Chapter 5 - Sensation & Perception Flashcards
define sensation and perception
Sensation is the stimulus-detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. (bottom up)
Perception is making sense of what our senses tell us- is the active process of organizing this stimulus input and giving it meaning. (top down)
what is psychophysics
the study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experiences
What two kind of sensory capabilities are studied by psychophysics researchers?
- The absolute limits of sensitivity
- The difference between stimuli
eastyn is a psychophysicist, she asks “what is the smallest difference in brightness that we can detect?”
what is she studying
the difference between stimuli
eastyn is a psychophysicist, she asks “ what is the softest sound or weakest salt solution that humans can detect
what is she studying
the absolute limits of sensitivity
define transduction
the process whereby the characteristics of the stimulus are converted into nerve impulses
define synesthesia
condition in which the brain mixes up senses
name the two theories that attempt to explain the cause of synesthesia
Theory 1- the pruning of neural connections that occurs in infancy hasn’t happened
Theory 2- Insufficient neural inhibition in the brain so input overflows to other areas
define the absolute threshold
lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time
once transduction occurs, specialized neurons called _________ ___________ break down and analyze the specific features of the stimuli
feature detectors
what do you call stimulus that is so weak or brief that although it is received by the senses it can’t be perceived consciously
subliminal stimulus
define decision criterion
a standard of how certain they must be that stimulus is present before they will say they detect it
explain signal detection theory
signal detection theory is concerned with the situational factors that influence sensory judgements
when perception is more important, people have lower absolute thresholds
perception is thus a decision
Why do signal detection theorists view stimulus detection as a decision?
There is no single point on the intensity scale that separates no detection from detection of a stimulus.
There is a range of Uncertainty and people set their own decision criterion- a standard of how certain they must be that a stimulus is present before they will say they detect it.
What kind of personal and situational factors influence signal detection decision criteria?
Fatigue, expectation and the potential significance of a stimulus.
define the Difference threshold
the difference between two stimuli that people can perceive 50% of the time
the “just noticeable difference”
explain Weber’s law
states that the difference threshold is proportional to magnitude of stimulus, varies for every stimulus
eastyn is blasting the new metro boomin album in the car
the music seems loud at the beginning but by the end she get used to it
what is this an example of
sensory adaptation
what is sensory adaptation
reduced sensitivity to a stimulus after constant exposure
explain fechners law
sensation increase with the logarithm of intensity, there is not a 1:1 relationship between physical intensity and psychological intensity
what is subliminal perception
perception below the absolute threshold
what is the cornea
Cornea- outer layer that focuses on light
what is the pupil
the black part
an adjustable opening that can dilate or constrict to control the light coming in
what is the iris
controls dealation of pupils
coloured
what is the lens
an elastic structure that deals with fine tuning
becomes thinner to focus on far object, and thicker to focus on close objects
what are myopia and hyperopia? what causes them?
myopia - nearsightedness
lens is too long
hyperopia - farsightedness
lens is short
what is the retina
multi layered tissue in the back of the eye
perceives height and width
the ______ reverses images from right to left, and top to bottom, and projects the image onto the ______, the image is then reconstructed into the image we perceive in the brain
the lens reverses images from right to left, and top to bottom, and projects the image onto the retina, the image is then reconstructed into the image we perceive in the brain
mireille is blind as fuck and without he contacts she cant see far away things so she has _______
myopia
what are rods and cones in the eye
Rods- black and white brightness receptors
best in dark, common in peripherals, helps see dimly lit rooms
Cones- colour receptors
best in light
rods and cones send their messages to the brain vis two additional layers of cells.
what are they
bipolar cells and ganglion cells
________ cells synapse with rods and cones
________ cells’ axons are collected into a bundle to form the optic nerve
bipolar
ganglion
the ______ ______ is made up from a bunch of axons of ganglion cells that take info from the retina to the brain
the optic nerve is made up from a bunch of axons of ganglion cells that take info from the retina to the brain
what is visual acuity
ability to see fine detail
__________ are a protein that translates light waves into nerve impulses collected from rods and cones
Photopigments- a protein that translates light waves into nerve impulses collected from rods and cones
the blind spot is due to a portion of the eye not having what?
