Ch. 4 - Sensation and Perception

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

the activation of the sense organs

-physical response

Question 2

perception

Answer 2

how stimuli are interpreted

-psychological response

Question 3

stimulus

Answer 3

any passing source of physical energy that produces a response in a sense organ

Question 4

psychophysics

Answer 4

study of the relationship b/w the actual physical aspects of a stimulus and our psychological experience of that stimulus

Question 5

absolute threshold

Answer 5

lowest intensity of a stimulus that an organism can detect

Question 6

difference threshold

Answer 6

smallest level of added or reduced stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred

Question 7

weber’s law

Answer 7

a just noticeable difference is a constant proportion of the intensity of an initial stimulus

Question 8

adaptation

Answer 8

an adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure to unchanging stimuli

Question 9

light

Answer 9

the physical energy that stimulates the eye

Question 10

how is light measured?

Answer 10

wavelengths

Question 11

visual spectrum

Answer 11

range of wavelengths visible to the human eye

Question 12

cornea

Answer 12

refracts/bends light to see it sharply

Question 13

pupil

Answer 13

expands in size as it gets darker

Question 14

retina

Answer 14

converts electromagnetic energy of light to electrical impulses for transmission to the brain

Question 15

rods

Answer 15

highly sensitive to light

Question 16

cones

Answer 16

responsible for sharp focus and color perception

Question 17

rods play a key role in?

Answer 17

peripheral vision

Question 18

peripheral vision

Answer 18

seeing objects outside the main center of focus

Question 19

optic nerve

Answer 19

bundle of ganglion axons

Question 20

feature detectors

Answer 20

specialized neurons that are activated only by visual stimuli having certain features, such as a shape or pattern

Question 21

trichromatic theory of color vision

Answer 21

there are three kinds of cones in the retina, each of which responding to a specific range of wavelengths

Question 22

opponent-process theory of color vision

Answer 22

receptor cells are linked in pairs, working in opposition to each other

Question 23

sound localization

Answer 23

process by which we identify the direction from which a sound is coming

Question 24

sound

Answer 24

movement of air molecules brought about by a source of vibration

Question 25

eardrum

Answer 25

vibrates when sound waves hit it

Question 26

cochlea

Answer 26

vibrates in response to sound

Question 27

basilar membrane

Answer 27

covered with hair cells, when these cells bend from vibrations they send a message to the braina

Question 28

frequency

Answer 28

number of wave cycles that occur in a second

Question 29

pitch

Answer 29

makes sound seem high or low

Question 30

amplitude

Answer 30

allows us to distinguish b/w loud and soft sounds

Question 31

decibels

Answer 31

range of sound in terms of volume

Question 32

place theory of hearing

Answer 32

diff areas of the basilar membrane are specialized to respond to diff sound frequencies

Question 33

frequency theory of hearing

Answer 33

the entire basilar membrane acts as a microphone, vibrating as a whole in response to. a sound

Question 34

echolocation

Answer 34

use of sound waves to determine where objects are

Question 35

vestibular system

Answer 35

balance - responds to the pull of gravity and allows us to maintain our balance

Question 36

semicircular canals

Answer 36

main structure of the vestibular system, consist of 3 tubes

Question 37

otoliths

Answer 37

forward, backward, up or down

Question 38

olfaction

Answer 38

human sense of smell

Question 39

olfactory cells

Answer 39

receptor neurons of the nose

Question 40

pheromones

Answer 40

chemicals that secrete into the environment that produce a social response from other members of the same species (sex, danger)

Question 41

gustation

Answer 41

sense of taste

Question 42

four basic stimulus qualities of taste

Answer 42

sweet, sour, salty, bitter

Question 43

where are the receptor cells for taste?

Answer 43

the 10k taste buds on our tongue

Question 44

RSDS

Answer 44

constant, intense pain that is out of proportion to any injury

Question 45

what are the four skin senses

Answer 45

touch, pressure, temperature, pain

Question 46

substance P

Answer 46

chemical released when a cell is damaged

Question 47

gate control theory of pain

Answer 47

particular nerve receptors in the spinal cord lead to specific areas of the brain related to pain

Question 48

synesthesia

Answer 48

the stimulation of one sensory system involuntarily leads to an additional sensory response

Question 49

multimodal perception

Answer 49

the brain collects info from the individual sensory systems and integrates and coordinates it

Question 50

gestalt laws of organization

Answer 50

closure, proximity, similarity, simplicity

Question 51

closure

Answer 51

grouping elements to form enclosed or complete figures rather than open ones

Question 52

proximity

Answer 52

elements that are closer together are viewed as grouped together

Question 53

simplicity

Answer 53

we perceive patters in the most basic manner that we can

Question 54

top down processing

Answer 54

perception is guided by higher level knowledge, experience, and motivations

Question 55

bottom up processing

Answer 55

progression of recognizing and processing info from individual components of stimuli and moving to the perception of the whole

Question 56

monocular cues

Answer 56

permit us to obtain a sense of depth and distance with just one eye

Question 57

perceptual constancy

Answer 57

recognition that physical objects are consistent and do not vary even tho our sensory input of them changes

Question 58

apparent movement

Answer 58

perception that a stationary object is moving

Question 59

visual illusions

Answer 59

physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception

Question 60

muller lyer illusion

Answer 60

assumptions thru visual stimuli that deceive us

Question 61

subliminal perception

Answer 61

perception of messages about which we have no awareness

Question 62

extrasensory perception

Answer 62

perception that does not involve our senses

Question 63

where are the cones located?

Answer 63

fovea

Question 64

top down perception is related to

Answer 64

higher level knowledge

Question 65

binocular disparity

Answer 65

difference in images seen by the left eye and the right eye

Question 66

lateral inhibitions

Answer 66

surrounding regions of white in a high contrast visual scene that serve to suppress the overall output of cells that correspond to specific regions in the visual field