?
The transformation of physical energy from the stimulus into an electrical message
What are the two types of nerve endings?
Encapsulated and free nerve ending
What is an encapsulated sensory receptor nerve ending?
It is enclosed by a structure
What type of nerve ending is nonencapsulated?
A free nerve ending
What three traits classify sensory nerve receptors?
Conduction speed, location, and modality
What are the two types of conduction speeds for sensory receptor cells?
Phasic receptors and tonic receptors
What are phasic receptors?
Rapidly adapting receptors that respond quickly and entirely to a stimulus, but stop responding even at the stimulus remains constant
What are tonic receptors?
Slowly adapting receptors that respondent gradually to a stimulus and provide a continuous signal for the entire duration of the stimulus