photoreceptors
eastyn is too stoned to find the lgith switch and eventually while walking through the dark kitchen, she gets used to the dark
what is happening here
Dark adaptation- progressive improvement to light sensitivity under low illumination
the ________ theory states that every color can be made from red blue green so there are 3 color receptors in the retina
trichromatic theory
what is a problem with the trichromatic theory
problem with the theory is that why can red green color blind people see yellow?
the ______ _______ theory states that there are three types of cones that respond to two different wavelegths; one to red or green, one to blue or yellow
and a third which responds to black and white
opponent process theory
the _______ ________ theory says both theories are right, trichromatic was right about cones containing one od three differnet photopigments that are sensitive to RGB, and opponent process was right about ganglion cells responding in opponent-process by altering firing rate
dual process theory
what is dichromat colour deficient vison
colour blind to only one system, either red-green or yellow-blue
what is monochromatic colour deficient vision
completely colourblind and can only see black and white
the ______ _______ _______ is an area in the occipital lobe which receives impulses generated from the retina via the ________, and analyzes the visual input using ________ detectors
the primary visual cortex is an area in the occipital lobe which receives impulses generated from the retina via the thalamus, and analyzes the visual input using feature detectors
a sensory neuron that responds to a specific feature of a stimulus, such as shape angle and colour, is called a what?
feature detector
How does the lens affect visual acuity?
Ability to see depends on the lens ability to focus the image directly onto the retina.
Describe the lens dysfunctions in Myopia
Aka- Nearsightedness.
Good vision for nearby objects but difficulty seeing far away objects.
-Lens focuses the visual image in front of the retina (Too near the lens) resulting in a blurred image for faraway objects.
Describe the Lens dysfunction in Hyperopia
Aka- Farsightedness
Excellent distance vision but trouble seeing closeup objects clearly.
Occurs when the lens does not thicken enough and the image is therefore focused on a point behind the retina (too far from the lens)
How are Rods distributed in the retina and how do they contribute to brightness, perception, colour vision and visual acuity?
The rods function best in dim light and are primarily black and white brightness receptors. They are about 500 more times sensitive to light than cones but do not give rise to colour sensations.
In humans, rods are found throughout the retina except in the fovea.
Periphery of the retina contains mainly rods.
How are Cones distributed in the retina and how do they contribute to brightness, perception, colour vision and visual acuity?
Cones, colour receptors, function best in bright illumination. Cones decrease in concentration as one moves away from the centre of the retina.
What is transduction and how does this process occur in the photoreceptors of the eye?
Transduction is the process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses.
In the eye rods and cones translate light waves into nerve impulses through the action of protein molecules called photopigments.
________ processing refers to the ability to use sense to contruct a unified image
Parallel processing refers to the ability to use sense to construct a unified image
in audition, what do you call the number of sound ways per second (pitch) and measured in ___
frequency
hertz (Hz) - the technical measure of cycles per second
in audition, what do you call the vertical size of waves (loudness) and measured in ____
amplitude
decibels (db) - a measure of the psychical pressures that occur at eardrum
what is the eardrum
moveable membrane that vibrates in response to sound waves
what is the middle ear
3 tiny bones that amplify sound
the hammer, anvil and stirrup and anvil are found in what part of the ear? how are they involved in the auditory transduction process?
they are found in the middle ear
they vibrate, amplifying sound waves more than 30 times
what are the three parts of the inner ear?
