Chapter 5 Flashcards
Sensation
Detection and transmission of stimuli (physical) goes to brain eg, sound, color
Perception
Interpretation of sensory input, conscious perception of the world eg, green means go (process)
Bottom-up processing
Starts with the individual elements that make up an object, put them together, and interpret them as a whole. eg, looking for waldo you look for the color red
Top-down Processing
Interpret sensory information w with existing knowledge, expectations, and experience. eg, mentally filling in gaps in text
Transduction
process of translation of stimuli whereby the sensory information is converted to neural signals for the brain to interpret, eg. the brain has steps to interpret what a green light means.
Stimulus
any detectable input from the environment
Absolute Threshold
the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected 50% of the time, eg. how loud you need to be to hear anything, like a car moving distantly
Sensory Adaption
A decline in sensitivity due to constant stimulation eg. noseblind
Sound as a Stimulus
sound waves are vibrations of molecules that travel through a medium, such as air
Amplitude
Sounds can be described in amplitude(loudness), measured in decibels
Frequency
Sounds can be described in terms of their frequency which is measured in cycles per second or hertz, pitch depends on frequency
Gustatory System
sensory system for taste, receptors are clusters of taste cells found in taste buds. Thalomos gets the signals
The Olfactory System
Receptors are olfactory cilia(hair) to olfactory bulb to other parts of the brain
The Tactile System
Anything that comes in contact with skin = tactile stimulation. 2 types of receptors, warm and cold. Senses pain to avoid danger. Higher order processes matter. Signals to thalamus - parietal lobe.
The Visual System
sensory system for sight, stimulus is light, measured in nanometers
