06. Sensation and Perception

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Question 2

sensory receptors

Answer 2

sensory nerve endings that respond to simuli

Question 3

perception

Answer 3

the process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information

Question 4

bottom-up processing

Answer 4

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory info

Question 5

top-down processing

Answer 5

info processing guided by higher-level mental processes; we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

Question 6

transduction

Answer 6

conversion of one form of energy into another (ex. smell in our noses being interpreted by our brains)

Question 7

psychophysics

Answer 7

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them

Question 8

absolute threshold

Answer 8

minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

Question 9

signal detection

Answer 9

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation

Question 10

subliminal

Answer 10

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Question 11

difference threshold

Answer 11

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time

Question 12

Weber’s law

Answer 12

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

Question 13

sensory adaptation

Answer 13

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Question 14

perceptual set

Answer 14

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Question 15

wavelength

Answer 15

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

Question 16

hue

Answer 16

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

Question 17

intensity

Answer 17

the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave and is what we perceive as brightness or loudness (determined by the wave’s amplitude)

Question 18

retina

Answer 18

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye

Question 19

accomodation

Answer 19

adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information; or the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on teh retina

Question 20

rods

Answer 20

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement

Question 21

cones

Answer 21

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or well-lit conditions; detects fine details and color sensations

Question 22

optic nerve

Answer 22

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Question 23

blind spot

Answer 23

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because there are no receptor cells there

Question 24

fovea

Answer 24

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

Question 25

three-colour theory

Answer 25

the theory that the retina contains three different types of colour receptors (red, green, blue)

Question 26

opponent-process theory

Answer 26

the theory that opposing retinal processes (ex. white-black) enable colour vision

Question 27

feature detectors

Answer 27

nerve cells in the brain's visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus (shape, angle, movement)

Question 28

parallel processing

Answer 28

processing many aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously

Question 29

gestalt

Answer 29

an organized whole

Question 30

figure-ground

Answer 30

the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

Question 31

grouping

Answer 31

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

Question 32

perceptual adaptation

Answer 32

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

Question 33

perceptual constancy

Answer 33

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

Question 34

audition

Answer 34

the sense or act of hearing

Question 35

middle ear

Answer 35

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones - hammer, anvil, and stirrup

Question 36

cochlea

Answer 36

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

Question 37

inner ear

Answer 37

contains the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Question 38

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 38

caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerve (nerve deafness)

Question 39

conduction hearing loss

Answer 39

caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Question 40

cochlear implant

Answer 40

device for converting sounds into electrical signals stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Question 41

place theory

Answer 41

the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

Question 42

frequency theory

Answer 42

the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of the tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

Question 43

gate-control theory

Answer 43

the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

Question 44

hypnosis

Answer 44

a social interaction in which one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviours will spontaneously occur

Question 45

gustation

Answer 45

sense of taste

Question 46

olfaction

Answer 46

sense of smell

Question 47

kinesthesia

Answer 47

our movement sense - our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Question 48

vestibular sense

Answer 48

our balance sense - our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance

Question 49

sensory interaction

Answer 49

the principle that one sense can influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

Question 50

embodied cognition

Answer 50

the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements

Question 51

extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 51

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition