chapter 4 Flashcards
senses
sensation
simple stimulation of a sense organ
perception
organization, identification, and interpretation of a sensation in order to form a mental representation
transduction
process whereby sense receptors convert physical signals from the environment into neural signals that are sent to the central nervous system
sensory adaptation
process whereby sensitivity to prolonged stimulus tends to decline over time as an organism adapts to current (unchanging) conditions
psychophysics
methods that systemically relate the physical characteristics of a stimulus to an observers perception
absolute threshold
the minimal intensity needed to barely detect a stimulus in 50% of trials
sensitivity
how responsive we are to a faint stimulus
acuity
how well we can distinguish 2 very similar stimuli
just noticeable difference (JND)
the minimal change in stimulus that is just barely noticed
JND= K (constant) x I (intensity)
webers law
for every sense domain, the change in a stimulus that is just noticeable is a constant proportion despite variation in intensities
signal detection theory
a approach that holds that the response to a stimulus depends both on a person’s sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and on a persons decision criteria
retina
a layer of light sensitive tissue lining the back of the eyeball
accommodation
the process whereby the eye maintains a clear image on the retina
cones
photoreceptors that detect color, operate under normal daylight conditions, and allow us to focus on fine details
rods
photoreceptors that become active under low light conditions
fovea
area of the retina where vision is clearest and there are no rods at all
blind spot
a location in the visual field that produces no sensation on the retina
area V1
the part of the occipital lobe that contains the primary visual cortex
color opponent system
theory stating that pairs of cone types (channels) work in opposition
visual receptive field
the region of the visual field to which each neuron responds
visual form agnosia
the inability to recognize objects by sight
binding problem
how the brain links features together so that we see unified objects in our visual world rather than free floating or miscombined features
parallel processing
the brains capacity to perform multiple activities at the same time
illusory conjunction
a perceptual mistake whereby the brain incorrectly combines features from multiple objects
feature integration theory
the idea that focused attention is not required to detect individual features that make up stimuli
attention
the active and conscious processing of particular info
perceptual constancy
a perceptual principal stating that even as aspects of sensory signals change, perception remains constant
perceptual organization
the process of grouping and segregating features to create whole groups organized in meaningful ways
monocular depth cues
aspects of a scene that yield info about depth when viewed only with 1 eye
binocular disparity
the difference in retinal images of the 2 eyes that provides info about depth
apparent motion
the perception of movement as a result of alternating signals appearing in rapid succession in different locations
biological motion perception
the ability to perceive biological motion critical for identifying individuals and variables socially relevant features
spatial acuity
the ability to distinguish 2 features that are very close together in time
multisensory
events that stimulate multiple senses at a time
ventriloquist illusion
the fact that you depend on your visual system for reliable info about spatial location
change blindness
failure to detect changes to the visual details of a scene
synthesia
when 1 attribute of a stimulus such as its sound or shape, leads to the conscious experience of ana additional attribute, often in a different sensory modality than the initiating stimulus
inattentional blindness
a failure to perceive objects that are not the focus of attention
sound waves
how high or low a sound is
frequency
corresponds to our perception of pitch. low frequency= low pitch, high frequency= high pitch
amplitude
corresponds to our perception of loudness
high amplitude= loud, low amplitude= soft
complexity
corresponds to our perception of timbre. simple=pure tone, complex= mix of frequencies
loudness
perception of a sounds intensity
timbre
the quality of sound that allows you to distinguish 2 sounds with the same pitch and loudness
cochlea
a fluid filled tube that contains cells that transduce sound vibrations into neural impulses
basilar membrane
a structure in the inner ear that moves up and down in time with vibrations relayed from the ossicles, transmitted through the oval window
travelling wave
the up and down movements that sound causes in the basilar membrane
inner hair cells
specialized auditory receptor neurons embedded in the basilar membrane
area a1
the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe
place code
the process by which the brain uses info about the relative activity of hair cells (eg. which ones are more active) across the whole basilar membrane to help determine the pitch you hear
temporal code
the process whereby the brain uses timing of the action potentials in the auditory nerve to help determine the pitch you hear
haptic perception
the active exploration of the environment by touching and grasping objects with our hands
tactile receptive field
a small patch of skin that relates info about pain pressure, texture, pattern, or vibration to a receptor
referred pain
feeling of pain on the surface of the body, but due to internal damage, occurs because sensory info from internal and external areas converge on the same nerve cells in the spinal cord
gate control theory
theory of pain perception based on the idea that signals arriving from pain receptors in the body can be stopped, or gated, by interneurons in the spinal cord via feedback from the skin or from the brain
proprioception
your sense of bodily position
vestibular system
3 fluid filled semi circular canals and adjacent organs located next to the cochlea in each inner ear
sensory receptor neurons (ORNs)
receptor cells that transduce odorant molecules into neural impulses
olfactory bulbs
a brain structure located above the nasal cavity beneath the frontal lobe
pheromones
biochemical odorants emitted by other members of an animals species that can affect its behavior or physiology
taste buds
the organs of taste transduction