the cochlea
basilar membrane
organ of corti
the ______ is the part of the inner ear that kinda looks like a snail, is filled with liquid and contained receptors for sound
chochlea
the _________ ________ is the part of the inner ear that is a sheet of tissue, contains corti, and has sound receptor hair cells
basilar membrane
the_______ of _______ the _________ ________ is the part of the inner ear that is a sheet of tissue, contains corti, and has sound receptor hair cells
the organ of corti
what is the name of the theory that sates that nerve impulses math the frequency of the sound
frequency theory
what is the name of the theory that sates that a part of the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks indicates the frequency
place theory
once the hair cells in the cochlea synapse with the neurons of the auditory nerve, impulses are sent via a relay station in the ______ to the auditory cortex, located in the temporal lobe
thalamus
the fact that we have ears on both sides of the head so we can tell where sound is coming from refers to to________ ________
sound localization
what is conduction deafness cause by
caused by damage to mechanical system that conducts sound waves to cochlea
having damaged receptors within the inner ear or the auditory system itself refers to ______ _______
Nerve deafness
what are the two varieties of deafness
conduction deafness and nerve deafness
what is gustation
taste
what is olfaction
smell
gustation and olfaction are _______ senses because their receptors are sensitive to _______ molecules rather than to some form of energy
chemical
their receptors are sensitive to chemical molecules
gustation and olfaction are _______ senses because their receptors are sensitive to _______ molecules rather than to some form of energy
chemical
their receptors are sensitive to chemical moleculest
Scientists sometimes refer to gustation and olfaction as one _______ ________?
one chemical sense
they are intertwined
describe the receptors involved in gustation
Taste buds
chemical receptors concentrated along the edges and back surface of the tongue
describe the receptors involved in olfaction
The receptors for smell are long cells that project through the lining of the upper part of the nasal cavity and into the mucous membrane.
eastyn and mireille get pissed off for 6 days, once a month
what phenomenon is likely occuring?
menstrual synchrony
What four tactile sensations are humans sensitive to?
pressure (touch), pain, warmth and cold.
Pain receptors are found in all body tissues with the exception of the what parts of the body
brain, bones, hair, nails and nonliving parts of the teeth.
________ provides us with feedback about our muscles’ and joints’ positions and movements
kinesthesis
how are phantom limb sensations produced?
by an irritation of the nerves that use to originate in the limb fools the brain into interpreting the resulting nerve impulses as real sensations.
what is the natural opiate-like substance that is involved in pain reduction
endoprins
_______ sense is the sense of body orientation or equillibriam
vestibular sense
bottom up processing refers to ______
perception
what is the name of the experimental technique where a participant wears headphones and a different message is played in either ear
shadowing
in shadowing is is usually easy to hear what one ear hearr, at the expense of what?
at the expense of not paying attention to the other sound playing in the other ear
what in Inattentional blindness-
the failure of unattended stimuli to register in consciousness
if you are looking directly at something without acutally “seeing” it cause you’re thinking about you are probably experiencing ________ ________
inattentional blindness
the failure of unattended stimuli to register in consciousness
explain figure ground relations
we tend to organize stimuli into foreground and background
central figure (foreground) has a more distinct shape and is more striking in perception and memory
_______ laws are the laws of perceptual organization, which explain how separate stimuli come to be perceived as a part of a whole
gestalt
name and explain the 4 gestalt laws
similarity - when parts of a configuration are perceived as similar they will be perceived as belonging together
proximity - - elements that are close in proximity will be perceived as part of the same configuration
closure - people tend to close the gaps in an incomplete figure
continuity - people link individual elements together so that they form a continuous pattern that makes sense (ie. we follow paths)
“reorganizing” stimulus implies that we have a ________ _________: a mental representation of a image to compare with
perceptual schema
What stimulus and personal characteristics influence attention?
intensity, novelty, movement, contrast, and repetition
Internal factors, such as our motives and interests, act as powerful filters and influence which stimuli in our environment we will notice
People are especially attentive to stimuli that have relevance to their well-being.
in this example what would be considered as figure, and what would be considered as ground
instrumental music and melody, surrounded by other chords or harmonies
instrumental music is heard as a melody (figure) surrounded by other chords or harmonies (ground)
_________ ____ is known as a readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way - sometines seeing is believing
perceptual set
Were it not for ________ _________ that allow us to recognize familiar stimuli under varying conditions, we would have literally to rediscover what something is each time it appeared under different conditions.
