April 16 Flashcards
Stimulus has two dimensions
Qualitative and quantitative dimensions
Sensory coding
Process by which the receptors convey such a range of information to the brain
Qualitative dimension
Is coded and expressed by which neurons are firing
Neurons firing in the occipital lobe
Indicates that the sensory information is light
Neurons firing in the temporal lobe
Indicate that the sensory stimulus is sound
Cornea
Protective layer on the outside of the eye
Lens
Under the cornea
Curvature of the lens changes to accommodate for distance A.k.a. accommodations
Retina
Back of the eye
Serves as the screen onto which the proximal stimulus is projected
Covered with receptors known as rods and cones
Rods
Located on the periphery of the retina are sensitive in lowlight
Foeva
Center of the retina
Cones
Concentrated in the center of the retina are sensitive to bright light and color vision
Hue
Wavelengths of light
Pitch
Wavelengths of frequency of sound
Physical characteristic of amplitude
Perceive as brightness for light and loudness for sound
Physical trait of complexity
Known saturation when dealing with light and timbre when referring to sound
Sensory neurons respond to differing environmental stimuli
By altering their firing rate and the regularity of their firing pattern
Single cell recording
Technique by which the firing rate and pattern of a single preceptor so can be measured in response to varying sensory input
Visual sensation
Occurs when the eye receives light input from the outside world
Distal stimulus
The object as it exists in the environment is known as
Proximal stimulus
The image of that object on the retina
Bipolar and amacrine cells
After light stimulates the receptors, this information passes through these where some low-level information processing may occur
Optic nerves
Stimulation travels to the ganglion cells of this after the bipolar and amacrine cells
Optic chiasma
Where the optic nerves cross
Send half of the information from each visual field to the opposite side of the brain
Serial processing
Occurs when the brain computes information step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter
Parallel processing
Happens when the brain computes multiple pieces of information simultaneously
Feature detector neurons
“See” different parts of the pattern, such as a line set at a specific angle to the background
Convergence
Information becomes more complex as it travels through the sensory system
Once lines and colors have been sensed, the information travels through two pathways
The dorsal stream and the ventral stream
Ventral stream
The what pathway that connects to the prefrontal cortex, allowing a person to recognize an object
Dorsal stream
The where pathway that integrates visual information with the other senses through a connection to the somatosensory cortex at the top of the brain
Young-Helmholtz or trichromatic theory
The cones in the retina of the eyes are activated by light waves associated with blue, red, and green
See all colors by mixing these three
Opponent process theory
Cells within the Salamis respond to a opponent pairs of receptor sets
Black/white
Red/green
Blue/yellow
If one color of the set is activated, the other is essentially turned off
Color blindness
Responds to the opponent process theory
Most color blindness occurs in males, which provides strong evidence that this is a sex linked genetic condition
Dichromats
People who cannot distinguish along the red/green or blue/yellow continuums
Monochromats
See only and shades of black and white
