Behavioral Sciences

Question 1

binocular cues

Answer 1

two eyes give a sense of depth

Question 2

retinal disparity

Answer 2

because eyes ~2.5 inches apart, give ideas on depth

Question 3

convergence

Answer 3

gives humans idea of depth (far away: eye muscles relaxed/ close: eye muscles contract)

Question 4

monocular cues

Answer 4

only need 1 eye, give sense of form/motion/constancy

Question 5

relative size

Answer 5

closer objects are perceived as larger

Question 6

interposition

Answer 6

overlapping objects: front object is closer

Question 7

relative height

Answer 7

higher objects perceived as higher

Question 8

shading/countour

Answer 8

give ideas about craters/mountains

Question 9

motion parallax

Answer 9

objects farther away move slower/ objects closer move faster

Question 10

constancy

Answer 10

perception doesn’t change even if the cast on the retina is different (size, shape, color)

Question 11

sensory adaptation

Answer 11

senses are adaptable and they can change their sensitivity to stimuli

Question 12

hearing adaptation

Answer 12

controlled by the inner ear muscle, when hear higher noise, the muscle contracts (dampens vibrations in inner ear, protecting the eardrum)

Question 13

touch adaptation

Answer 13

temperature receptors are desensitized over time

Question 14

smell adaptation

Answer 14

receptors in nose desensitized to molecule sensory information over time

Question 15

proprioception adaptation

Answer 15

eventually reorient your sense of position of body in space

Question 16

sight adaptation

Answer 16

down regulation (pupils constrict) or up regulation to light intensity (pupils dilate)

Question 17

Weber’s Law

Answer 17

predicts linear relationship that the change in a stimulus that will be just noticeable is a constant ratio of the original stimulus

Question 18

just noticeable difference

Answer 18

threshold at which one is able to notice a change in any sensation (smallest difference can be detected 50% of the time)

Question 19

absolute threshold of sensation

Answer 19

the minimum intensity of stimulus needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time, not a fixed number

Question 20

psychological influences on absolute threshold

Answer 20

expectations, familiarity, motivation, alertness

Question 21

subliminal stimuli

Answer 21

stimuli below the absolute threshold of sensation

Question 22

types of somatosensation

Answer 22

temperature (thermoception),
pressure (mechanoception),
pain (nociception), and
position (proprioception)

Question 23

intensity of somatosensation

Answer 23

how quickly neurons fire for us to notice

(slow=low intensity, fast=high intensity)

Question 24

non-adapting neuron timing

Answer 24

neuron fires at constant rate

Question 25

slow-adapting neuron timing

Answer 25

neuron fires at beginning of stimulus and calms down after some time

Question 26

fast-adapting neuron timing

Answer 26

neuron fires as soon as stimulus starts, then stops firing, fires again when stimulus stops

Question 27

the vestibular system

Answer 27

relates to balance and spatial orientation (inner ear and limbs)

Question 28

location of semicircular canals

Answer 28

inner ear

Question 29

endolymph

Answer 29

fills canals, shifts during rotation, which allows the head to detect the direction and strength of rotation

Question 30

otolithic organs

Answer 30

(utricle/saccule) helps to detect linear acceleration and head positioning

Question 31

hair cells’ function in otolithic organs

Answer 31

attached to CaCO3 crystals in viscous gel, during movement: crystals pull on hair cells and triggers AP.
And contributes to dizziness and vertigo

Question 32

signal detection theory

Answer 32

how make decisions under conditions of uncertainty (discerning between important and unimportant stimuli)

Question 33

signal detection possible results

Answer 33

Hit (affirmative when signal present)
False Alarm (perceive signal when no signal present)
Correct Rejection (correct negative answer for no signal)
Miss (negative response to present signal)

Question 34

bottom-up processing

Answer 34

begin with stimulus, no preconceived cognitive constructs of stimulus (never seen it before), data driven

Question 35

top-down processing

Answer 35

uses background knowledge to influence perception, theory driven, perception driven by expectation

Question 36

Gestalt Principles

Answer 36

similarity, pragnanz (reduced to simplest form), proximity, continuity, closure, symmetry, Law of Common Fate, Law of Past Experiences, Contextual Effects

Question 37

conjunctiva

Answer 37

thin layer of cells lines eyelids from eye

Question 38

cornea

Answer 38

transparent thick sheet of fibrous tissue
anterior 1/6th
starts to bend light
first part of eye light hits

Question 39

anterior chamber

Answer 39

space filled with aqueous humor (pressure to maintain shape of eyeball)
allows nutrients and minerals to supply cells of cornea/iris

Question 40

pupil

Answer 40

opening in middle of iris, modulates amount of light entering eyeball

Question 41

iris

Answer 41

gives eye color, a muscle that constricts/relaxes to change the size of the pupil

Question 42

lens

Answer 42

bends the light