Chapter 6 - Sensation, Perception, and Action Flashcards
constructivist (3) vs nativists (2) on issues of nurture and nature debate
Constructivist
- perception constructed by learning over time (nurture)
- at birth, equipped with sensory systems
- more popular theory
Nativists
- born equipped with innate capabilities, allowing us to perceive the world in a meaningful way (nature)
- infants equipped with sensory systems but refined through innate plan
what did Williams James say bout perception and sensation for infants? (2)
- state of “blooming, buzzing, and confusion”
- infants have great perceptual skills
preferential looking (2)
- infants look longer at one of the 2 stimuli
- may indicate discrimination (liking one better)
vision in newborn infants (8)
- can detect brightness
- track slow-moving objects
- at 4 months blurry objects; poor visual acuity (ability to perceive detail)
- at 4 months can see color
- organizes the world as light/dark (like a check board)
- fixation on moms face
- understands size constancy
- recognition of depth and does not walk across a visual cliff (experiment, p171)
What can be done if vision impaired?
can have cataract surgery if not working properly, but later risk for eye problems
process of hearing (3)
moving air molecules enter the ear and vibrate the eardrum. vibration transmitted to cochlea in inner ear. Then sends signals that the brain interprets as sound
hearing in infants (7)
- can hear better than can see
- startled with sounds
- at 3 mo can hear things outside the womb
- discriminate loudness, direction, duration, and frequency
- distinguish phonemes
- biologically prepared to any language
- prefers the female voice
What can be done if an infant’s hearing is impaired? (2)
- can have cochlear implants if not working correctly
- infant struggles to understand signal input to brain but learns how to
What are the 4 basic tastes
bitter, sweetness, salty, sour
taste in infants (2)
- prefers sweet (amniotic fluid is sweet)
- smile with sweet, purse lips with bitter
What is smelling also called? What is its process?
- called olfaction
- receptors in nasal passage
smell in infants (1)
-recognizes mom’s milk (while mom recognizes baby smell)
touch in infants (3)
- reflexive touch
- sensitive to warm/cold
- sensitive to pain
- all skin receptors somewhat functional at birth*
What do infants require for normal perceptual development?
normal perceptual experience
Gibson’s 3 phases of exploratory behavior
- 0-4 mo: explore by looking/listening
- 5-7 mo: voluntary grasping and closer attention
- 8-9 mo: crawl, explore, examine
perception in children (7)
- gross motor skills (movement involving large muscles and limbs)
- dynamic action (senses experiences then adapt to them)
- move with rhythm (rocking, swaying)
- grasping, reaching
- more direct attention
- longer attention span
- cross-modal perception (perception that involves interactions of different senses, Ex, touch and hearing)
perception in adolescents (2)
- better attention span
- can ignore irrelevant stimuli
what leads to hearing impairment in adolescents? what is the specific disease called? What should they do to minimize damage? What can we do?
- loud music leads to hearing loss
- tinnitus (ringing in ear)
- should wear hearing protection but not “cool”
- educate the danger of loud noises and reduce stigma
taste in adolescent (2)
- add umami/savory
- influenced by cognition
smell in adolescents (1)
females more sensitive than males due to hormones
perceptual changes in adults (1)
gradual and usually minor
vision in adults (6)
- need of corrective lenses
- more attentive in reading people’s faces
- smaller pupils
- less responsive to changes in lighting condition and to dim light
- more susceptible to falls because less able to see well
- lens denser & yellowed
problems with vision in adults (3)
- have cataracts (clouding of lens)
- macular degeneration: vision fades from center of eye
- glaucoma: vision fades from peripherals
touch in adults (2)
- somaesthetic senses
- less sensitive to temperature change
hearing in adults (1)
progressively gets worse
problems with hearing in adults (2)
- in the inner ear, decline in cochlear cells and neurons leading to brain
- prebycusis: decrease sensitivity to high-frequency sounds
speech in adults (1)
problems with understanding conversation due to background noise
taste in adults (1)
gradual decline in sensitivity, foods taste bland
smell in adults (1)
ability to detect odor declines
How do sensory impairments impact adult life?
most older adults still are living full quality lives
