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MCAT Psychology and Sociology Review > 6A: Sensing the environment > Flashcards

6A: Sensing the environment Flashcards

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1
Q

Sensation

A

conversion of physical, electromagnetic, auditory, and other info from our internal and external environment to electrical signals in the nervous system

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2
Q

threshold

A

min amount of a stimulus that renders a difference in perception

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3
Q

absolute threshold

A

min amount of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system

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4
Q

Weber’s Law

A

there is a constant ratio between the change in stimulus magnitude needed needed to produce a jnd (just noticeable difference) and the magnitude of the original stimulus

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5
Q

difference threshold (just noticeable difference, JND)

A

min difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive this difference

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6
Q

signal detection theory

A

changes in perception of the same stimuli depending on both internal (psychological) and external (environmental) context

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7
Q

reponse bias

A

tendency of subjects to systematically respond to a stimulus in a particular way due to nonsensory factors

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8
Q

adaptation

A

two parts: physiological (sensory) component - when pupils of the eyes will dilate in the dark and contract in the light, psychological (perception) component - once we have clothes on, we stop feeling the clothes on us

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9
Q

psychophysics

A

the branch of psychology that deals with the relationships between physical stimuli and mental phenomena

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10
Q

sensory receptors

A

neurons that respond to the stimuli and trigger electrical signals

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11
Q

sensory pathways

A

signals from stimuli must pass through specific sensory pathways: different types of receptors, nerve endings or specific sensory cells, receive stimulus, transmit data to CNS through sensory ganglia (collection of neuron cell bodies found outside CNS), once transduced, electrochemical energy is sent along neural pathways to projection areas

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12
Q

photoreceptors

A

respond to EM waves in visible light: sight

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13
Q

hair cells

A

respond to movement of fluid in inner ear structures: hearing, rotational, linear acceleration

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14
Q

Nocireceptors

A

respond to painful or noxious stimuli: somatosensory

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15
Q

thermoreceptors

A

respond to changes in temp: somatosensory

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16
Q

osmoreceptors

A

respond to osmolarity of blood: water homeostasis

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17
Q

olfactory receptors

A

respond to volatile compounds: smell

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18
Q

taste receptors

A

respond to dissolved compounds: taste

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19
Q

eye

A

specialized organ used to detect light in the form of photons

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20
Q

sclera

A

exposed portion of eye is covered by this, thick structural layer (white of the eye); does not cover cornea (front most portion of eye)

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21
Q

choroidal vessels/retinal vessels

A

supplies nutrients to eyes

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22
Q

retina

A

innermost layer of eye, contains photoreceptors that transduce light into electric info. considered part of CNS. has two types of photoreceptors: light/dark, color detection

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23
Q

cornea

A

light passes through here first; clear domelike window in front of eye and it focuses and gathers light

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24
Q

anterior chamber

A

one division of the front of the eye, lies in front of the iris and posterior chamber

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25
Q

posterior chamber

A

division of front of eye, in between iris and lens

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26
Q

iris

A

colored part of eye made up of dilator pupillae (opens pupil during sympathetic stimulation) and constrictor pupillae (constricts pupil during parasympathetic stimulation) continuous with choroid

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27
Q

choroid

A

makes aqueous humor

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28
Q

ciliary body

A

part of eye that includes ciliary muscle

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29
Q

aqueous humor

A

bathes front part of eye before draining into canal of Schlemm

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30
Q

lens

A

controls refraction of light

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31
Q

ciliary muscle

A

contraction is under parasympathetic control, when it contracts it pulls on suspensory ligaments and changes shape of lens (accommodation)

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32
Q

vitreous humor

A

lies behind lends, supports retina, transparent gel

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33
Q

Cones

A

6 million, used for color vision and fine details. best in bright light. 3 forms: short (blue), medium (green), large (red)

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34
Q

rods

A

120 mil, functional, allow sensation of light and dark because they contain rhodopsin, low sensitivity to details, permit night vision

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35
Q

macula

A

center section of retina, high [cones]