perceptual constancies
the ability to recognize both an open door and closed door as still being a door is an example of what?
perceptual constancies
shape constancy allows the recognition of people and objects from many different _______
angles
the brain translates information from the retina (only in 2D - leght and width) into 3D perceptions using what two cues
monocular depth cues
binocular depth cues
______ depth cues require only one eye, whilst ________ ________ requires both eyes
monocular depth cues require one eye
binocular disparity require both eyes
monocular depth cues use _______ and _______ to create 3d images
monocular
how does binocular disparity create 3d images
uses perceptions from both eyes and combines then into one image
a second binocular distance cue is that of _______, which is produces by feedback from the muscles that turn your eyes inward to view a near object
convergence
Primary cue for perceiving motion is movement of stimulus across the _______
retina
Relative movement of an object against a structured background is a ________ ____
movement cue
illusory movement produced when a light is briefly flashed in darkness, and then, a few milliseconds later, another is flashed nearby
if timed right, the light appears to move, though it is simply quick flashing of light in a movement pattern
what do gestralt psychologists call this
stroboscopic movement
_____ are compelling but incorrect perceptions that can be understood as erroneous perceptual hypotheses about the nature of the stimulus
illusions
size __________ may be distorted to create an illusion of distance
Size constancy
describe binocular/retinal disparity
each eye sees a different image because they are on different sides
name at least 5 monocular depth cue
- patterns of light and shadow
- linear perspective
- Interposition
- height in the horizontal plane
- Texture
- clarity
- Relative size
- motion parallax
what is psychophysiology
the study of the relationship between physiological signals recorded from the body and brain to mental processes
neural mechanisms that allow us to sense
______ is the father of psychophysics
Fechner
eastyn is trying to sell booze to first years. to increase her sales she makes the logo on the bottles of alcohol have a hidden word on them that says “sex”, what tactic is she using
will it work?
subliminal perception
prolly wont work
in general, no evidence that subliminal cute influence consumer behaviour
what is an accessory structure of the auditory system
the outer ear
what part of the eye does the majority of light focusing
cornea - the clear protective layer on the eye
where does transduction take place in the eye
the retina - the photoreceptors are on the retina
when light goes through the pupil and to the back of the eye to the retina it goes through a layer of ________ cells and then ________ cells before it reaches the photoreceptors
ganglion and then bipolar
the center of the fovea has no ______ only _____
no rods only cones
rods and cones use _______ _______, a chemical that breaks down in the presence of light
visual pigments
what is the visual pigment in a rod called
rhodopsin
when rhodopsin goes clear we refer to it as _______
bleached
what are three three visual pigments in cones called, and what colours are they sensitive to
chlorolabe - green
erythrolabe - red
cyanolabe - blue
mireille takes a picture of eastyn with flash on, eastyn “sees spots” afterwards, why?
the photochemicals in her retina have been bleached and need time to regenerate
what is the dark adaptation experiement
- sit someone down in a dark room and let their eyes adapt to the dark
- take a picture with flash, bleaching their retinas\
- measure how long it takes for the person to see a different intensity of light
what is the rod cone break
on the graph of threshold of intensity versus time in dark (dark adaptation experiment)
it is the point where rods are more sensitive than cones
the contrast of an object changes due to its _______
background
this is the simultaneous background affect
horizontal cells in the retina generate ______
inhibition
when the lights are dim we get ______ frequency or firing, when the lights are bright we get _____ frequency of firing
when the lights are dim we get LOW frequency or firing, when the lights are bright we get HIGH frequency of firing
seeing a shape that is generated by the surrounded shapes, but doesn’t actually exist is know as ________ contours
subjective contours
the gestalt approach emphasizes the importance of _____ and ______ in how we perceive the world around us
expecation and context
______ _________ implies that i rescale the size of objects so that they remain constant at any distance
size constancy
constancy scaling is ________ in the first three months of infancy
learned
the school of _________ says that we create meaning from basic elements or features
the school of constructionism (constructionist) says that we create meaning from basic elements or features
