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AP Psychology > Chapter 8- Sensation & Perception > Flashcards

Chapter 8- Sensation & Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

Perception

A

How we recognize, interpret, and organize or sensations

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2
Q

Detection thresholds

A

The act of sensing a stimulus

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3
Q

Psychophysics

A

The branch of psychology that deals with the effects of physical stimuli on sensory response

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4
Q

Absolute threshold

A

The minimal amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus and cause the neuron to fire 50% of the time

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5
Q

Signal detection theory

A

Takes into consideration that there are four possible outcomes on each trial in a detection experiment: hit, miss, false alarm, correct rejection

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6
Q

Hit

A

The signal was present, and the participant reported sensing it

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7
Q

Miss

A

The signal was present, but the participant did not sense it

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8
Q

False alarm

A

The signal was absent, but the participant reported sensing it

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9
Q

Correct rejection

A

The signal was absent, and the participant did not report sensing it

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10
Q

Discrimination threshold

A

The ability to distinguish the difference between two stimuli

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11
Q

Just noticeable difference or difference threshold

A

The minimum amount of distance between two stimuli that can be detected as distinct

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12
Q

Weber’s law

A

Created by Ernst Weber; the greater the magnitude of the stimulus, the larger the differences must be noticed

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13
Q

Subliminal perception

A

A form of preconscious processing that occurs when we are presented with stimuli so rapidly that we are not consciously aware of them

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14
Q

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

A

When we try to recall something that we already know is available but is not easily available for conscious awareness

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15
Q

Receptor cells

A

Specialized cells found on sensory organs; designed to detect specific types of energy

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16
Q

Receptive field

A

The area from which our receptor cells receive input

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17
Q

Transduction

A

The processing of converting the input at the receptor level into the electrochemical form of communication used by the nervous system via rods and cones

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18
Q

Contralateral shift

A

Occurs at thalamus; much of the sensory input from one side of the body travels to the opposite side of the brain

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19
Q

Olfaction

A

The sense of smell, travels in a more direct path to the cerebral cortex, without stopping at or being relayed by the thalamus

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20
Q

Sensory coding

A

The process by which receptors convey such a range of information to the brain

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21
Q

Qualitative dimension

A

What the stimulus is

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22
Q

Quantitative dimension

A

How much of the stimulus there is

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23
Q

Single cell recording

A

A technique by which the firing rate and pattern of a single receptor cell can be measured in response to varying sensory input

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24
Q

Visual sensation

A

Occurs when the eye receives light input from the outside world

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25
Q

Distal stimulus

A

Object as it exists in the environment

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26
Q

Proximal stimulus

A

The image of that object on the retina

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27
Q

Cornea

A

First thing light passes through; a protective layer on the outside of the eye

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28
Q

Lens

A

Under the cornea; curvature changes to accommodate for distance

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29
Q

Accommodations

A

Changes made by lens

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30
Q

Retina

A

At the back of the eye; serves as the screen onto which the proximal stimulus is projected; covered with rods and cones

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31
Q

Rods

A

Located on the periphery of the retina; sensitive in low light

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32
Q

Cones

A

Concentrated in the center of the retina, or fovea; sensitive to bright light and color vision

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33
Q

Bipolar and amacrine cells

A

Info passes these horizontal cells after light stimulates the receptors; low level info processing occurs here

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34
Q

Optic nerves

A

Crosses optic chiasm, sending half of the info from each visual field to the opposite side of the brain; each visual field includes info from both the left and right eye

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35
Q

Primary visual cortex

A

Where info travels for processing

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36
Q

Serial processing

A

Occurs when the brain computes info step-by-step in a methodical and linear matter

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37
Q

Parallel processing

A

Happens when the brain computes multiple pieces of info simultaneously

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38
Q

Feature detector

A

Neurons “see” different parts of the pattern, such as a line set at a specific angle to background

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39
Q

Young-Helmholtz or trichromatic theory

A

Process contributing to our ability to see; states that the cones in the retina of the eyes are activated by light waves associated with blue, red, and green

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40
Q

Opponent process theory

A

Contends that cells within the thalamus respond to opponent pairs of receptor sets - namely, black/white, red/green, and blue/yellow; if one color of the set is activated, the other is essentially turned off

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41
Q

Afterimage

A

The opponent of color is activated when the other receptor is fatigued; can also describe color blindness

