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MCAT Behavioral Science > Behavioral Science Chapter 2- Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Behavioral Science Chapter 2- Sensation and Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

Performed by receptors in the PNS and moved to CNS, the process of taking physical, electromagnetic, auditory, and other information from our internal and external environment and converting this information into electrical signals in the nervous system.

A

Sensation (similar to Transduction)

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2
Q

The actual processing of information within the CNS in order to make sense of the information’s significance.

A

Perception

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3
Q

Neurons that respond to stimuli by triggering electrical signals that carry information to the CNS.

A

Sensory Receptors

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4
Q

Physical Objects outside of the body. These objects often produce photons, sound waves, heat, pressure, or other stimuli that directly interact with sensory receptors.

A

Distal Stimuli

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5
Q

Sensory-stimulating byproducts. Directly interact with and affect the sensory receptors, and thereby inform the observer about the presence of a distal stimulus.

A

Proximal Stimuli

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6
Q

The field of study dedicated to the relationship between the physical nature of stimuli and the sensations and perceptions these stimuli evoke.

A

Psychophysics

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7
Q

Collections of neuron cell bodies found outside the CNS.

A

Ganglia

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8
Q

Areas in the brain that further analyze sensory input after transduction.

A

Projection Areas

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9
Q

The minimum amount of a stimulus that renders a difference in perception.

A

Threshold

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10
Q

The minimum of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system.

A

Absolute Threshold

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11
Q

The level of intensity that a stimulus must pass in order to be conciously perceived by the brain.

A

Threshold of Conscious Perception

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12
Q

Information that is received by the CNS but does not cross the threshold of conscious perception.

A

Subliminal Perception

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13
Q

The minimum change in magnitude required for an observer to perceive that two different stimuli are, in fact, different.

A

Difference Threshold (just-noticeable-difference, jnd)

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14
Q

One common experimental technique researchers use to explore the difference threshold.

A

Discrimination Testing

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15
Q

The observation that difference thresholds are proportional and must be computed as percentages.

A

Weber’s Law

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16
Q

The study of how internal (psychological) and external (environmental) factors influence thresholds of sensation and perception.

A

Signal Detection Theory

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17
Q

A part of Basic Signal Detection trials, these are the trails in which the signal is presented.

A

Noise Trials

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18
Q

A part of Basic Signal Detection trials, these are the trials in which the signal is not presented.

A

Catch Trials

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19
Q

A part of Basic Signal Detection trials, a trial in which the signal is presented and the subject correctly perceives the signal.

A

Hit

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20
Q

A part of Basic Signal Detection trials, a trial in which the subject fails to perceive the presented signal.

A

Miss

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21
Q

A part of Basic Signal Detection trials, a trial in which the subject indicates that he or she perceives the signal, even though the signal was not presented.

A

False Alarm

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22
Q

A part of Basic Signal Detection trials, a trial in which the subject correctly identifies that no signal was presented.

A

Correct Negative

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23
Q

The ability to detect a stimulus can change over time through:

A

Adaptation

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24
Q

A thick structural layer covering the exposed portion of the eye. Also known as the white of the eye.

A

Sclera

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25
Q

Supply the eye with nutrients.

A

Choroidal and retinal vessels

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26
Q

The innermost layer of the eye which contains the actual photoreceptors that transduce light into electrical information the brain can process.

A

Retina

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27
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum (sight).

A

Photoreceptors

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28
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to pressure or movement.

A

Mechanoreceptors

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29
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to painful or noxious stimuli (somatosensation).

A

Nociceptors

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30
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to changes in temperature (thermosensation).

A

Thermoreceptors

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31
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to the osmolarity of the blood (water homeostasis).

A

Osmoreceptors

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32
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to volatile compounds (smell).

A

Olfactory Receptors

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33
Q

A sensory receptor that responds to dissolved compounds (taste).

A

Taste Receptors

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34
Q

A clear, domelike window in the front of the eye, which gathers and focuses the incoming light.

A

Cornea

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35
Q

The colored part of the eye

A

Iris

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36
Q

A muscle of the iris which opens the pupil under sympathetic stimulation.

A

Dilator Pupillae

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37
Q

A muscle of the iris which constricts the pupil under parasympathetic stimulation.

A

Constrictor Pupillae

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38
Q

A vascular layer of connective tissue that surrounds and provides nourishment to the retina.

