ch.6- Sensation and Perception

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Question 2

perception

Answer 2

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Question 3

bottum-up processing

Answer 3

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

Question 4

top-down processing

Answer 4

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

Question 5

psychophysics

Answer 5

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

Question 6

absolute threshold

Answer 6

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

Question 7

signal detection theory

Answer 7

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation(noise).

Question 8

subliminal

Answer 8

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Question 9

priming

Answer 9

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

Question 10

weber’s law

Answer 10

to be perceived as different, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant rather than a constant amount

Question 11

transduction

Answer 11

conversion of 1 form of energy to another(transform stimulus energies into neural impulses)

Question 12

wavelength

Answer 12

distance from peak of one light or sound wave to the next

Question 13

hue

Answer 13

dimension of color that is determined by wavelength of light

Question 14

intensity

Answer 14

amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude

Question 15

pupil

Answer 15

adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

Question 16

iris

Answer 16

ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Question 17

retina

Answer 17

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

Question 18

lens

Answer 18

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Question 19

accommodation

Answer 19

te process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

Question 20

rods

Answer 20

receptor cells that detect black, white, and gray, necessary for night vision

Question 21

cones

Answer 21

receptor cells in the center of the retina, function in well-lit conditions, detect fine detail and color

Question 22

optic nerve

Answer 22

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain via the thalamus

Question 23

blind spot

Answer 23

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there

Question 24

fovea

Answer 24

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

Question 25

feature detectors

Answer 25

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

Question 26

opponent-process theory

Answer 26

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. Fore example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

Question 27

young-helmholtz trichromatic (3 color) theory

Answer 27

the theory that the retina contains 3 different color receptors- one most sensitive to res, one to green, one to blue- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Question 28

pitch

Answer 28

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Question 29

frequency

Answer 29

the number of complete wavelength that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second)

Question 30

middle ear

Answer 30

the chamber between the eardrum and chattel containing 3 tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations o the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window

Question 31

cochlea

Answer 31

a coiled bony fluid-filled tube in the air through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

Question 32

inner ear

Answer 32

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Question 33

place theory

Answer 33

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

Question 34

frequency theory

Answer 34

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling yo the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling s to sense its pitch

Question 35

cochlear implant

Answer 35

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Question 36

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 36

hearing loss caused by the damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells of to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

Question 37

conduction hearing loss

Answer 37

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Question 38

vestibular sense

Answer 38

tye sense of body movement and position including the sense of balance

Question 39

kinesthesis

Answer 39

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Question 40

gate-control theory

Answer 40

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of the pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by the activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Question 41

figure-ground

Answer 41

the organization of the visual field objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Question 42

binocular cues

Answer 42

depth cues, like retinal disparity, that depend on the use of both eyes

Question 43

monocular cues

Answer 43

depth cues, like interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

Question 44

retinal disparity

Answer 44

a binocular cue for perceiving depth:by comparing images from urge retinas in the 2 eyes, the brain computes distance (the greater the difference between the 2 images, the closer the object

Question 45

visual cliff

Answer 45

a lab device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Question 46

depth perception

Answer 46

the ability to see objects in 3d although the images that strike the retina are 2d; allows us to judge distance

Question 47

phi phenomenon

Answer 47

an illusion of movement created when 2 or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

Question 48

clairvoyance

Answer 48

ability to see or know things without actually perceiving them via the senses.

Question 49

parapsychology

Answer 49

the study of paranormal phenomena, including esp and psychokinesis

Question 50

precognition

Answer 50

foreknowledge of an event

Question 51

esp

Answer 51

perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes precognition, clairvoyance, and telepathy

Question 52

telepathy

Answer 52

communication sent or received directly from one mind to another without using speech,

Question 53

psychokinesis

Answer 53

can move objects by mental effort alone

Question 54

interposition

Answer 54

an object is closer than the ones behind it because the closer object covers part of the farther object.

Question 55

linear perspective

Answer 55

two identical items will appear to vary in size with the amount of distance involved and why roads appear to narrow with distance.