Ch 5 Powerpoint Flashcards
What are sensory receptors?
Specialized neurons that respond to specific types of stimuli.
What is sensation?
Occurs when sensory receptors detect sensory stimuli.
What is transduction?
The process by which sensory receptors convert stimuli into action potentials sent to the central nervous system.
List the sensory systems.
- Vision
- Hearing (audition)
- Smell (olfaction)
- Taste (gustation)
- Touch (somatosensation)
- Balance (vestibular sense)
- Body position (proprioception)
- Movement (kinesthesia)
- Pain (nociception)
- Temperature (thermoception)
What is the absolute threshold?
The minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time.
What are subliminal messages?
Messages presented below the threshold of conscious awareness.
What does just noticeable difference (JND) refer to?
The minimum difference in stimuli required to detect a change or difference between stimuli.
What is perception?
The way that sensory information is interpreted, organized, and consciously experienced.
Define bottom-up processing.
A system in which perceptions are built from sensory input.
Define top-down processing.
Interpretation of sensations influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts.
What is sensory adaptation?
Not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods.
What is inattentional blindness?
Failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention.
What is signal detection theory?
Change in stimulus detection as a function of current mental state.
How do beliefs and values affect perception?
They influence how individuals interpret sensory information.
What is the Müller-Lyer illusion?
An optical illusion where lines appear to be different lengths although they are identical.
What are the two physical properties of waves?
- Amplitude
- Wavelength
Define frequency.
The number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period, expressed in hertz (Hz).
What is the visible spectrum?
The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can see.
What colors are associated with different wavelengths of light?
- Longer wavelengths = reds
- Intermediate wavelengths = greens
- Shorter wavelengths = blues and violets
What is the relationship between amplitude and color?
The amplitude of light waves is associated with brightness/intensity of color.
How is pitch defined in sound waves?
The frequency of sound waves.
What does amplitude of sound waves measure?
Loudness.
What is the typical range of sound frequencies that humans can hear?
20 – 20000 Hz.
What is the threshold for pain in decibels?
130 dB.
What are the three divisions of the ear?
- Outer
- Middle
- Inner
What is auditory transduction?
The process where sound waves stimulate hair cells in the cochlea, generating neural impulses.
What is the difference between temporal theory and place theory in pitch perception?
- Temporal Theory: Frequency is coded by the activity level of a sensory neuron.
- Place Theory: Different portions of the basilar membrane are sensitive to different frequencies.
What is interaural level difference?
Sound coming from one side of the body is more intense at the closest ear.
What is conductive hearing loss?
Associated with a failure in the vibration of the eardrum and/or movement of the ossicles.
What is sensorineural hearing loss?
Failure to transmit neural signals from the cochlea to the brain.
List the primary taste modalities.
- Sweet
- Salty
- Sour
- Bitter
- Umami
What are taste buds?
Groupings of taste receptor cells with hair-like extensions that protrude into the central pore of the taste bud.
What is transduction in the context of taste?
Taste molecules bind to receptors, causing chemical changes that send neural impulses to the brain.
What is the life cycle of taste buds?
10 days to 2 weeks
What happens during transduction in taste?
Taste molecules bind to receptors and cause chemical changes within the sensory cell
What is the primary function of the olfactory receptor cells?
Interact with odor molecules and chemical receptors in the mucous membrane at the top of the nose
What are pheromones?
Chemical messages sent by another individual, often related to reproductive status
What type of sensory receptors respond to pressure and lower-frequency vibrations?
Meissner’s corpuscles
What type of sensory receptors detect transient pressure and higher-frequency vibrations?
Pacinian corpuscles
What is thermoception?
Temperature perception
What does nociception indicate?
Potential harm and maybe pain
What is inflammatory pain?
Signals some type of tissue damage
What is congenital insensitivity to pain?
A rare genetic disorder in which the individual is born without the ability to feel pain
What does the vestibular sense contribute to?
Ability to maintain balance and body posture
Where are the major sensory organs of the vestibular system located?
Next to the cochlea in the inner ear
What is proprioception?
Perception of body position
What is kinesthesia?
Perception of the body’s movement through space
What is Gestalt psychology based on?
The idea that the whole is different from the sum of its parts
What does the figure-ground relationship explain?
Why we perceive images as either a vase or a pair of faces
What does the Gestalt principle of proximity suggest?
Things that are close to one another tend to be grouped together
What does the Gestalt principle of similarity imply?
Things that are alike tend to be grouped together
What does the Gestalt principle of continuity suggest?
We are more likely to perceive continuous, smooth flowing lines rather than jagged, broken lines
What does the Gestalt principle of closure state?
We organize our perceptions into complete objects rather than as a series of parts
True or False: Implicit bias can influence perception.
True
What did Dr. Atiba Goff’s research find regarding perceptions of Black boys?
They are considered more responsible for their actions and are often perceived as older than their actual age
