Chapter 13

Question 1

Define sensation.

Answer 1

Is the neural activity triggered by a stimulus activating a sensory receptor. This results in sensory nerve impulses travelling down sensory nerve pathways to the brain.

Question 2

Define perception.

Answer 2

Is a multistage process in the central nervous system.
- It includes selection, processing, organization, and integration of information received from the senses.

Question 3

What are the different levels of vision of newborns, infants at 6 months, children at age 5, and children at age 10?

Answer 3

Newborns - functionally useful but unrefined (20/400 vision)
6 months - vision is adequate for locomotion through the environment
Age 5 - 20/30
Age 10 - 20/20

Question 4

What is presbyopia?

Answer 4

Affects the ability to see nearby images and the loss of power to focus - this can be corrected with lenses

Question 5

Why do older adults need more light in dim environments?

Answer 5

Resting diameter of the pupil decreases with age and the lens often yellows too. Both of these reduce the amount of illuminance reaching the eye, therefore, older adults need more light.

Question 6

What are the symptoms of visual problems which can occur at any age?

Answer 6

• Lack of eye-hand coordination
• Squinting
• Under- or overreaching for objects
• Unusual head movements

Question 7

Define perception of space.

Answer 7

Space perception requires perception of depth and distance

Question 8

What is retinal disparity?

Answer 8

The difference in images received by two eyes as a result of their different locations

Question 9

What is motion parallax?

Answer 9

The change in optical location for objects in motion at different distances

Question 10

What is optic flow?

Answer 10

The change in the pattern of optical texture as we move forward or backward

Question 11

What is figure and ground perception?

Answer 11

The ability to see objects of interest seen as distinct from background

Question 12

What is whole and part perception?

Answer 12

Parts of a picture or object discriminated from whole, yet can be integrated. Parts and whole perceived simultaneously

Question 13

What is shape constancy?

Answer 13

The perception of the actual object shape despite its orientation to the viewer (sensitivity to shape or form)

Question 14

What is preferential looking?

Answer 14

Infants look at new or novel objects over familiar ones. Attention wanders from objects to which the infant is habituated.

Question 15

Kinesthetics arise from what?

Answer 15

Proprioceptors

Question 16

What are the two proprioceptors?

Answer 16

Somatosensors and vestibular apparatus

Question 17

Describe somatosensors

Answer 17

These proprioceptors are located under the skin, in the muscles, at muscle-tendon junctios, and in jointcapsules and ligaments. Muscle spindles have a major role in position and movement sense.

Question 18

Where are vestibular apparatus proprioceptors located and what is their function?

Answer 18

• Located in the Inner ear
• Functions to detect the position and movement of the head which allows for the coordination of eye movements , posture, and equilibrium

Question 19

When does the vestibular apparatus start to function in infancy?

Answer 19

Functions by the age of 2 months - sometimes earlier

Question 20

What perception of elements are involved with kinesthetic perception?

Answer 20

• Tactile localization, manipulation, and movement
• Body awareness

Question 21

What kind of body awareness is involved in kinesthetic perception?

Answer 21

• Awareness of self and identification of body parts
• Laterality (a type of body awareness that gives rise to the perception that we have two distinct sides of the body that can move independently)
• Lateral dominance (preference to one leg, arm, hand)
• Side preference (coordination and bias to a side/direction)
• Spatial orientation (ability to navigate within the surrounding environment)
• Directionality (ability to project the body into space and to grasp spatial concepts)

Question 22

What is tactile localization?

Answer 22

Is the ability to identify, without sight, the exact part of the body that has been touched

Question 23

TorF: In infants, manipulation is more purposeful than accidental

Answer 23

False. Manipulation is more accidental than purposeful in infants. Manipulation becomes more methodical around six years of age

Question 24

What is an example of a scale error?

Answer 24

Trying to fit the body into a space that is too small

Question 25

A consistent preference to one eye, ear, hand, or foot over the other is defined as:

Answer 25

Lateral dominance

Question 26

Type of body awareness that makes us able
to project ourselves into space (e.g., the air) and perceive where our body parts are, where other objects are, and the movement of our
body parts and objects is defined as:

Answer 26

Directionality

Question 27

What are the three structures in the ear involved in hearing?

Answer 27

1) External ear
2) Middle ear
3) Cochlea of the inner ear

Question 28

Minimal detectable sound is defined as:

Answer 28

Absolute threshold

Question 29

Distinguishing between similar sounds is defined as:

Answer 29

Differential threshold

Question 30

What are some auditory changes with aging?

Answer 30

• Hearing loss (presbycusis)
• Absolute and differential thresholds generally increase
• Hearing amid a noisy background is more difficult
• Some loss might result from lifelong exposure to environmental noise

Question 31

Auditory perception involves perception of the following:

Answer 31

1) Location
2) Differences in similar sounds
3) Patterns
4) Auditory figure and ground

Question 32

What are the three properties of patterns?

Answer 32

1) Time
2) Intensity
3) Frequency

Question 33

Patterns in space or time that do not differ across modalities are defined as:

Answer 33

Amodal invariants