Ch.4 Sensation and perception

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

Process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

Process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.

Question 3

Bottom-up

Answer 3

initiated by sensory input, outside world’s influence on perception

Question 4

Top-Down

Answer 4

initiated by cognitive processing, internal/mental world’s influence on perception

Question 5

Sensory receptors

Answer 5

specialized cells that selectively detect and transmit sensory info to the brain
-send signals via distinct neural ways.

Question 6

Absolute threshold

Answer 6

minimum amount of stimulus
- an organism can detect 50% of the rime

Question 7

Difference threshold

Answer 7

How much stimulus change is necessary for detection
-just noticeable difference

Question 8

Signal detection theory

Answer 8

did i detect something?
hit- a stimulus is present and detection of stimulus
miss- stimulus us present no detection
false alarm- false detection of stimulus
correct rejection- no stimulus present and does not detect one

Question 9

Attention

Answer 9

focusing awareness on a narrowed aspect of the environment

Question 10

Cocktail party phenomenon

Answer 10

selectively paying attention within a loud setting ( certain things in the environment grab attention more than others)

Question 11

Sensory adaptation

Answer 11

the process by which our brain cells become less sensitive to constant stimuli that are picked up by our senses.

Question 12

photoreceptors retina

Answer 12

rods
sensitive to dim light, but not color
function well in low illumination
humans have about 120 million rods

Question 13

retina (cones) continued

Answer 13

respond to colors
operate best under high illumination
humans have about 6 million cones
fovea- densely populated with cones vital to many visual tasks

Question 14

Optic chiasm

Answer 14

the part of the brain where the optic nerves cross and is therefore of primary importance to the visual pathway

(optic nerves cross so it is important for vision)

Question 15

Trichromatic theory of color

Answer 15

three categories of receptors
green, blue, and red cones

Question 16

Opponent process theory (afterimages)

Answer 16

sensation remains after the stimulus is removed

Question 17

Cochlea

Answer 17

Located in the inner ear through which sound waves travel and trigger nerve impulses.

Question 18

Auditory nerve

Answer 18

a nerve connecting the inner ear with the brain and carrying nerve impulses concerned with hearing and balance

Question 19

Brain stem

Answer 19

the part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord

Question 20

temporal lobe

Answer 20

most commonly associated with processing auditory information and with the encoding of memory.

Question 21

Localization of sound (intensity)

Answer 21

The sound waves of the bark hit the right ear first and are more intense on that side compared to the left

Question 22

localization of sounds (timing)

Answer 22

The brain works out sound direction by comparing the times of when sound reaches the left versus the right ear.

Question 23

Pathway of auditory information

Answer 23

cochlea-> auditory nerve->brain stem->temporal lobe

Question 24

Pathway (touch)

Answer 24

receptors-> spinal chord->thalamus->somatosensory cortex of parietal lobe

Question 25

Thermoreceptors

Answer 25

Detect changes in temperature to warn about the danger of the temperature

Question 26

Pain (role of endorphins)

Answer 26

Your brain releases endorphins to block the nerve cells that receive the pain signals

Question 27

Papillae

Answer 27

Papillae are the little bumps on the top of your tongue and they contain your taste buds

Question 28

Taste buds

Answer 28

nerve endings that are located on the tongue and back of the throat and are responsible for our sensation of taste.

Question 29

6 taste qualities

Answer 29

sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.

Question 30

Olfatory bulb

Answer 30

structure located in the forebrain of vertebrates that receives neural input about odours detected by cells in the nasal cavity

Question 31

Olfatory nerve

Answer 31

This nerve enables your sense of smell and human olfaction is unique in its ability to cue the emotional aspects of autobiographical memory

Question 32

Kinesthetic

Answer 32

he senses of position and movement of the body

Question 33

Vestibular sense

Answer 33

provides the sense of balance