A

Choroid

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39
Q

A structure that produces the aqueous humor that bathes the front part of the eye before draining.

A

Ciliary Body

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40
Q

The place where aqueous humor from the eye drains into.

A

Canal of Schlemn

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41
Q

A structure that lies right behind the iris and helps control the refraction of the incoming light.

A

Lens

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42
Q

A component of the ciliary body, under parasympathetic control, that when it contracts, pulls on the suspensory ligaments.

A

Ciliary Muscle

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43
Q

The phenomenon of the lens changing shape to focus on an image as the distance varies.

A

Accomodation

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44
Q

A transparent gel that supports the retina from behind the lens.

A

Vitreous Humor

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45
Q

States that the retina contains two kinds of photoreceptors: those specialized for light-and-dark detection and those specialized for color detection.

A

Duplicity Theory of Visions (Duplexity)

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46
Q

A component of the retina numbering approximately 6 million. Used for color vision and to see fine details. most effective in bright light.

A

Cones

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47
Q

A component of the retina numbering approximately 120 million. More functional in reduced illumination and contains highly sensitive photons.

A

Rods

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48
Q

The single pigment type contained by all rods.

A

Rhodopsin

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49
Q

The central section of the retina. Has a high concentration of cones.

A

Macula

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50
Q

The center-most region of the macula that contains only cones.

A

Fovea

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51
Q

Some distance away from the center of the retina, the optic nerve leaves the eye. This region is devoid of photoreceptors and is called the optic disk. This gives rise to:

A

A Blind Spot

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52
Q

Cells that highlight gradients between adjacent rods or cones.

A

Bipolar cells

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53
Q

The axons of which group together to form the optic nerve. Located in front of the rods and cones, closer to the front of the eye.

A

Ganglion Cells

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54
Q

One of the Cranial Nerves that is formed by the grouping of ganglion cells.

A

Optic Nerve

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55
Q

Two types of cells that receive input from multiple retinal cells in the same area before being passed on to ganglion cells. Can accentuate slight differences between the visual information in each bipolar cell.

A

Amacrine and Horizontal Cells

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56
Q

Refers to both the anatomical connections between the eyes and brain and to the flow of visual information along these connections.

A

Visual Pathways

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57
Q

As the retinal fibers from each eye travel through the optic nerves toward the brain, nasal fibers from the left and right eyes cross paths HERE.

A

Optic Chiasm

58
Q

After leaving the optic chiasm, the reorganized pathways of nasal fibers are called:

A

Optic Tracts

59
Q

From the optic chiasm, some nerve fibers pass to this structure, located in the thalamus. Once here, they synapse with nerves that then pass through radiations in the temporal and parietal lobes to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe.

A

Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN)

60
Q

The brain’s ability to analyze information regarding color, form, motion, and depth simultaneously using independent pathways in the brain.

A

Visual Parallel Processing

61
Q

Refers not only to the shape of an object but also to our ability to discriminate an object of interest from the background by detecting its boundaries.

A

Form

62
Q

Neurons carrying information from the fovea and surrounding central portion of the retinal synapse with cells called:

A

Parvocellular Cells

63
Q

The term used when cells permit us to detect very fine detail when thoroughly examining an object.

A

Spatial Resolution

64
Q

The term used when cells detect the motion of objects.

A

Temporal Resolution

65
Q

Cells that are well-suited for detecting motion because they have a very high temporal resolution.

A

Magnocellular Cells

66
Q

Our ability to discriminate the three-dimensional shape of our environment and judge the distance of objects within it.

A

Depth Perception

67
Q

Specialized cells in the visual cortex responsible for comparing the inputs to each hemisphere and detecting differences.

A

Binocular Neurons

68
Q

Specialized cells in the visual cortex. Each type detects a very particular, individual feature of an object in the visual field.

A

Feature Detectors

69
Q

Our ability to both detect rotational and linear acceleration and to use this information to inform our sense of balance and spatial orientation.

A

Vestibular Sense

70
Q

The cartilaginous outside part of the ear that sound waves first reach. Its main function is to channel sound waves to the external auditory canal.

A

Pinna or Auricle

71
Q

Ear structure that directs sound waves to the eardrum.

A

External Auditory Canal

72
Q

A membrane in the inner ear that vibrates in phase with the incoming sound waves.

