Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

MCAT Behavioral Sciences > Chapter 2: Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Chapter 2: Sensation and Perception Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
MCAT flashcards
1
Q

What is transduction?

A

conversion of physical, electromagnetic, auditory information from internal or external environment to electrical signals in the nervous system (sensory information)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is perception?

A

Processing sensory information to make sence of its significance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are sensory receptors?

A

neurons that respond to stimuli and trigger electrical signals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Distal Stimuli

A

stimuli that originate from outside of the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Proximal Stimuli

A

interact/affect sensory receptors, and inform the observer about the presence of distal stimuli

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Ganglia

A

neuron cell bodies round outside central nervous system

receptors receive stimuli and transmit information to the nervous system through the ganglia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Photoreceptors

A

respond to electromagnetic waves in visible light spectrum (sight)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Hair Cells

A

respond to movement of fluid in inner ear structure (hearing)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Nociceptors

A

respond to pain or noxious stimuli (somatosensation)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Thermoreceptors

A

respond to changes in temperature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Osmoreceptors

A

respond to osmolarity (water homeostasis)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Olfactory Receptors

A

Respond to volatile compounds (smell)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Taste Receptors

A

respond to dissolved compounds (taste)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Threshold

A

The minimum amount of a stimulus that renders a difference in perception

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is absolute threshold?

A
  • minimum of stimulus energy needed to activate a sensory system
  • threshold in SENSATION
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the threshold of Conscious Perception?

A
  • Threshold by which a stimuli not only reaches the CNS, but reaches high order brain regions that control attention and consciousness
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the difference threshold ?

A

minimum difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive a difference

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Describe Weber’s Law

A

There is a constant ratio between change in stimulus and and the original magnitude of the stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

changes of perception of the same stimuli depending on internal and external context

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Response Bias

A

Tendency to respond to a stimulus in a particular way

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Sclera

A

White of the eye, covers most of the exposed region of the eye

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Choroidal and retinal vessels

A

provide nutrients to the eye

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Retina

A

innermost layer of the eye, contains photoreceptors

converts incoming photons of light to electrical signals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Cornea

A

Gathers and focuses incoming light

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

The front of the eye is divided into the :

A

anterior and posterior chamber

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Which two muscles make up the pupil?

A

Dilator and constrictor pupillae

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

ciliary body

A

produces aqueous humor that bathes the front part of the eye

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

canal of Schlemm

A

drains aqueous humor

29
Q

lens

A

helps control incoming light

30
Q

What is accommodation?

A

Change of the shape of the lens

31
Q

The retina is made up of cones and rods. What is the function of the rods?

A

Rods only contain rhodamine, so they only allow sensation of light and dark; allow for night vision

32
Q

The retina is made up of cones and rods. What is the function of the cones?

A

Used for color vision and to sense fine detail

33
Q

What occurs at the optic chiasm?

A

fibers from nasal half of each retina crosses paths

34
Q

What is parallel processing?

A

the ability to simultaneously analyze and combine information regarding shape, color and motion (ex: recognizing a moving car)

35
Q

What cells recognize shape?

A

Parvocellular

36
Q

What cells recognize motion?

A

magnocellular

37
Q

Describe the functional of the outer membrane?

A

The pinna directs sound to the external auditory canal.

The canal directs sounds to the eardrum.

38
Q

What are the roles of the ossicles in the middle ear?

A

Transmit and amplify the vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear.

39
Q

Where is the organ of Corti located?

A

cochlea

40
Q

What is the role of the organ of Corti?

A

convert physical stimulus into electrical signal which is carried to the CNS by auditory nerves

41
Q

What is the role of the vestibule

A

contains the utricle and saccule, which is important in determining one’s orientation in 3D space (sensitive to linear acceleration)

42
Q

What is the semicircular canals sensitive to?

A

rotational acceleration

43
Q

How does sound information pass from the brainstem to the thalamus?

A

medial geniculate nucleus

44
Q

What is the role of the auditory cortex?

A

sound processing

45
Q

Describe the role of hair cells?

A

Hair cells have stereocilia on their surface that sway when vibrations hit the basilar membrane, causing ion channels to open

46
Q

What is place theory?

A

The location of hair cells on the basilar membrane determines the perception of pitch when the hair is vibrated

47
Q

What are pheromones?

A

smells that carry roles in animals social, foraging and sexual behavior

48
Q

Pacinian corpuscles

A

respond to deep pressure and vibration

49
Q

Meissner corpuscles

A

respond to light touch

50
Q

Merkel cells

A

respond to deep pressure and texture

51
Q

Ruffini endings

A

respond to stretch

52
Q

Free nerve endings

A

respond to pain and temperature

53
Q

What are the four modalities of somatosensation?

A

pain, temperature, pressure, vibration

54
Q

Two point threshold

A

minimum distance needed between two points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as two distinct stimuli

55
Q

physiological zero

A

skin temperature

56
Q

What is the role of nocireceptors?

A

pain perception

57
Q

What is kinesthetic sense?

A

ability to tell where one’s body is in space

58
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

refers to object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection (data driven)

59
Q

Top-down processing

A

driven by memories and expectations (conceptually driven)

60
Q

What is perceptual organization?

A

the ability to use top down and bottom up organization in order to come up with a complete image or idea

61
Q

What is depth perception?

A

only rely on monocular or binocular cues (one or both eyes)

62
Q

What are Gestalt’s Principles?

A

The idea that there are ways that the brain infers missing pieces of information

63
Q

Law of proximity

A

Objects near each other tend to be perceived as a unit

64
Q

Law of similarity

A

objects similar to each other tend to be grouped

65
Q

Law of good continuation

A

elements that follow the same pathway tend to be grouped

66
Q

Subjective Contours

A

perceiving contours, and therefore shapes that are not actually present

67
Q

Law of Closure

A

When space is enclosed in a contour, it tends to be perceived as a complete figure

68
Q

Law of Pragnanz

A

Perceptual organization will always be regular, simple and geometric

MCAT Behavioral Sciences (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions