Chapter Five : Part Two

Question 1

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Answer 1

optic nerve

Question 2

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there

Answer 2

blind spot

Question 3

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

Answer 3

fovea

Question 4

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle or movement

Answer 4

feature detectors

Question 5

the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision; contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and conscious problem solving

Answer 5

parallel processing

Question 6

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one green, one to blue - which when stimulated in combination can produce perception of any color

Answer 6

Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic (3 color) Theory

Question 7

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision; example: some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red, others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

Answer 7

opponent-process theory

Question 8

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

Answer 8

color consancy

Question 9

the sense or act of hearing

Answer 9

audition

Question 10

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

Answer 10

frequency

Question 11

a tone’s experienced highness of lowness; depends on frequency

Answer 11

pitch

Question 12

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window

Answer 12

middle ear

Question 13

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves rigger nerve impulses

Answer 13

cochlea

Question 14

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Answer 14

inner ear

Question 15

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

Answer 15

Place theory

Question 16

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense it’s pitch

Answer 16

frequency theory

Question 17

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Answer 17

conduction hearing loss

Question 18

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

Answer 18

sensorineural hearing loss

Question 19

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electors threaded into the cochlea

Answer 19

cochlea implant

Question 20

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain; the “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Answer 20

gate-control theory

Question 21

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences taste

Answer 21

sensory interaction

Question 22

people who lose one channel of sensation do seem to compensate with a slight enhancement of their other sensory abilities

Answer 22

sensory compensation

Question 23

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Answer 23

kinesthesis

Question 24

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Answer 24

vestibular sense

Question 25

hairlike organelles that like the inner ear

Answer 25

cilia

Question 26

the experience of smell

Answer 26

olfaction

Question 27

a condition in which one sense (for example, hearing) is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses such as sight; Another form joins objects such as letters, shapes, numbers or people’s names with a sensory perception such as smell, color or flavor

Answer 27

synesthesia

Question 28

cells that are specialized sensory neurons for the transmission of special senses; Ex: rods and cones produce chemical changes that generate neural impulses

Answer 28

bipolar cells

Question 29

a type of neuron located near the inner surface of the retina; receive we usual information from photoreceptors form the bipolar cells

Answer 29

ganglion cells

Question 30

sensory interactions that also influences what we hear; Ex: If we see a speaker saying one syllable while hearing another, we may perceive a third syllable that blends both inputs.

Answer 30

McGurk Effect