A

Tympanic Membrane (eardrum)

73
Q

Corresponds to an increased or decreased amplitude of vibration.

A

Intensity

74
Q

Three of the smallest bones in the body located in the middle ear. They help to transmit and amplify the vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear.

A

Ossicles

75
Q

The outermost ossicle that is fixed to the eardrum directly.

A

Malleus (hammer)

76
Q

The middle ossicle that acts directly on the stapes.

A

Incus (anvil)

77
Q

The innermost ossicle that rests on the oval window of the cochlea.

A

Stapes (stirrup)

78
Q

A structure that connects the middle ear to the nasal cavity. Helps equalize pressure between the middle ear and the environment.

A

Eustachian Tube

79
Q

A hollow region of the temporal bone containing the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals.

A

Bony Labyrinth

80
Q

Located inside the bony labyrinth, a collection of tubes and chambers that contain receptors for the sense of equilibrium and hearing.

A

Membranous Labyrinth

81
Q

A potassium-rich fluid that fills the membranous labyrinth.

A

Endolymph

82
Q

A thin layer of fluid that suspends the membranous labyrinth within the bony labyrinth while simultaneously transmitting vibrations from the outside world and cushions the inner ear structures.

A

Perilymph

83
Q

A spiral-shaped organ that contains the receptors for hearing.

A

Cochlea

84
Q

Three divisions of the cochlea that run its entire length.

A

Scalae

85
Q

Housed by the middle scala, the actual hearing apparatus. Composed of thousands of hair cells that are bathed in endolymph.

A

Organ of Corti

86
Q

A thin, flexible membrane on which the Organ of Corti rests.

A

Basilar Membrane

87
Q

A relatively immobile membrane that sits ontop of the organ of Corti.

A

Tectorial Membrane

88
Q

A membrane-covered hole in the cochlea that permits the perilymph to actually move within the cochlea.

A

Round Window

89
Q

The hair cells in the organ of Corti transduce the physical stimulus into an electrical signal, which is carried to the central nervous system by:

A

The Auditory (vestibulocochlear) Nerve

90
Q

Refers to the portion of the bony labyrinth that contains the utricle and saccule.

A

The Vesibule

91
Q

These structures are sensitive to linear acceleration, so are used as part of the balancing apparatus and to determine one’s orientation in three-dimensional space.

A

Utricle and Saccule

92
Q

Modified hair cells contained within the utricle and saccule. As the body accelerates, these cells will resist that motion. This bends ad stimulates the underlying hair cells, which send a signal to the brain.

A

Otoliths

93
Q

Three canals that are sensitive to rotational acceleration. Arranged perpendicularly to each other.

A

Semicircular Canals

94
Q

A swelling at the end of each semicircular canal where hair cells are located.

A

Ampulla

95
Q

Most sound information passes through the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brainstem where it ascends to the _______ in the thalamus.

A

Medial Geniculate Nucleus (MGN)

96
Q

Nerve fibers project to the ______ in the temporal lobe for sound processing.

A

Auditory Cortex

97
Q

A structure that localizes sound sent from nerve fibers.

A

Superior Olive

98
Q

A structure involved in the startle reflex and help keep the eyes fixed on a point while the head is turned (vestibulo-ocular reflex).

A

Inferior Colliculus

99
Q

Cells named for the long tufts of stereocilia on their top surface.

A

Hair Cells

100
Q

The accepted theory on sound perception which states that the location of a hair cell on the basilar membrane determines the perception of pitch when that hair cell is vibrated.

A

Place Theory

101
Q

Cells responsive to different frequencies are found in different places at each level of the central auditory system.

A

Tonotopic Organization

102
Q

Receptors located in the olfactory epithelium in the upper part of the nasal cavity. Signals for smell.

A

Olfactory Chemoreceptors (olfactoy nerves)

103
Q

Chemicals secreted by one animal which, once bonded with chemoreceptors, compel or urge another animal to behave in a specific way.

A

Pheromones

104
Q

The defined pathway to the brain for the sense of smell.

A

Olfactory Pathway

105
Q

Odor molecules activate receptor cells, sending signals to the:

A

Olfactory Bulb

106
Q

Signals from the olfactory bulb are relayed via ______ to higher regions of the brain, including the limbic system.

