Chapter 4

Question 1

What is psychophysics?

Answer 1

The study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience.

Question 2

What is sensation?

Answer 2

The stimulation of sense organs, involving the absorption of physical energy by sensory organs.

Question 3

What does sensation do?

Answer 3

Sensation provides the raw input.

Question 4

What is perception?

Answer 4

The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.

Question 5

What does perception do?

Answer 5

Organizes and interprets the input to create a coherent experience of the world.

Question 6

What are thresholds?

Answer 6

The point which a stimulus is detectable or not detectable by sensory organs.

Question 7

What are the types of thresholds?

Answer 7

Absolute threshold: minimum amount of stimulation.
Difference threshold: smallest difference in stimulus intensity a person can detect.

Question 8

How do thresholds work?

Answer 8

By defining the minimum level of stimulus required for detection and the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.

Question 9

What is the Signal Detection Theory?

Answer 9

About detecting stimuli, involving decision-making processes.

Question 10

How does one determine the sensitivity of sensory systems?

Answer 10

Hits, Misses, False Alarms, and Correct Rejections.

Question 11

What is subliminal perception work?

Answer 11

The registration of sensory input with conscious awareness, the stimuli below can can influence behavior.

Question 12

What are the parts of the eye?

Answer 12

Iris, Pupil. Lens, and Retina.

Question 13

How does the eye function?

Answer 13

Retina detects light, Iris and Pupil control the light entering, Lens focuses the light.

Question 14

What is the main visual pathway?

Answer 14

Through the lateral geniculate nucleus into the thalamus. Then to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe.

Question 15

What is the secondary visual pathway?

Answer 15

Through the superior colliculus, thalamus, and the primary visual cortex.

Question 16

What does the Dorsal Stream do?

Answer 16

Processes motion and depth information, moving to the parietal lobe.

Question 17

What does the Ventral Stream do?

Answer 17

Processes colours and form information, moving to the temporal lobe.

Question 18

What is the Trichromatic Theory?

Answer 18

We have three types of receptors associated with red, green, and blue. Any colour can be matched by the additive mixture of the three primary colours.

Question 19

What is the Opponent Process Theory?

Answer 19

Receptors making responses to three pairs of colours:
- Red vs Green
- Yellow vs Blue
- Black vs White

Question 20

How do we perceive form, patterns, and objects?

Answer 20

Through several processes: Feature Analysis, Gestalt Principles, Selective Perception, and Perceptual Organization.

Question 21

What is Feature Analysis?

Answer 21

Detecting specific elements and assembling them into complex forms.

Question 22

What is the Gestalt Principles?

Answer 22

How scenes are organized into discrete forms through the concepts of: figure and ground, proximity, closure, similarity, simplicity, and continuity.

Question 23

What does Selective Perception explain?

Answer 23

Form perception is selective, how certain certain visual aspects are focused on while potentially missing others.

Question 24

What is Perceptual Organization?

Answer 24

How people organize their visual inputs.

Question 25

What is a visual illusion?

Answer 25

An inexplicable discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulus and its physical reality.