Chapter 5 Flashcards
What is sensation?
the sense organs’ detection of external physical stimulus and the transmission of information about this stimulus to the brain
what is perception?
the processing, organization, and interpretation of sensory signals in the brain; these processes result in an internal neural representation of the physical stimulus; perception is subjective
what is tranduction?
a process by which sensory receptors change physical stimuli into signals that are eventually sent to the brain
what is a neural message?
brain doesn’t have direct communication with our senses and the world; brain senses the world indirectly
what is the process of sensation and perception?
stimulus > sensation > transduction > perception
what is sensory adaption?
our senses are on the lookout for change; sensation is influenced by change; diminishes our responsiveness of our sensory systems to prolong stimulation
what do our sense organs specialize in?
gathering information about new/changing events
What is Weber’s Law?
perceived as different, the stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than consistent amount)
What is Fechner’s Law?
the size of JND (just-noticeable difference or difference threshold) is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus; the JND is large when the intensity of the stimulus is high
what is Steven’s Power Law?
a law of magnitude that is more accurate than Fechner’s law and covers a wider variety of stimuli
what is the signal detection theory?
sensation depends on the characeteristics of the stimulus, background stimulus and detector
what is the absolute threshold?
the smallest amount of physical stimulation required to detect a sensory input of the time it is present; the second you hear or feel something it cross the AT
what is the difference threshold?
the minimum difference in physical stimulation required to detect a difference between sensory inputs (also known as JND)
what is taste?
sense of taste is gustation
what are the 4 qualities of human taste?
sweet, sour, bitter, salty
how can taste be damaged?
by alcohol, smoking, acids, and hot foods
how do miracle berries affect taste?
they coat the sour receptors to make things sweet
how does light work?
the eye converts characteristics of light into the neural signals that the brain can process; this tranduction happens in the retina
what is the optic nerve?
nerve that carries visual information from the eye to the occipital lobes
what is the blind spot?
point where optic nerve exits the eye and where there are not photoreceptors (no rods or cones)
what are taste buds?
structures located in papillae on the tongue, that contain the sensory receptors
what are papillae?
structures on the tongue that contain groupings of taste buds
what are supertasters?
people who are highly aware of flavors and textures and are more likely that others to feel pain when eating spicy foods
what are photoreceptors?
light-sensitive cells (neurons) in retina that convert light energy into neural energy
what are rods?
are sensitive to dim light; detects back, white, and gray
what are cones?
are sensitive to colors but not dim light; sees sharp detail in lightened situations
what is inattentional blindness?
failing to see visible objects when our attention is diverted elsewhere
what is change blindness?
failing to notice change in the environment around us
what is color blindness?
failing to notice a change in a previously selected item (can’t see color)
what is hearing?
the vibrational energy of vibrating objects
A higher-pitched sound is one that is higher in ________, which is measured in ________.
frequency; hertz
Being able to detect the origin of a sound is called
localization
what is when a near object blocks an object that is farther away.
occlusion
a robot that has sensation but not perception. The robot should
detect external physical energy but not interpret it.
see the figure ( ) as an oval rather than two separate curving lines. Which Gestalt principle explains this outcome?
closure
onsider the letters XPY ZWO LRG. People tend to perceive this pattern as three groups of letters instead of a single group of letters because of the Gestalt principle known as
proximity
the auditory neurons extending from the ________ reach out with their axons to the primary auditory cortex in the ________.
thalamus; temporal lobe
what do soundwaves cause to vibrate?
the eardrum
what are the he origin of the colors we can see (primary and secondary colors)?
hues
what is he figure and ground theory?
an object is a figure that is distinct from the background
what is the proximity theory?
close figures are grouped as an object; 16 dots as three groups of objects
what is the similarity theory?
similar figures are grouped in an object; rectangle as having two locked pieces
what is the continuity theory?
intersectin lines are interpreted as continuous; we see a rectangle as full behind a cricle
what is the closure theory?
figures with gaps are interpreted as complete
what is the illusory contours theory?
contours are perceived even when they do not exist
what is bottom up processing?
Processing based on information about the basic stimulus properties
what is top down processing?
Processing based on information in your brain, at the top of your body
what is binocular disparity?
use both eyes to perceive depth through binocular disparity, where each retina has a slightly different view of the world
what is monocular depth perception?
Flat images have no depth, yet you perceive depth in them; can be done with just one eye; Leo da Vinci created it
