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Psychology/Sociology MCAT > 6A Sensation > Flashcards

6A Sensation Flashcards

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1
Q

Threshold

A

The smallest signal that can be detected

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2
Q

Absolute threshold

A

Minimum stimulus intensity required to activate a sensory receptor 50% of the time

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3
Q

Difference Threshold

A

Minimum noticeable difference between any two sensory stimuli, 50% of the time.

aka the “Just Noticeable Difference”

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4
Q

What is Weber’s Law?

A

–Two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion in order for their difference to be perceptible.
(The threshold for detecting a stimulus-change is a constant ratio)

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5
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

–used to predict when and how a signal will be recognized amidst other sensory information.
(Decision making w/ uncertainty)

4 possible outcomes

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6
Q

Describe the 4 outcomes of Signal Detection Theory.

A
  1. HIT - signal present and detected.
  2. MISS - signal present, but not detected.
  3. FALSE POSITIVE - signal absent, but detected. (ex. hallucinations)
  4. ACCURATE (or Correct) REJECTION - signal absent and not detected.
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7
Q

Describe Sensory Adaptation.

A

–Change in sensitivity of perception of sensation; decrease in firing frequency when the intensity of a stimulus remains constant

–our sensory neurons adapt to (become less sensitive/ignores) stimuli that are constantly there.

Ex. Our inner ear uses this process to make recurring loud noises sound softer.

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8
Q

Describe sensory pathways.

A

the pathways followed by a nerve impulse from a sensory organ (ex. eye, tongue, ear, skin) to the brain or spinal cord.

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9
Q

Describe the types of sensory receptors.

A

BY STIMULUS:
–thermoreceptor
–chemoreceptor
–photoreceptor/electromagnetic
–mechanoreceptor
–baroreceptor
–nocireceptor

BY LOCATION:
–exteroceptor
–interoreceptor
–proprioceptor

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10
Q

Thermoreceptor

A

sensory receptor that detects temperature (heat)

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11
Q

Chemoreceptor

A

sensory receptor that detects chemicals

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12
Q

Photoreceptor/Electromagnetic

A

Sensory receptor that detects light/electromagnetic waves

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13
Q

Mechanoreceptor

A

sensory receptor that detects touch and sound (mechanical stimuli such as vibrations, as well as pressure applied to skin)

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14
Q

Baroreceptor

A

sensory receptor that detects pressure (ex/ blood pressure within vessels).

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15
Q

Nociceptor

A

sensory receptor that detects pain (specialized chemoreceptor)

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16
Q

Exteroceptor

A

sensory receptor that is located near / at the surface of the skin, detects stimuli on the surface of the body.

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17
Q

Interoreceptor

A

(aka Viceroreceptors)

–sensory receptor that is located near visceral organs/blood vessels and is linked w/ the autonomic nervous system.

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18
Q

Proprioceptor

A

sensory receptor that is located near tendons, ligaments, joints, and skeletal muscles.

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19
Q

Eye Structure

A

light first travels through the cornea
–then through the pupil (hole in the iris muscle)

LENS = focuses light on retina.

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20
Q

Describe the Photoreceptors in the Eye.

A

cells located on the back of the retina.

RODS = senses light and dark (no color), more sensitive.

CONES = senses color, less sensitive.

RHODOPSIN = chemical responsible for light reception = Retinal (chemical) + Opsin (transmembrane protein)

Light converts cis-retinal → trans-retinal.

trans-retinal then causes hyperpolarization of photoreceptor cell, which prompts the chain of events that sends signal to the brain.

sends signal to brain via a bundle of nerves on the back of the retina (where the blind spot is)

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21
Q

Where is the eye’s blind spot?

A

@ the back of the retina.

22
Q

Optic Nerve

A

nerve that transmits signal from the photoreceptors in eye to the brain.

23
Q

Function of the EYE:

A

take in light, focus it, form an image on the retina, which is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve.

24
Q

Visual Pathways in the Brain

A

Nerve impulses travel from each eye along the optic nerves and meet at the optic chiasm

–Here, half of the nerves from each side cross and resume to the back of the brain.

–The left side of the brain receives half of the left optic nerve and half of the right optic nerve

–The same goes for the right side.

–The binocular field of vision is where left and right fields of vision overlap.

25
Q

Parallel Processing

A

what allows our brains to quickly process visual information such as color, depth, motion, and size, simultaneously, instead of one by one.

26
Q

Feature Detection

A

this theory describes why a particular part of our brain is triggered when we look at something

27
Q

Structure of the EAR

A

EAR CANAL = auditory canal

TYMPANIC MEMBRANE = eardrum

Ear bones = MALLEUS (hammer) → INCUS (anvil) → STAPES (stirrup).

VESTIBULE = contacts the OVAL WINDOW (where stirrup vibrates), is continuous w/ SEMICIRCULAR CANALS and COCHLEA.

COCHLEA = spiral = houses hair cells.

SEMICIRCULAR CANALS = 3 of them perpendicular to one another = senses position and movement of the head, help you balance.

28
Q

Describe the mechanism of hearing.

A
  1. Sound enters ear.
  2. Hits ear drum (tympanic membrane)
  3. malleus (hammer) –> incus (anvil) –> stapes (stirrup)
  4. vibrates fluid in cochlea.
  5. transmits to fluid in cochlea.
  6. cochlear hair cells excited by vibrations, and sends signal to brain.
29
Q

Auditory Pathways in the Brain

A

-Sound → ear drum → vibrations in cochlea → vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII) → brain

–the auditory nerve then sends the message to an area of the brain called the brainstem.

–At the brainstem details of the signal such as frequency, location, duration, and intensity are deciphered.