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36
Q

fovea

A

center most point of macula, only cones, best visual acuity

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37
Q

optic disk

A

blind spot where optic nerve leaves the eye, no photoreceptors

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38
Q

retinal pathway

A

rods & cones connect with bipolar cells then ganglion cells; amacrine and horizontal cells are before GC’s

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39
Q

bipolar cells

A

highlight gradients between adjacent rods and cones

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40
Q

ganglion cells (GC)

A

group together to form optic nerve, more receptors than GC’s, each GC has to represent the combined activity of many rods and cones (lose resolution) # of cones converging

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41
Q

amacrine/horizontal cells

A

receive input from multiple retinal cells in same area before the info is passed on to ganglion cells; accentual slight differences between visual info in each bipolar cell. important for edge detection, increase perception of contrasts

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42
Q

visual pathways

A

refer to both physical anatomical connections between eyes and brain and flow of visual info along these connections.

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43
Q

optic chiasm

A

fibers from nasal half cross paths (carry temporal visual field - further toward side of head from each eye) since temporal fibers (carry nasal visual field) don’t cross, all fibers corresponding the left visual field from both eyes goes to right brain vice versa.

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44
Q

optic tracts

A

after cross occurs in chiasm, reorganized pathways that leave the chiasm

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45
Q

lateral geniculate nucleus

A

where info goes after chiasm; of the thalamus

46
Q

visual cortex

A

where info goes after chiasm; in occipital lobe, info reaches here through radiations in the temporal and parietal lobes

47
Q

superior colliculus

A

where info goes after chiasm; controls responses to visual stimuli and reflexive eye movements

48
Q

parallel processing

A

ability to simultaneously analyze and combine info regarding color, shape, and motion

49
Q

feature detection

A

process by which pathways contain cells specialized in detection of either color, shape, or motion

50
Q

parvocellular cells

A

detect shape, high color spatial resolution (see very fine detail), low temporal resolution (only work with slow moving/still objects)

51
Q

magnocellular cells

A

movement, high temporal resolution, low spatial resolution, rich detail lost

52
Q

ear

A

three parts: outer, middle, inner

53
Q

pinna/auricle

A

sound wave first reaches here, cartilaginous, channels sound waves to tympanic membrane

54
Q

tympanic membrane (ear drum)

A

membrane vibrates in phase with incoming sound waves (freq of sound determines rate of vibration: high freq - faster vibration), divide outer ear from middle

55
Q

intensity

A

increase amplitude of vibration, louder sounds have greater

56
Q

middle ear

A

ossicles here

57
Q

ossicles

A

help transmit and amplify vibrations from the tympanic membrane to inner ear

58
Q

malleus (hammer)

A

affixed to tympanic membrane, acts on incus (anvil)

59
Q

incus (anvil)

A

acts on stapes

60
Q

stapes

A

base plate rests in oval window of cochlea, entrance of inner ear

61
Q

eustachian tube

A

connects middle ear to nasal cavity, equalizes pressure between middle ear and enviro

62
Q

inner ear

A

bony labyrinth: cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals. structures continuous with each other and form membranous labyrinth

63
Q

endolymph

A

fills membranous labyrinth, K rich

64
Q

perilymph

A

membraneous labyrinth is suspended in bony labyrinth by thin layer of this. transmits vibrations from outside world and cushions inner ear structures

65
Q

cochlea

A

spiral shaped organ divided into 3 parts: scalae, that run the entire length of cochlea, top and bottom have perilymph, tonotopically organized: hair cells vibrating gives brain indication of pitch

66
Q

middle scala

A

houses actual hearing apparatus , endolymph

67
Q

organ of corti

A

hearing apparatus, rests on basilar membrane, composed of 1000s of hair cells bathed in endolymph

68
Q

basilar membrane

A

thin, flexible membrane, base of organ of corti, changes thickness depending on location of cochlea. high freq close to oval window, low freq causes vibration near apex

69
Q

tectorial membrane

A

immobile membrane on top of organ of corti

70
Q

round window

A

membrane covered hole in the cochlea, permits perilymph to move within cochlea

71
Q

hair cells of organ of corti

A

convert physical stimuli into electrical signals which is carried to CNS by auditory (vestibulocochlear) nerve

