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Behavioral sciences MCAT > Chapter 2-sensation & perception > Flashcards

Chapter 2-sensation & perception Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

sensation

A

transduction, conversion of physical, electromagnetic, auditory, and other info from environment into electrical signals to the CNS

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2
Q

perception

A

processing of sensory info

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3
Q

difference threshold

A

minimum difference in magnitude between 2 stimuli that is required to detect the difference

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4
Q

Weber’s law

A

there is a constant ratio between the change in stimulus magnitude needed to produce a difference threshold and the magnitude of the original stimulus; for larger magnitude stimulus, the actual difference must be larger to perceive that difference

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5
Q

signal detection theory

A

internal (psychological) and external (environmental) context influences the perception of the same stimuli

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6
Q

Response Bias

A

tendency to systematically respond to a stimulus a particular way due to nonsensory factors.

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7
Q

signal detection experiment

A

consists of many trials where stimulus may or may not be presented; catch trials: signal presented; noise trials: signal not presented (think of white noise); after each trial participant asked if signal was presented; 4 outcomes: hits (correctly perceived the signal), miss (fails to perceive signal), false alarms, and correct negatives (correctly identifies that no signal was given

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8
Q

adaption

A

decrease in stimulus perception over time

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9
Q

retina

A

back of the eye, converts incoming photons of light into electrical signals

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10
Q

duplexity/duplicity theory of vision

A

retina contains 2 kinds of photoreceptors, rods and cones

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11
Q

cones

A

color perception, fine details; come in three different forms for long, medium, short wavelenghs

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12
Q

rods

A

more functional in reduced illumination, contain rhodopsin, better for night vision and peripheral

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13
Q

fovea

A

central retina where best visual acuity, contains only cones

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14
Q

visual pathway

A

photoreceptors-bipolar cells-ganglion cells-optic nerve-hemidecussation-LGN of thalamus-visual cortex

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15
Q

amacrine and horizontal cells

A

receive input from multiple retinal cells before passing on info to ganglion cells

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16
Q

parallel processing

A

ability to simultaneously analyze and combine info on color, shape, and motion. Feature detection: have cells that specialize in color, shape, motion

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17
Q

parvocellular cells

A

ability to see shape and distinguish object from background, color, fine detail, low temperal resolution (only can see stationary or slowly moving objects)

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18
Q

magnocellular

A

detect motion, high temporal resolution, blurry but moving image of object

19
Q

vestibular sense

A

rotational and linear acceleration of the ear

20
Q

pinna/auricle

A

outside part of ear, channels sound waves to external auditory canal

21
Q

external canal

A

directs sound to tympanic membrane (eardrum)

22
Q

tympanic membrane

A

vibrates in phase with incoming sound waves; sound wave frequency determines rate of vibration; louder sounds-greater intensity, greater amplitude; divides outer ear from middle ear

23
Q

middle ear

A

contains three small bones: ossicles- transmit and amplify vibrations from ear drum to inner ear; malleus (hammer) attached to tympanic membrane acts on incus (anvil), which acts on stapes (stirrup); middle ear attached to Eustachian tube-helps equalize pressure

24
Q

inner ear

A

sits within bony labyrinth which includes cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals; structures are filled with membranous labyrinth, bathed in potassium rich fuild called endolymph and perilymph (cushions inner ear structures and transmits vibrations)

25
Q

Cochlea

A

contains organ of Corti, the actual hearing apparatus, which sits on basilar membrane; organ composed of lots of hair cells

26
Q

Hair cells

A

receive vibrations through perilymph, convert physical stimuli into electrical signals, which are carried by auditory (vestibulocochlear) nerve; long tufts of stereocilia which sway from vibrations-swaying opens ion channels-receptor potential; which hair cells are vibrating tells brain info on pitch

27
Q

auditory pathway

A

hair cells-auditory nerve-medial geniculate nucleus-auditory cortex

28
Q

olfactory chemoreceptors

A

chemical stimuli binds chemoreceptors in olfactory epithelium in nasal cavity to cause a signal

29
Q

olfactory pathway

A

odor molecules inhaled in nasal passages-olfactory nerve-signal to olfactory bulb

30
Q

two-point threshold

A

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

31
Q

physiological zero

A

normal temperature of skin; object feels cold when less than physiological zero

32
Q

nociceptors

A

pain receptors

33
Q

gate theory of pain

A

other touch signals can inhibit perception of pain

34
Q

kinesthetic sense

A

proprioception; ability to tell where your body is in space

35
Q

bottom-up processing

A

object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection, combine individual sensory stimuli to create cohesive image; happens quickly, body reacts before brain, takes in different sensory stimuli, tells brain what to do

36
Q

top-town processing

A

driven by memories and expectations that allow the brain the recognize the whole object and then recognize components, like looking at an object for the first time; perception is driven by brain, which applies what it knows and what it expects to see, when given specific context, brain expects certain stimuli

37
Q

perceptual organization

A

ability to use both top-down and bottom-up processes together to form complete picture

38
Q

Gestalt principles

A

ways for brain to infer missing parts of an incomplete picture

39
Q

law of proximity

A

elements close to each other tend to be perceived as a unit

40
Q

law of similarity

A

objects that are similar tend to be grouped together

41
Q

law of good continuation

A

elements that appear to follow in the same pathway tend to be grouped together, tendency to perceive continuous patterns in stimuli

42
Q

law of closure

A

when a space is enclosed by a contour, it tends to be perceived as a complete figure

43
Q

law of pragnanz

A

gestalt principles altogether; perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple, and symmetric as possible

Behavioral sciences MCAT (17 decks)

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