A

Olfactory Tract

107
Q

Special nerve cells or receptors that sense changes in the chemical composition of the blood.

A

Chemoreceptors

108
Q

The group of chemoreceptors resiposible for taste.

A

Taste Buds

109
Q

Little bumps on the tongue on which you can find taste buds.

A

Papillae

110
Q

Taste information travels to the brainstem, and then acends to the ______ in the thalamus before traveling to higher-order brain regions.

A

Taste Center

111
Q

Oftern reduced to the sense of “touch”. Has four modalities: pressure, vibration, pain, and temperature.

A

Somatosensation

112
Q

One type of receptor that receives tactile information. Responds to deep pressure and vibration.

A

Pacinian Corpuscles

113
Q

One type of receptor that receives tactile information. Responds to light touch.

A

Messner Corpuscles

114
Q

One type of receptor that receives tactile information. Responds to deep pressure and texture.

A

Merkel Cells (discs)

115
Q

One type of receptor that receives tactile information. Responds to stretch.

A

Ruffini Endings

116
Q

One type of receptor that receives tactile information. Responds to pain and temperature.

A

Free Nerve Endings

117
Q

For somatosensation, transduction occurs in the receptors, which send the signal to the CNS where it eventually travels to the ______ in the parietal lobe.

A

Somatosensory Cortex

118
Q

Refers to the minimum distance necessary between two points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as two distinct stimuli.

A

Two-Point Threshold

119
Q

The normal temperature of the skin (between 86 ad 97 degrees F) is judged relative to temperature.

A

Physiological Zero

120
Q

Pain perception is part of the somatosensory system and can results from signals sent from a variety of sensory receptors, most commonly:

A

Nociceptors

121
Q

A theory that proposes that a special “gating” mechanism can turn pain signals on or off affecting whether or not we perceive pain.

A

The Gate Theory of Pain

122
Q

Refers to the ability to tell where one’s body is in space.

A

Kinesthetic Sense (proprioception)

123
Q

The receptors for proprioception found mostly in muscles and joints, and play a critical role in hand-eye coordination, balance, and mobility.

A

Proprioceptors

124
Q

Refers to object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection. The brain takes the individual sensory stimuli and combines them together to create a cohesive image before determining what the object is.

A

Bottom-up (data-driven) Processing

125
Q

Is driven by memories and expectations that allow the brain to recognize the whole object and then recognize the components based on these expectations. Allows us to quickly recognize objects without needing to analyze specific parts.

A

Top-Down (conceptually-driven) Processing

126
Q

Refers to the ability to create a complete picture or idea by combining top-down and bottom-up processing with all of the other sensory slues gathered from an object.

A

Perceptual Organization

127
Q

Visual cues that only require one eye and include relative size, interposition, linear perspective, motion parallax, and other minor cues.

A

Monocular Cues

128
Q

Refers to the idea that objects appear larger the closer they are.

A

Relative Size

129
Q

Means that when two objects overlap, the one in front is closer.

A

Interposition

130
Q

Refers to the convergence of parallel lines at a distance: the greater the convergence, the further the distance.

A

Linear Perspective

131
Q

The perception that objects closer to us seem to move faster when we change our field of vision (look at something else).

A

Motion Parallax

132
Q

Visual cues that primarily involve retinal disparity.

A

Binocular Cues

133
Q

Refers to the slight difference in images projected on the two retinas.

A

Retinal Disparity

134
Q

A type of binocular cue in which the brain detects the angle between the two eyes required to bring an object into focus.

A

Convergence

135
Q

Refers to our ability to perceive that certain characteristics of objects remain the same, despite changes in the environment.

A

Contancy

136
Q

A set of general rules that account for the fact that the brain tends to view incomplete stimuli in organized, patterned ways.

A

Gestalt Principles

137
Q

Says that elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit.

A

Law of Proximity

138
Q

Says that objects that are similar tend to be grouped together.

A

Law of Similarity

139
Q

Says that elements that appear to follow in the same pathway tend to be grouped together.

A

Law of Good Continuation

140
Q

Says that when a space is enclosed by a contour, the space tends to be perceived as a complete figure.

A

Law of Closure

141
Q

Says that perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple, and symmetric as possible.

A

Law of Prägnanz

MCAT Behavioral Science (3 decks)

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