Class 3 - Sensation and Perception, Hearing, Vision, other senses Flashcards
Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
Prosopagnosia
face blindness (cannot recognize faces)
Phonagnosia
inability to recognize familiar voice
Bottom-up processing
from body (sensory receptors) to mind (brain’s sensory integration)
Top-down processing
from mind to body; processing that is guided by higher-level mental processes
Selective attention
focusing our conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Change blindness
failing to notice changes in environment
Psychophysics
studies relationship between characteristics of stimuli and experience of them
Transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another; stimulus energies (light, sounds, smells) into neural impulses our brain can interpret
Absolute threshold
the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time
Difference threshold
minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time; just noticeable difference (jnd)
Signal detection theory
predicting how and when we detect a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise); assumes that there is no single absolute threshold
Subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Priming
activation (often unconscious) of associations
ex. thing that comes to mind when you heard a word
Weber’s Law
to perceive difference, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant min % (not amount)
Sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another; perceive something in a different way base on what you have been surrounded by
ex. “meteorologies” vs “meaty urologist”
schemas
form through experiences that interpret unfamiliar info
Effect of context of perception
brightness contrast, effected by its own brightness as well as its surrounding’s
Effect of Motivation on Perception
desirable objects seem closer than they are
Effect of Emotion on Perception
emotions effecting our perceptions
ex. hearing sad music –> mourning vs morning / pain vs pane
Extrasensory perception (ESP)
can perception occur apart from sensory input? (controversial )
ex. telepathy (mind communication), precognition (future), clairvoyance (remote events)
Parapsychology
studies paranormal phenomena (ESP, psychokinesis)
Wavelength of light
hue; the dimension of color
Amplitude of wave
height of wave; intensity (amount of energy, influences brightness or loudness)
Cornea
the eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering pupil and iris
Pupil
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enter
Iris
a ring of muscle that forms the eye’s colored portion and controls the size of pupil opening
Lens
transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on retina
Retina
light-sensitive inner surface of the eye; has receptors (rods, cones) and layers of neurons
Accommodation
process by which eye’s lens change shape to focus near/far objects on retina
Eye-Brain pathway
retina –> optic nerve –> thalamus –> visual cortex (occipital lobe)
Rods
retinal receptors for peripheral and twilight vision; detect black, white, gray, movement
Cones
retinal receptors near retina’s center for well-lit conditions; detect details and color
Optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses form the eye to the brain