chapter 6 terms

Question 1

absolute threshold

Answer 1

the smallest level of tone you can detect, considering you have normal hearing and there are no interfering sounds.

Question 1

amplitude

Answer 1

the magnitude or strength of a reaction or of a stimulus

Question 2

basilar membrane

Answer 2

thin strip of tissue within the cochlea that contains the hair cells which serve as the sensory receptors for the auditory system

Question 3

cochlea

Answer 3

cochlea: a fluid-filled, snail-shaped structure that contains the sensory receptor cells (hair cells) of the auditory system

Question 4

difference threshold

Answer 4

the smallest amount by which two sensory stimuli can differ in order for an individual to perceive them as different.

Question 5

frequency

Answer 5

the number of occurrences of a phenomenon, particularly a categorical variable such as sex.

Question 6

gate-control theory

Answer 6

As a child, if you bumped your head, a relative might have immediately told you to rub the affected spot.

Question 7

hair cells

Answer 7

sensory cells of the auditory and vestibular systems. Hair cells are the sensory cells of the internal ear, essential for the senses of sound and balance.

Question 8

just noticeable difference

Answer 8

A difference threshold is the minimum required difference between two stimuli for a person to notice change 50% of the time

Question 8

olfaction

Answer 8

the action or capacity of smelling; the sense of smell.

Question 9

perception

Answer 9

the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.

Question 10

pheromone

Answer 10

substances which are secreted to the outside by an individual and received by a second individual of the same species

Question 11

pitch

Answer 11

the subjective attribute that permits sounds to be ordered on a musical scale.

Question 12

psychophysics

Answer 12

the branch of psychology that deals with the relationships between physical stimuli and mental

Question 13

sensation

Answer 13

a physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or comes into contact with the body.

Question 14

sensory adaptation

Answer 14

Sensory adaptation refers to the way our senses adjust to different stimuli.

Question 15

sensory areas

Answer 15

the areas of the brain that receive and process sensory information.

Question 16

sensory coding

Answer 16

expresses how different stimuli are encoded by different neural activity patterns.

Question 17

sensory receptors

Answer 17

transducing sensory stimuli into NERVE IMPULSES to be transmitted to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.

Question 18

signal detection theory

Answer 18

Signal detection theory is a method of differentiating a person’s ability to discriminate the presence and absence of a stimulus

Question 19

transduction

Answer 19

the action or process of converting something and especially energy or a message into another form.

Question 20

Weber’s law

Answer 20

the principle that states that the just-noticeable difference between two stimuli is a function of the magnitude of the original stimulus.