Chapter 5 - Sensation and Perception Flashcards
stimulation of the sense organs is?
sensation
the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input is?
perception
What is psychophysics?
the study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experiences.
any detectable input from the environment is a:
stimulus
what is an absolute threshold?
the minimum amount of stimulation that an organism can be detected (50% of the time)
what is the just noticeable difference (JND)?
the smallest difference in the amount of stimulation that a specific sense can detect
what is weber’s law?
the size of a JND is a constant proportional to the size of the initial stimulus
do constants differ depending on the type of sensory input in weber’s law?
yes
in perception, everything is _____.
relative
what is fechner’s law?
subjective sensation is proportional to the stimulus intensity
under fechner’s law, the ______ changes depending on the intensity of the stimuli.
just noticeable difference
detection of stimuli involving decision processes and sensory processes is:
signal detection theory
according to signal detection theory, the presence of a stimulus and the presence of a participant response is a:
hit
according to signal detection theory, the absence of a stimulus and the presence of a participant response is a:
false alarm
according to signal detection theory, the presence of a stimulus and absence of a participant response is a:
miss
according to signal detection theory, the absence of a stimulus and absence of a participant response is a:
correct rejection
the registration of sensory input without conscious awareness is:
subliminal perception
what is sensory adaptation?
a gradual decline in sensitivity due to prolonged stimulation (tuning something out)
_____ are vibrations of molecules that travel through a medium.
sound waves
frequency is measured in:
cycles per seconds of hertz (Hz)
what is wavelength?
distance from crest-to-crest or trough-to-trough
loudness depends mainly on the _____ of a sound wave.
amplitude
what is purity?
a sound that has a single frequency and wavelength.
what are the three major parts of the human ear?
outer ear, middle ear, inner ear
what are the parts of the outer ear?
auditory canal, tympanic membrane (eardrum)
what are the three bones in the middle ear?
malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), stapes (stirrup)
the oval window is located in the _____ ear
middle
what are the three main parts of the inner ear?
semicircular canals, cochlea, auditory vestibular nerve
what is the basilar membrane? where is it located?
the basilar membrane is a stiff structure that separates two liquid-filled tubes in the cochlea
the perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different places along the basilar membrane is:
place theory
the perception of pitch corresponds to the the frequency at which the entire bsilar membrane vibrates is:
frequency theory
low-frequency tones are translated into pitch through:
frequency coding
high-frequency pure tones are translated into pitch through:
place theory
what is auditory localization? what are two important cues for it?
locating the source of a sound in space. cues: loudness and timing of sounds arriving at each ear.
what are some causes of deafness?
genetics, disease, injury, exposure to loud noise
what are the two major types of deafness?
conductive deafness and nerve deafness
what is the gustatory system?
sensory system for taste
what are gustatory receptors? where are they found?
clusters of taste cells found in the taste buds
what does perception of taste depend on?
complex patterns of neural activity
what are non-tasters?
people who don’t have as many taste receptors
what are supertasters?
people with more densely packed taste receptors or have better perception
_____ is a combination of taste, smell, and the tactile sensation of food in one’s mouth
flavour
in the olfactory system, stimuli are:
volatile chemical substances
the hair-like structures located in the upper portion of the nasal passages are:
olfactory cilia
sense of smell shows:
sensory adaptation
chemical messages that can be sent by one organism and received by another member of the same species are:
pheromones
physical stimuli for touch are _______________ that affect the skin.
mechanical, thermal, and chemical energy
nerve cells that carry information about tactile stimulation are routed through the ______ to the ______.
spinal cord, brain-stem
does sensory adaptation occur with sense of pressure?
yes
what is perception of pain influenced by?
expectations, personality, mood
what is the gate control theory?
incoming pain sensations must pass through a “gate” in the spinal cord that can be closed, thus blocking ascending pain signals
which neurotransmitters modulate pain perception?
endorphins and serotonin
what is the kinesthetic system?
monitors the positions of the various parts of the body
what is the vestibular system?
responds to gravity and keeps you informed of your body’s location in space
what is the major organ involved in the vestibular system?
the semicircular canals in the inner ears
light enters the eye through the ____ and then passes through the ____.
cornea, lens
what are accommodations in the lens?
the lens changes shape to focus an image
what is the iris?
coloured ring of muscle around the pupil
what is the retina? what does it do?
the neural tissue lining the back of the eye. it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain.
what are cones?
specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and colour vision.
what is the fovea?
the “focal point” of the retina. only contains cones.
what are rods?
specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision
the process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination is:
dark adaptation
what properties of light influence the perception of colour?
wavelength (hue), amplitude (brightness), purity (saturation)
what kind of colour mixing superimposes lights, putting more light in the mixture that exists in any one light by itself?
additive colour mixing
what kind of colour mixing removes some wavelengths of light, leaving less light than was originally there?
subtractive colour mixing
what theory suggests that the human eye has three types of receptors with differing sensitivities to different light wavelengths?
trichromatic theory
what does trichromatic theory explain? why?
colour blindness. most people who are colourblind are dichromats.
what is opponent-process theory?
each cone is responsive to two wavelengths (on/off switch)
what does opponent-process theory explain?
afterimages
what theory combines trichromatic and opponent-process theories?
dual-process theory
the interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or how far away objects are is:
depth perception
what are the two main components of monocular depth cues?
motion parallax and pictorial depth cues
what are the two main components of binocular depth cues?
retinal disparity and convergence
emphasizes the stimulus characteristics that are important when you recognize an object
bottom-up processing
what are the steps to bottom-up processing?
1) start with the individual elements
2) put them together
3) interpret the object as a whole
what process interprets sensory information in light of existing knowledge, concepts, and ideas?
top-down processing
what is Gestalt psychology?
humans have basic tendencies to actively organize what they see.
what are illusory contours?
you can “see” boundaries that do not exist.
what are the four gestalt laws of organization?
1) law of similarity
2) law of proximity
3) law of closure
4) law of continuity
shape constancy, size constancy, and brightness constancy are all:
perceptual constancies
perceptual constancies show that context can produce ______.
illusions
the impossible triangle, never-ending staircase, and the devil’s tuning fork are all examples of:
illusions
