Chapter 4 Flashcards
Sensation
Information from sense organs
Perception
interpretation of sensory information
Illusion
Perception that does not match reality
Transduction
process by which external stimulus is converted by a sense receptor into neural activity.
Perception is an
interpretation of sensation
Perception needs
sensation
Perception changes
due to concept
Absolute threshold
threshold of chance performance (50%) in the detection of a stimulus.
(JND) Just noticeable difference
smallest amount of stimulus change that humans can detect.
Webers law
Constant proportional relationship between JND and stimulus intensity
Synesthesia
cross-model sensations
Selective Attention
process of selecting sensory channel and ignoring/minimizing others.
Atleast three Examples of Synesthesia
When you see something and can taste it at the same time
Color associated with numbers
Emotion associated with color (Auras)
Matching certains classes with colour (Math is orange)
We associate pain with colours
Colour from music
Ignored/minimized stimuli
Still processes to some extent in some cases, we are aware of this information (E.g. Cocktail party effect)
Cocktail party Effect
We pay attention to things we’re supposed to be ignoring. Ex: At a party having a one on one conversation, you however can hear other conversation. So despite ignoring other conversation, if you hear your name across the room the stimuli gets attracted and you tune in. So not all information gets ignored, we process it unconsciously. Ignored content somehow gets through.
Inattentional Blindness
Stimuli that is in plain sight is not detected.
Change blindness
Stimuli that changes that is not detected. /failure to detect change in your environments.
Brightness
amount of light reflected back to the eye.
Hue
wavelength of light perceived as colour
Iris
Colored, controls how much light enters the eye through the pupil
Pupil
Opening in the center of the iris where light enters the ye, can constrict or dilate.
Cornea
Bends light towards the lens
Lens
Elastic in nature (changes curvature) to reflect light to a region of the back of the eye called the retina, which is light sensitive.
Myopia
longer eyeball
Hyperopia
shorter eyeball
Retina
Patch of sensory receptors (rods + cones) at the back of the eye
Fovea
Receptors close to the center of the retina have greatest visual acuity (sharpness of vision).
Rods
Sensitive to light. Absent in the fovea. Responsible for peripheral vision. (help see in the dark)
Cones
sensitive to colour. Found in the fovea. Responsible for vision at the center of the visual.
Rods are for
Darkness
Cones are for
Colour
Optic Nerve
Bundles of Axons from ganglion cells that exit the back of the eye
Blind Spot
the hole the optic nerve exits from. (no optic nerves there, just a hole)
Opponent-Process Theory
Opposing colours Explains afterimages
Visual Agnosia
Object Recognition is impaired due to damage to visual association cortex.
Prosopagnosia
Is impaired face recognition
Sound
A wave of pressure caused by vibrations of objects. Physical properties of sound include pitch, loudness and timbre
Pitch
Sound wave frequency (Hz)
Loudness
Amplitude of the sound waves (dB)
Timbre
Complexity of Sound.
Amplitude
Height of the wave, Higher = Louder Lower= Quieter
Outer Ear
-Helps to funnel sound towards the ear drum
-Pinna (Skin and cartilage flap)
-Ear Canal
Middle Ear
-Eardrum (Tympanic Membrane)
-Three Ossicles (Tiny bones) 1.Hammer (Malleus) 2. Anvil (Incus) 3.Stirrup (Stapes)
-When sound waves hit membrane it starts to move -> Hits Hammer ->Anvil ->Stirrup and turns it to a neural response that the brain can understand
Inner Ear
-Sensory Organ for sound wabes
-Cochlea contains the basilar membrane and Organ of Corti
Place Theory
Location along the basilar membrane matches tone and pitch
Frequency Theory
Rate of action potentials related to pitch
-Rate for neural soundwaves depict sound to our brain?
Olfaction
Smell
Gustation
Taste
Odors
Airborn chemicals that interact with lining in the nasal passages.
5 types of Taste
Sweet, Salty, Sour, bitter, Umami
Pheromones
Odorless Chemicals that serve as a social signal to members of the same species.
Somatosensory
Responds to stimuli on the skin, temperature, and injury
Proprioception
Kinesthetic Sense
Good athletes, dancers, will have enhanced proprioception
Vestibular Sense
Equilibrium and Balance
