Chapter 6

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

information is detected by sensory receptors and transmitted to the brain: starting point of perception

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

the interpretation of sensory input

Question 3

Constructivists

Answer 3

create understandings from experience (nurture)

Question 4

Nativists

Answer 4

innate capabilities and maturational programs are driving forces in perceptual development

Question 5

Habituation

Answer 5

form of learning that involves learning not to respond to a repeated stimulus: being bored by the familiar

Question 6

Visual acuity

Answer 6

the ability to perceive detail in a visual stimulus

Question 7

Visual accommodation

Answer 7

the ability of the lens of the eye to change shape to bring objects at different distances into focus

Question 8

Contour

Answer 8

the amount of light-dark transition or boundary area in a visual stimulus

Question 9

Size constancy

Answer 9

the tendency to perceive an object as the same size despite changes in its distance from the eyes

Question 10

visual cliff

Answer 10

an elevated glass platform that creates an illusion of depth and is used to test depth perception of infants

Question 11

Intuitive theories

Answer 11

organized systems of knowledge, believed to be innate, that allow children to make sense of the world in areas such as physics

Question 12

Cochlear implant

Answer 12

a surgically implanted amplification device that stimulates the auditory nerve to provide hearing to the deaf

Question 13

Phonemes

Answer 13

one basic unit of sound used in a spoken language

Question 14

Olfaction

Answer 14

the sense of smell

Question 15

Cross-modal perception

Answer 15

ability to use one sensory modality to identify a stimulus or a pattern of stimuli already familiar through another modality

Question 16

Sensitive periods

Answer 16

period of life which a person is susceptible to the effects of experience or high level of plasticity

Question 17

Cataracts

Answer 17

a pathological condition of the eye involving opacification (clouding) of the lens

Question 18

attention

Answer 18

focusing perception and cognition on something in particular

Question 19

Orienting system

Answer 19

reacts to events in the environment: maintains attention in events

Question 20

Selective attention

Answer 20

concentrating on one thing and ignoring something else

Question 21

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Answer 21

disorder that has attention difficulties, impulsive behavior, overactive or fidgety

Question 22

Tinnitus

Answer 22

exposure to high noise levels that involves ringing sounds in one or both ears and last for days or weeks or indefinitely

Question 23

Umami

Answer 23

a taste sensation that roughly equates to brothy or savory

Question 24

Sensory threshold

Answer 24

the point of which low levels of stimulation can be detected

Question 25

Dark adaption

Answer 25

the eyes become more sensitive to light over times as they remain in the dark

Question 26

Presbyopia

Answer 26

problems of the aging eye, loss of near vision related to a decreased ability of the lens to accommodate to objects close to the eye

Question 27

Age related macular degeneration (AMD)

Answer 27

damage to the cells in the retina responsible for central vision

Question 28

Retinitis pigmentosa

Answer 28

(RP) a group of hereditary disorders that involve gradual deterioration of the light-sensitive cells of the retina

Question 29

Glaucoma

Answer 29

increased fluid pressure in the eye damages the optic nerve and causes progressive loss of peripheral vision and ultimately blindness

Question 30

Presbycusis

Answer 30

problems of the aging ear, involves loss of sensitivity to high frequency sounds