Unit 2 / Chpt. 3 - Perception & Sensation

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

The stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system. Biological process.

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

The process by which sensations are organized into an inner representation of the world. Your interpretation of the world.

Question 3

Absolute Threshold

Answer 3

The minimal amount of energy that can produce a sensation.
-For example, the absolute threshold for light would be the minimum brightness (physical energy) required to activate the visual sensory system.

Question 4

What are the absolute thresholds for vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch?

Answer 4

• Vision: a candle flame viewed from about 30 miles on a clear, dark night.
• Hearing: a watch ticking from about 20 feet away in a quiet room.
• Taste: 1 teaspoon of sugar dissolved in 2 gallons of water.
• Smell: about one drop of perfume diffused throughout a small house (1 part in 500 million).
• Touch: the pressure of the wing of a fly falling on a cheek from a distance of about 0.4 inch.

Question 5

What are Feature Detectors?

Answer 5

Neurons in the sensory cortex that fire in response to specific features of sensory information such as lines or edges of objects.

Question 6

What is the Optic Nerve?

Answer 6

The nerve that transmits sensory information from the eye to the brain.

Question 7

What is Perceptual Organization?

Answer 7

The tendency to integrate perceptual elements into meaningful patterns.

Question 8

What are the Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization?

Answer 8

• Proximity
• Similarity
• Continuity
• Connectedness
• Closure
• Figure-Ground

Question 9

What is Proximity?

Answer 9

Nearness. The perceptual tendency to group together objects that are near one another.

Question 10

What is Similarity?

Answer 10

The perceptual tendency to group together objects that are similar in appearance.

Question 11

What is Continuity?

Answer 11

The tendency to perceive a series of points or lines as having unity.

Question 12

What is Closure?

Answer 12

Related to principle of good continuation, there is
a tendency to close simple figures, independent of continuity or similarity. This results in a effect of filling in missing information or organising information which is present to make a whole.

Question 13

What is Connectedness?

Answer 13

Elements that are connected by uniform visual properties are perceived as being more related than elements that are not connected.

Question 14

What is Figure-Ground?

Answer 14

Describes the tendency of the visual system to simplify a scene into the main object that we are looking at (the figure) and everything else that forms the background (or ground).

Question 15

Figure-Ground is always in?

Answer 15

Every perception.

Question 16

What is Top-Down Processing?

Answer 16

The use of contextual information or knowledge of a pattern to organize parts of the pattern.
-ex: having the box when putting a puzzle together. You have the complete picture. You use the larger pattern to guide subordinate perceptual motor tasks such as hunting for particular pieces.

Question 17

What is Bottom-Up Processing?

Answer 17

The organization of the parts of a pattern to recognize, or form an image of, the pattern they compose.
-ex: not having the box when putting a puzzle together. You begin with bits and pieces of information and become aware of the pattern formed only after you have worked at it for a while.

Question 18

What is Depth Perception?

Answer 18

• Important part of any process.
• Biological. Involves Monocular and Binocular cues.
• Allows us to judge distance.
• Not born with it. Develop around 6 mo.
• Not the same every place around the world.

Question 19

What are Monocular Cues?

Answer 19

Stimuli suggestive of depth that can be perceived with only one eye.

Question 20

List the Monocular Cues.

Answer 20

• Texture Gradient
• Linear Perspective
• Interposition (Superposition)
• Relative Clarity (Aerial Perspective)
• Relative Height
• Shadowing
• Motion Parallax

Question 21

What is Interposition?

Answer 21

A monocular cue for depth based on the fact that a nearby object obscures a more distant object behind it.

Question 22

What is Shadowing?

Answer 22

A monocular cue for depth based on the fact that opaque objects block light and produce shadows.

Question 23

What is Texture Gradient?

Answer 23

A monocular cue for depth based on the perception that closer objects appear to have rougher (more detailed) surfaces.

Question 24

What is Motion Parallax?

Answer 24

A monocular cue for depth based on the perception that nearby objects appear to move more rapidly in relation to our own motion.

Question 25

What are Binocular Cues?

Answer 25

Stimuli suggestive of depth that involve simultaneous perception by both eyes. Both are internal cues.

Question 26

List the two Binocular Cues.

Answer 26

• Retinal Disparity

- Convergence

Question 27

What is Retinal Disparity?

Answer 27

A binocular cue for depth based on the difference in the image cast by an object on the retinas of the eyes as the object moves closer or farther away.
-ex: Magic Eye Images

Question 28

What is Convergence?

Answer 28

A binocular cue for depth based on the inward movement of the eyes as they attempt to focus on an object that is drawing nearer.
-ex: View Master Toy

Question 29

What is the Auditory Nerve?

Answer 29

The axon bundle that transmits neural impulses from the organ of Corti to the brain.

Question 30

What is the Olfactory Nerve?

Answer 30

The nerve that transmits information concerning odors from olfactory receptors to the brain.

Question 31

What is the Kinesthetic Sense?

Answer 31

Kinesthesis is the sensation of body position and movement. It relies on sensory organs in the joints, tendons, and muscles.

Question 32

What is the Vestibular Sense?

Answer 32

The sense of equilibrium that informs us about our bodies’ positions relative to gravity.

Question 33

What is a Visual Illusion?

Answer 33

Demonstrate the differences between visual perception and reality.