Chapter 11 Sensory Perception Flashcards
sensation
the collection of information from the environment via sensory organs and receptors
perception
analysis and interpretation of sensation by the nervous system, contributing to the experience of mental states of perceptual awareness
bacterial chemotaxis
movement of bacteria in response to chemical stimuli; swims in a straight line then stops, flops, and runs again; continuously repeats this (random walk)
E coli chemotaxis: runs and tumbles
a behavior in which amino acids interact with receptor proteins located on the bacterial cell’s outer membrane and influence the bacterium to swim toward their nutrients; when there are nutrients present, the bacterium runs, when molecules become less abundant, the bacterium tumbles
phorotropism
in the case of a bending or growing toward a light (i.e. a plant near a window)
phototaxis
in the case of the entire organism moving toward a light (i.e. swimming bacterium)
in organisms that use light as an energy source (photosynthesize), phototaxis and phototropism increase exposure; in organisms that do not derive energy directly from light, phototropism and phototaxis may enable movement toward a more open region in order to disperse spores/seeds
naive realism
a notion in epistemology that what we perceive is identical to what actually exists in the world - what we see, hear, smell, taste, etc… is exactly what is “out there” in some way; very easy to demonstrate limitations of naive realism
electromagnetic spectrum
encompasses an enormous range of energy from very high-energy gamma rays and x rays to moderately high energy ultraviolet radiation, to visible light, to infrared radiation, to microwaves, and finally to relatively low-energy radio waves
visible light
narrow band spanning less that a single order of magnitude within the spectrum that comprises the sensitivity range of the human visual system
ultra violet
spectrum on the next left of visible light; shorter wavelength, lower energy; not visible to humans but visible to honeybees
infrared
the spectrum on the next right of visible light; longer wavelength, lower energy; not visible to humans but visible to snakes; absorbed by many molecules in such a way as to set them vibrating
Karl von Frisch (1886-1982)
demonstrated that honeybees have color vision; received Nobel Prize for physiology/medicine in 1973
Pit vipers
group of snakes that possess structures, called pit organs, that detect infrared radiation in a way similar to how eyes detect visible light
pit organs
positioned below the eyes and near the nostrils, enable the snake to accurately locate prey animals even in complete darkness
light polarization
light from the sun vibrates in all possible angles of polarization (polarization: a property of electromagnetic radiation, which can be thought of as vibration of the electromagnetic field aligned along specific angles in relation to the direction of propagation)