–Next, the signal passes through the thalamus and into the auditory cortex, a specific region found in the temporal lobe of the brain.

–Here the signal is translated by neurons into a message that we can understand

30
Q

Sensory reception by hair cells

A

The vibrating hair cells within the basilar membrane bend when they come in contact with the tectorial membrane.

–This movement opens up ion channels within the hair cells themselves that release neurotransmitters.

–These neurotransmitters stimulate dendrites from bipolar afferent neurons.

31
Q

Somatosensation

A

(ex. pain perception)

–pain, pressure, temperature, proprioception/position, and whether a muscle group of the body is being contracted.

–perceived by skin, muscles, joints, and ligaments.

32
Q

Describe the sections of taste buds and what they detect.

A

(ex. taste buds/chemoreceptors that detect specific chemicals)

–Sweet (sugar, ex. glucose): “T1R2” and “T1R3” receptors.

–Salty (salt, ex. NaCl): sodium channels

–Bitter (basic, ex. quinine): T2R receptors

–Sour (acidic, ex. HCl): TRP (transient receptor potential) channel.

–Umami (meaty, ex. glutamate, amino acids and nucleotides): a combo of T1R1 and T1R3 receptors.

33
Q

Taste bud

A

-spherical in shape, covered in taste hairs that are used to detect chemicals in our food, and are connected to taste receptor cells.

–a taste pore is located in the center of the taste bud.

–For food to be recognized by the taste bud, a chemical called a “TASTANT” must be present. This chemical is soluble to saliva, so it can be easily absorbed between and among the papillae (small fleshy projections covering the tongue) and into the taste pores.

–Once taste hairs detect the tastant, they stimulate other taste receptor cells, which deliver the message to the gustatory area of the brain, where the signal can be translated into what we taste.

34
Q

Taste Pathway

A

tongue -> glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve IX) -> brain

35
Q

Describe the function of olfactory cells.

A

Olfaction (smell) begins with olfactory cells found in the roof of the nasopharynx, (our nasal cavity)

–The olfactory receptors within the nasopharynx detect chemicals in the air that dissolve the mucous-covered nasal membrane.

–The nasal membrane contains olfactory nerves, which extend into the olfactory bulbs/nerves (cranial nerve I).

36
Q

Smell:
Pheromones

A

–chemicals that behave as signals to the brain that cause a response common to members of the same species.

–serve as important chemical messengers, and help animals to prepare for events such as danger, a discovered food source, and when it is time to mate.

37
Q

Smell:
Olfactory pathways in the brain (5 steps)

A
  1. Odorant molecules dissolve in the mucous layer of the olfactory epithelium.
  2. The chemicals bind to G-protein receptors on the cilia, causing a cascade of events to open ion gates to open. This makes the cell depolarize.
  3. If the stimulus is strong enough, an Action Potential will fire in the sensory neurons (sensory neurons are located in the olfactory epithelium). The sensory neuron will synapse onto the olfactory bulb.
  4. The olfactory bulb will conduct Action Potentials down the olfactory nerve/tract to the limbic system and olfactory cortex on the temporal lobe.
  5. Smells are then sorted, identified, and discriminated from each other.
38
Q

Kinesthetic Sense

A

-aka proprioception

–senses position/movement of ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

39
Q

Vestibular Sense

A

–controlled by hair cells in the inner ear.

–responsible for our sense of balance (how we perceive gravity) and movement.

40
Q

Explain Bottom Up Processing.

A

a type of processing that begins with various sensory receptors, which pick up signals and send them to the brain for integration and processing.

ex: prick your finger with a pin → sensory information sent to brain → feel pain.

41
Q

Explain Top-Down Processing.

A

a type of processing that begins in the brain, where information from previous experiences has already been brought up by one of the sensory systems. The brain draws on this information to interpret new sensory information.

–ex. you see pin → remember pain from past experience → decide not to touch pin.

42
Q

Perceptual Organization

A

ex. depth, form, motion, constancy.

–the process by which our brains structure information into structural units that is easier to visually understand.

43
Q

Depth Perception

A

we perceive how far away an object is, not just a flat 2-D image.

44
Q

Form Perception

A

our ability to recognize an object’s shape/outline.

ex: In the dark you are able to see a car, not because you can see it’s colors, but because you can recognize it’s shape by piecing together outlines.

45
Q

Motion Perception

A

our ability to recognize that an object is moving.

46
Q

Constancy Perception

A

the brain tends to maintain constancy of certain attributes of objects, such as color, size, and shape, even though some of these traits may have changed.

ex. as you watch a car approach you from far away it may seem small at first, and increase in size as it approaches you. Even though this is what your eyes are seeing, you know that the car has remained the same size.

47
Q

Gestalt Principles

A

gestalt = “whole”

–states that the “whole” object surpasses the singular details that make up an image.

ex. when you look at a flower, you do not first notice the defining lines of the flower, then the pieces that make up the flower, and then the color of the flower, but instead, you see the whole flower as a single image.

48
Q

Gestalt Laws of Grouping

A

1) Proximity: things near each other are grouped together

2) Similarity: similar items are perceived as units/groups

3) Continuity: We perceive the smooth, continuous lines and forms vs. the disjoined

4) Closure: We will perceive things as a complete logical entity. Our brains will fill in missing gaps of information.

5) Common fate: objects moving in synchrony/same direction are perceived together (ex. flock of birds)

6) Connectedness: things joined/linked/grouped are perceived as connected

7) Pragnanz: reality is reduced to its simplest form

49
Q

Emergence

A

We first identify the outline of an object, which allows us to identify the whole. We then start to identify the parts.

50
Q

Figure/Ground

A

Everything that is not the figure is the ground

Psychology/Sociology MCAT (12 decks)

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