Chapter 3

Question 1

Absolute threshold

Answer 1

The smallest amount of a given stimulus a person can sense.

Question 2

Difference threshold

Answer 2

The minimal difference in the magnitude of energy needed for people to detect a difference between two stimuli.

Question 3

Webbers law

Answer 3

The principle that the amount of change in a stimulus needed to detect the difference is given by a constant ratio or fraction called a constant, of the original stimulus.

Question 4

Signal detection theory

Answer 4

The threshold for detecting a signal depends not only on the properties of the stimulus itself, such as the intensity, the loudness of sound but also on the level of background stimulation, or noise, and, importantly on the biological and psychological characteristics of the perceiver

Question 5

Sensory receptors

Answer 5

Specialized cells that detect sensory stimuli and convert them into neural impulses.

Question 6

Sensory adaptation

Answer 6

The process by which sensory receptors adapt to constant stimuli by becoming less sensitive to them.

Question 7

Photo receptors

Answer 7

Light-sensitive cells (rods and cones) in the eye upon which light registers.

Question 8

Rods

Answer 8

Photo receptors that are sensitive only to the intensity of light (light and dark)

Question 9

Cones

Answer 9

Photo receptors that are sensitive to color.

Question 10

Optic nerve

Answer 10

The nerve that carries neural impulses generated by light stimulation from the Eye to the brain.

Question 11

Blind spot

Answer 11

The area in the retina where the optic nerve leaves that I and that contains no photo receptor cells

Question 12

Fovea

Answer 12

The area near the center of the retina that contains only cones and that is the center of focus for clearest vision

Question 13

Place theory

Answer 13

The belief that pitch depends on the place along the basilar membrane that vibrates the most in response to a particular auditory stimulus

Question 14

Frequency theory

Answer 14

The belief that pitch depends on the frequency of vibration of the basilar membrane and the volley of neural impulses transmitted to the brain via the auditory nerve

Question 15

Sensations

Answer 15

The process by which we received, transform, and process stimuli from the outside world to create sensory experiences of vision, touch, hearing, taste, smell, and so on.

Question 16

Volley principle

Answer 16

The principle that relates to the experience of pitch to the alternating firing of groups of neurons along the basilar membrane

Question 17

Conduction deafness

Answer 17

A form of deafness, usually involving damage to the middle of the ear, in which there is a loss of conduction of sound vibrations through the ear

Question 18

Nerve deafness

Answer 18

Deafness associated with nerve damage, usually involving damage to the hair cells for the auditory nerve itself

Question 19

Pheromones

Answer 19

Chemical substances that are emitted by many species and that have various functions, including sexual attraction

Question 20

Gate control theory of pain

Answer 20

The belief that a narrow gate in the spinal cord opens to allow pain messages to reach the brain and closes to shut them out

Question 21

Vestibular sense

Answer 21

The sense that keeps us informed about balance and position of our body in space

Question 22

Clairvoyance

Answer 22

The ability to perceive objects and events without using the known senses

Question 23

Parapsychology

Answer 23

The study of paranormal phenomenon

Question 24

Telepathy

Answer 24

Communication of thoughts from one minute to another that occurs without using the known senses

Question 25

Precognition

Answer 25

The ability to tell the future

Question 26

Trichromatic theory

Answer 26

A theory of color vision that posits the ability to see different colors depends on the relative activity of three types of color receptors in the eye. Red, green, and blue/Violet

Question 27

Opponent process theory

Answer 27

A theory of color vision that holds that the experience of color results from opposing processes involving two sets of color receptors, red/green receptors and blue/yellow receptors, and that a Nother set of opposing receptors, Black/white, is responsible for detecting differences in brightness

Question 28

Pitch

Answer 28

The highness or lowness’s of a sound that corresponds to the frequency of the soundwave

Question 29

Audition

Answer 29

The sense of hearing

Question 30

Bottom up processing

Answer 30

A model of perceptual processing by which the brain recognizes meaningful patterns By piecing together bits and pieces of sensory information

Question 31

Top-down processing

Answer 31

A mode of perceptual processing by which the brain identifies patterns as meaningful holes rather then as piecemeal constructions

Question 32

Laws of perceptual organization

Answer 32

The principles identified by gesalt psychologists that describe the ways in which the brain groups bits of sensory stimulation into meaningful wholes or patterns

Question 33

Carpendered world hypothesis

Answer 33

An attempt to explain the muller – lyer illusion in terms of cultural experience of living in a Carpendered right angled world like our own