72
Q

vestibule

A

portion of bony labyrinth that contains utricle and saccule - sensitive to linear acceleration, used as a part of balancing apparatus. contains otoliths

73
Q

otoliths

A

modified hair cells in utricle and saccule. resist motion. stimulates underlying hair cells

74
Q

semicircular canals

A

sensitive to rotational acceleration. arranged perpendicularly to each other and each ends in ampulla

75
Q

ampulla

A

swelling at the end of semicircular canals that contain hair cells, when head rotates, endolymph in the semicircular canal resists this motion, stimulates underlying hair cells

76
Q

auditory pathways

A

more complex than visual, sound info to vestibulocochlear nerve, to brain stem, to medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of thalamus then to auditory cortex

77
Q

superior olive

A

sound info sent here to localize the sound

78
Q

inferior colliculus

A

sound info sent here, involved in the startle reflex and helps keep eyes fixed on point while head is turned (vestibulo-ocular reflex)

79
Q

hair cells of ear

A

long tufts of stereocilia on top surface, once basilar membrane vibrates, stereocilia swap back and forth within endolymph - causes opening of ion channels

80
Q

somatosensation

A

all modalities of touch

81
Q

smell

A

chemical sense, respond to volatile aerosolized compounds

82
Q

olfactory chemoreceptors (olfactory nerves)

A

located in olfactory epithelium, upper nasal cavity, chemical stimuli must bind to respective chemoreceptors to cause signal

83
Q

phermones

A

secreted by one person or animal, once bonded with CR, compel/urge another to behave in specific way

84
Q

olfactory pathway

A

odor molecules inhaled into nasal passages and then contact olfactory nerves in olfactory epithelium, receptor cells activated and send signals to olfactory bulb, then signal relayed via olfactory tract to higher brain regions/limbic region

85
Q

taste

A

five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami

86
Q

chemoreceptors of taste

A

sensitive to dissolved compounds, flavors are triggered by specific molecules binding to receptors, send to taste center in thalamus

87
Q

taste buds

A

group of cells that are receptors for taste

88
Q

papillae

A

little bumps where taste buds are located on tongue

89
Q

somatosensation

A

four modalities: pressure, vibration, pain, temp

90
Q

Pacinian corpuscles

A

respond to deep pressure and vibration

91
Q

Meissner corpuscles

A

respond to light touch

92
Q

Merkle discs

A

respond to deep pressure and texture

93
Q

Ruffini endings

A

stretch

94
Q

free nerve endings

A

pain and temp

95
Q

somatosensory cortex

A

in parietal lobe, where touch info sent in CNS

96
Q

two point threshold

A

refers to minimum distance necessary between 2 points of stimulation on the skin such that 2 points felt as two distinct stimuli

97
Q

physiological zero

A

temperature judged relative to this, normal temp of skin

98
Q

gate theory of pain

A

special gating mechanism that can turn pain signals on or off affecting whether or not we perceive pain

99
Q

kinesthetic sense (proprioception)

A

ability to tell where one’s body is in space

100
Q

perception

A

refers to processing of info make sense of its significance

101
Q

bottom up processing

A

refers to object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection; data driven; brain takes individual sensory stimuli and combines them to make a cohesive image

102
Q

top down processing

A

driven by memories and expectations that allow brain to recognize whole object and then recognize components based on these expectations

103
Q

perceptual organization

A

ability to use bottom up and top down processing in tandem with all other sensory clues about an object to create complete picture or idea

104
Q

gestalt principles

A

using available info in terms of depth, form, motion, and constancy to fill in gaps of info

105
Q

law of proximity

A

elements close to one another tend to be perceived as unit

106
Q

law of similarity

A

objects that are similar are grouped together

107
Q

law of good continuation

A

elements appear to follow in the same pathway are grouped together

108
Q

subjective contours

A

perceiving contours, aka shapes that aren’t actually present

109
Q

law of closure

A

space is enclosed by contour it tends to be perceived as complete figure

110
Q

law of pragnanz

A

gestalt principles governed by this, perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple, and symmetric as possible

MCAT Psychology and Sociology Review (5 decks)

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