Chapter 4 & 5 Test Flashcards
Transduction
sensory organs absorb stimuli from the environment
“Bottom Up” Processing
interpreting sensory information in real-time
(data driven, focuses on incoming sensory data, takes place real time)
Sensation
sensory receptors respond to light, sound, odor, taste and texture and transmit that information back to the brain
“Top Down” Processing
processing information through cognition
Perception
process where brain activity selects, organizes, and assigns meaning to incoming neural messages sent from sensory receptors
Threshold
the minimum strength of a stimuli that is needed to invoke a response
Absolute Threshold
the lowest amount of the stimuli required to detect it 50% of the time
Difference Threshold
the minimum amount of change to a stimulus that is required before a person will sense a change
a.k.a. -> just noticeable difference (JND)
Weber’s Law
the larger or stronger a stimulus the more change is required to notice a difference
Signal Detection Theory
the detection of a stimulus depends on both the intensity of the stimulus and the physical and psychological state of the individual
(stimulus intensity, background noise, physical condition, bias, level of motivation)
Stimulus Adaptation
the gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged exposure to a stimulus
Attention
concentration of awareness on one or more stimulus to the exclusion of another stimuli
Selective Attention
the process of directing our awareness to relevant stimuli while ignoring irrelevant stimuli in the environment
Inattentional Blindness
failure to notice a fully visible, but unexpected, object, because attention was engaged on another task
Auditory System
the auditory system transduces sound waves into neural messages, which is what we hear
Pinna
flap of skin & cartilage attached to head
Auditory Canal
where sound waves travel and bounce into ear drum
Eardrum (tympanic membrane)
tightly stretched membrane at end of canal, vibrates when hit by sound waves
Hammar, Anvil, Stirrup
three tiny bones in middle ear
Oval Window
small membrane separating middle ear from inner ear; relays vibration to the cochlea
Cochlea
spiral-shaped, fluid-filled structure that contains basilar membrane and hair cells
Basilar Membrane
holds hair cell receptors for hearing
Hair Cells
sensory receptors embedded in basilar membrane
Role of Brain
auditory nerve carries neural messages to the thalamus, then the auditory cortex in the temporal
Vestibular Sense
sense of balance and equilibrium
Inner Ear
contains receptors important for maintaining balance
Semicircular Canals
fluid-filled and lined with hair-like structures that shift response to motion
-provide brain with information about posture and head position
Pitch
how high a sound is a how low a sound is
(as you get older the high pitch becomes less acute)
Light
a form of electromagnetic radiation that travels as a wave
Amplitude
brightness
Wavelength
hue or color
Purity
saturation
Light enters through the….
cornea
Order for the Eyes
cornea -> pupil -> iris -> lens -> retina
Nearsightedness
close objects are seen clearly, and far objects are blurry
Farsightedness
far objects are seen clearly, and close objects are blurry
Optic Nerve
made up of axons (nerve fibers) of the retinal ganglion cells from the retina
Retina contains…
visual receptors - rods and cones
Rods
visual receptors for night vision and peripheral vision
Cones
visual receptors for daylight and color vision
Fovea
tiny spot in the center of the retina that contains only cones - visual activity is greatest at this spot
Thalamus
the sensory information from all over the body are sent to the areas of the cortex
Taste and Smell
they respond to chemical molecules rather than forms of energy (difficult to separate)
Olfaction (smell)
mucous membrane: at top of each nostril contains receptor cells that absorb airborne chemical molecules
Gustation (taste)
tongue: covered with papillae (bumps) which are covered with taste buds
4 Major Tastes
-sweet
-sour
-salty
-bitter
Skin Senses
skin: largest and heaviest organ, protects internal orans, touch, temperature, pain
Body Senses
provides information about position and orientation of our bodies in space (vestibular sense)
Somatosensory Cortex
skin sense: touch/pressure receptors - are NOT evenly distributed
Gate Control Theory
the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that either blocks pain signals or allows them to continue on to the brain
Circadian Rhythms
the 24 hour biological cycles found in humans and other spaces
SLEEP TIME IS AFFECTED BY CIRCADIAN RHYTMN
Jet Lag
when you travel and cover multiple time zones, biological clock doesn’t automatically change
EMG
muscular activity and tension
EOG
eye movement
REM
rapid eye movement
-a deep stage of sleep - hard to wake them
Non-REM (NREM)
no rapid eye movement
Sleep Deprivation
allows to experimentally manipulate sleep stages right up to almost complete REM
REM-Deprivation
lack of sleep
Slow-wake Deprivation
experience rebound
Insomnia
chronic problems in getting adequate sleep
Sleep Apnea
reflexive gasping for air that awakens a person and disrupts
Nightmares
from REM sleep
Night Terrors
usually from NREM sleep
Somnambulism
sleep walking
REM sleep behavior disorder
RBD
Dreams occur mostly in….
REM sleep
Dreaming is a…
“psychotic state”
Lucid Dreaming
when a person stays in REM in a semi-conscious state and is able to take some control their dreams
Freud - Psychoanalytic Theory
thought dreams were the “royal road to the unconscious” - meaning that they revealed secrets of the unconscious part of the mind unknown to the conscious mind
Manifest Content
the remembered story line of the dream
Latent Content
underlying meaning
Activation - Synthesis Theory
Mccarley and Hobson
during dreaming, the pons generates bursts of action potentials to the forebrain (the activation part) - side effects of beta wave creation
Information - Processing Theory
Cartwright
-allows person to work through everyday problems and emotional issues
-allows for creative thinking because dreams are not restrained by logic or realism
-stored memories, recent concerns, current emotions, etc.
Psychoactive Drugs
chemical substances that modify mental, emotional, or behavioral functioning
Mechanisms of Drug Action
psychoactive drugs work mainly by altering neurotransmitter activity in the brain
Ex: cocaine blocks reuptake at DA, NE, and serotonin synapses
Physical Dependency
a person must continue to take a drug to avoid withdrawal illness
Psychological Dependency
a person must continue to take a drug to satisfy intense mental and emotional craving for the drug
Narcotics: (morphine, heroin)
or opiates, are drugs derived from opium that are capable of relieving pain
Sedatives (depressants)
sleep-inducing drugs that tend to decrease central nervous system activation and behavioral activity
Ex: barbiturates, alcohol, anti-anxieties (valium)
Stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines)
drugs that tend to increase CNS activation and behavioral activity
Ex: cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine, nicotine
Hallucinogens (LSD, mescaline, PCP, ecstasy, mushrooms)
a diverse group of drugs that have powerful effects on mental and emotional functioning, marked most notably by distortions in sensory and perceptual experience
Alcohol (depressant, sedative)
encompasses a variety of beverages containing ethyl alcohol
Cannabis (also a hallucinogen)
is the hemp plant from which marijuana, hashish, and THC are derived
MDMA (ecstasy)
a compound drug related to both amphetamines and hallucinogens, especially mescaline
Tolerance
describes a persons reduced reaction to a drug following its repeated use
Trichromatic Theory
color vision
Opponent Process Theory
accounts for a wide range of behaviors
(when one emotion is expressed the other is suppressed)
Afterimage
a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed