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42
Q

Color-blindness

A

Occurs in males which provides strong evidence that this is a sex linked genetic condition

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43
Q

Dichromats

A

People who cannot distinguish along the red/green or blue/yellow continuums

44
Q

Monochromats

A

See only in shades of black and white; much more rare

45
Q

Sensation

A

The process of taking in information from the environment

46
Q

Auditory input

A

In the form of sound waves; passes outer ear and into the ear canal

47
Q

Order of sound in ear

A

Outer ear; tympanic membrane; ossicles; oval window; cochlea; auditory nerve; temporal lobe of the auditory cortex

48
Q

Outer ear

A

Collects and magnifies sound waves; vibrations enter the middle ear and vibrate the tympanic membrane

49
Q

Tympanic membrane

A

Receives vibrations form outer and passes to the ossicles

50
Q

Ossicles

A

Three tiny bones that comprise the middle ear; last bone, stapes, vibrates against the oval window; received vibrations from tympanic membrane

51
Q

Oval window

A

The beginning of the inner ear; receives vibrations from the stapes; vibrate the cochlea

52
Q

Cochlea

A

Receive vibrations from oval window; contain receptor cells which move in response to the vibrations and is called the basilar membrane; energy is transferred to the auditory nerve, and then to the temporal lobe of the auditory cortex

53
Q

Inner ear

A

Responsible for balance and contains vestibular sacs which have receptors sensitive to tilting

54
Q

Volley principle

A

States that receptor cells fire alternatively, increasing their firing capacity; appears to account for the reception of sound in the lower ranges

55
Q

Place theory

A

Asserts that sound waves generate activity at different places along the basilar membrane

56
Q

Frequency theory

A

We sense pitch because the rate of neural impulses is equal to the frequency of a particular sound

57
Q

Deafness

A

Can occur from damage to the ear structure or the neural pathway

58
Q

Conductive deafness

A

Refers to injury to the outer or middle ear structures

59
Q

Sensorineural

A

Nerve deafness caused by impairment of some structure or structures from the cochlea to the auditory cortex

60
Q

Olfaction system

A

Scent molecules reach the olfactory epithelium deep in nasal cavity; scent molecules contact receptor cells here; axons project directly to the olfactory bulbs of brain; info travels to olfactory cortex and limbic system; amygdala and hippocampus connect to olfactory nerves

61
Q

Gustation system

A

Tongue coated in papillae where taste buds are found; 5 tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami; info from taste buds travel to medulla oblongata and then to pins and the thalamus; then to cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, and limbic system

62
Q

Pressure receptors and route

A

Fast conducting myelinated neurons which send info to spinal cord; then to the medulla oblongata, the thalamus, and the somatosensory cortex

63
Q

Cutaneous and tactile receptors

A

Provide info about pressure, pain, and temperature

64
Q

Pain info route

A

Two neurons: C fibers, in myelinated and responsible for throbbing pain; and A-delta fibers send info about acute pain; pain first reaches spinal cord and releases substance P; then to the thalamus and cingulated cortex for attention; pain is then reduces through pain-gating: signal sent to opiate receptors in spinal cord from brain

65
Q

Temperature info route

A

Cold fibers: Fire in response to cold stimuli; and warm fibers: sensitive to warm stimuli

66
Q

Vestibular sense

A

Sensation of balance; located in the semicircular canals of the inner ear

67
Q

Kinesthesis

A

Found in the joints and ligaments, transits info about the location and position of the limbs and body parts

68
Q

Adaptation

A

An unconscious, temporary change in response to environmental stimuli; cannot be controlled

69
Q

Habituation

A

The process by which we become accustomed to a stimulus, and notice it less and less over time

70
Q

Dishabituation

A

Occurs when a change in the stimulus, even a small change, causes us to notice it again

71
Q

Attention

A

The processing through cognition of a select portion of the massive amount of info incoming from the senses and contained in memory; what allows us to focus on one small aspect of our perceptual world while constantly being assailed by massive input to all of our sensory systems

72
Q

Selective attention

A

We try to attend to one thing while ignoring another; watching movie but trying to ignore the convo behind you

73
Q

Cocktail party phenomenon

A

Refers to our ability to carry on and follow a single convo in a room full of conversations

74
Q

Shadowing

A

Repetition of a message in order to display conscious attention

75
Q

Filter theories

A

Propose that stimuli must pass through some form of screen or filter to enter into attention

76
Q

Attentional resource theories

A

Posit that we have only a fixed amount of attention, and this resource can be divided up as is required in a given situation

77
Q

Divided attention

A

Trying to focus on more than one task at a time; most difficult when attending to two or more stimuli that activate the same sense

78
Q

Perceptual process

A

How our mind interprets environmental stimuli

79
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

Achieves recognition of an object by breaking it down into its component parts; relies on sensory receptors; brains analysis and acknowledgement of the raw data

80
Q

Top-down processing

A

When the brain labels a particular stimulus or experience; such as tasta being labeled as sour

81
Q

Visual perception

A

Perceiving depth, size, shape, and motion; divided into monocular and binocular cues

82
Q

Monocular depth cues

A

Those that we need only one eye to see; can be depicted in 2d representations; relative size, texture gradient, interposition, linear perspective, vanishing point, aerial perspective, relative clarity, motion parallax

83
Q

Relative size

A

The facts that images that are farther from us project a smaller image on the retina than do those that are closer to us; therefore we expect an object that appears much larger than another to be closer to us

84
Q

Texture gradient

A

Texture or patterns seem to grow more dense as distance increases; pebbles look smoother from far away

85
Q

Interposition

A

Occlusion; occurs when a near object partially blocks the view of an object behind it

86
Q

Linear perspective

A

Based on the perception that a parallel lines seem to draw closer together as the lines recede into the distance; railroad tracks

87
Q

Vanishing point

A

The point at which the two lines become indistinguishable from a single line and then disappear; railroad tracks

88
Q

Aerial perspective

A

Based on the observation that atmospheric moisture and dust tend to obscure objects in the distance more than they do nearby objects; fog

89
Q

Relative clarity

A

Explains why less distinct, fuzzy images appear to be more distant

90
Q

Motion parallax

A

The difference in the apparent movement of objects at different distances when the observer is in motion

91
Q

Binocular depth cues

A

Rely on both eyes viewing an image; result from the fact that each eye sees a given image from a slightly different angle; stereopsis, retinal convergence, binocular disparity

92
Q

Stereopsis

A

The 3d image of the world resulting from binocular vision

93
Q

Real convergence

A

A depth cue that results from the fact that your eyes must turn inward slightly to focus on near objects; the closer the object, the more the eyes must turn inward

94
Q

Binocular disparity

A

Results from the fact the closer an object is, the less similar the info arriving at each eye will be; covering one eye then the other

95
Q

Visual cliff

A

Eleanor Gibson and Richard Walk; testing depth perception; a glass tabletop that appeared to be clear on one side had a checkerboard design visible on the other side; infants were placed on it to see if they would cross over the deep side; implied that depth perception was at least partially innate

96
Q

Gestalt approach

A

Based on a top-down theory; holds that most perceptual stimuli can be broken down into figure-ground relationships; vase-face example; Gestalt principles of figure detection: proximity, similarity, symmetry, continuity, closure

97
Q

Proximity

A

The tendency to see objects near to each other as forming groups; straight lines

98
Q

Similarity

A

The tendency to prefer to group like objects together; circles and squares

99
Q

Symmetry

A

The tendency to perceive preferentially forms that make up mirror images; 2 halts of a circle

100
Q

Continuity

A

The tendency to perceive preferentially fluid or continuous forms, rather than jagged or irregular ones; bent and straight line intersecting

101
Q

Closure

A

The tendency preferentially to “close up” objects that are not complete; 3 rectangles stacked

102
Q

Law of Pragnanz

A

Represented by Gestalt principles; minimum tendency, meaning that we tend to see objects in their simplest forms

103
Q

Feature detector approach

A

Reduces an image to its simplest form by positing that organisms respond to specific aspects of a particular stimulus; when driving, anticipating movement of other cars and pedestrians

104
Q

Constancy

A

We know that a stimulus remains the same size, shape brightness, weight, and volume even though it does not appear to; airplane on the ground compared into the air

105
Q

Motion detection

A

We perceive motion through two processes: one records the changing position of the object as it moves across the retina, the other tracks how we move our head to follow the stimuli

106
Q

Apparent motion

A

Phi phenomenon: blinking lights on a roadside arrow; stroboscopic effect: a motion picture, where still pictures move at a fast enough pace to imply movement; autokinetic effect: still light that appears to twinkle in darkness

AP Psychology (6 decks)

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