Exam 1 Flashcards
What is sensation?
Process of encoding physical stimuli into sensory neurons
Sensation is the first step in the perception process.
What is perception?
Psychological experience of sensory input
Perception involves the interpretation of sensory information.
What is neural transduction?
Receptors, transduction and neural response
It refers to the process by which sensory stimuli are converted into electrical signals by sensory receptors.
What is phenomenology?
Our internal experiences of the stimulus of the world around us
It focuses on subjective experiences and interpretations of sensory information.
Who proposed that there are five senses for each of the organs responsible for sense?
Aristotle
This concept laid the foundation for understanding human sensory perception.
What did Thomas Young contribute to the understanding of color perception?
Colors are coded by three different kinds of nerve fibers
This theory is foundational to the trichromatic theory of color vision.
What is Johannes Mueller’s doctrine of specific nerve energies?
Each sensory nerve is specific to a particular sensation
This principle suggests that the nature of perception is determined by the specific sensory pathways.
What are the three basic color receptors identified by Von Helmholtz?
Red, green, and blue
These receptors are essential for color vision.
What is Hering’s theory of color perception?
Colors are perceived through 2 pairs of opposing colors
This is known as the opponent-process theory.
What does Weber’s Law state?
The just-noticeable difference between two stimuli is related to the magnitude or strength of the stimuli
This principle highlights how perception of differences is proportional to the original stimulus.
Who is considered the father of psychophysics?
Fechner
He established the relationship between physical stimuli and the perceptions they elicit.
What is Fechner’s Law?
Sensation is a logarithmic function of physical intensity
This law quantifies how we perceive changes in stimulus intensity.
What does Gestalt psychology emphasize?
The whole is larger than the sum of its parts
This principle suggests that our perception is influenced by the overall context.
List the Gestalt laws of perception.
- Law of Proximity
- Law of Common Fate
- Law of Closure
- Law of Similarity
- Law of Good Continuation
These laws describe how we organize visual elements into groups.
What is the Information Processing Approach?
Our brain is similar to a computer, processing information in multiple stages
This model compares cognitive processing to computer operations.
What is the Computational Approach in perception?
Information isn’t processed one piece at a time and can go forward or backward
This model emphasizes a more dynamic processing of information.
What is the role of microelectrodes in neuroscience?
To see how neurons are fired when a stimulus is presented
They allow researchers to measure electrical activity in specific brain areas.
What is agnosia?
Inability to perceive objects
It is a condition often studied in neuropsychology.
What is prosopagnosia?
Inability to perceive faces
This condition highlights the specialized nature of face recognition in the brain.
What does EEG measure?
When neurons are active
It provides insights into brain activity over time.
What does fMRI show?
Where neurons are active
It uses magnetic fields to visualize brain activity.
What is a Psychophysical Scale?
Relation between physical properties of a stimulus and our psychological experiences/perception
It helps quantify how we perceive different stimuli.
What is the Absolute Threshold?
Smallest amount of a stimulus that you can detect
It defines the minimum intensity required for perception.
What is the Method of Limits?
Used to find crossover point in ascending/descending order
This method is commonly used in psychophysical experiments.
What is the Method of Constant Stimuli?
Random order presentation of stimuli, some above and below the threshold
This method helps establish precise thresholds.
What is the Method of Adjustment?
Participant controls level of stimulus to find threshold or match two stimuli
This method allows for a more personalized threshold assessment.
What is sensitivity in relation to threshold?
Inversely related to threshold; low threshold = high sensitivity
Sensitivity reflects the ability to detect stimuli.
What is Magnitude Estimation?
Participants judge and assign numerical estimates to perceived strength of a stimulus
This method quantifies subjective perceptions.
What does Steven’s Power Law describe?
The perceived magnitude of a stimulus is related to the stimulant intensity by an exponent
This law provides a mathematical relationship between stimulus intensity and perception.
What are Catch Trials?
Trials with no stimulus presented to ensure trustworthy data
They help control for false reporting in experiments.
What is the Criterion in Signal Detection Theory?
Internal cut-off that guides decisions/responses
It determines the threshold for responding to stimuli.
What does d prime measure?
How sensitive someone is to a stimulus
It quantifies the ability to distinguish signal from noise.
Define Hit in Signal Detection Theory.
Perceiving a stimulus when it is present
This indicates a correct detection of a target stimulus.
Define Miss in Signal Detection Theory.
Not perceiving a stimulus when it is present
This indicates a failure to detect a target stimulus.
Define False Alarm in Signal Detection Theory.
Perceiving a stimulus when it is absent
This indicates an incorrect detection of a target stimulus.
Define Correct Rejection in Signal Detection Theory.
Not perceiving a stimulus when it is absent
This indicates a correct non-detection of a target stimulus.
What is the Receiver Operating Characteristic?
Curve used to examine the relationship between correctly and incorrectly recognized items
It is a graphical plot that illustrates the diagnostic ability of a binary classifier.
What are Changes in Criterion?
Changing the standard or level of behavior being measured in a study
This can affect sensitivity and response patterns in experiments.
What are Differences in Sensitivity (d prime)?
Larger d prime indicates greater ability to differentiate stimuli
Sensitivity can vary among individuals and contexts.
What are the types of touch receptors?
- Thermoreceptors
- Mechanoreceptors
- Kinesthetic receptors
- Nociceptors
- Itch receptors
- Pleasant/Gentle touch receptors
Each receptor type detects specific sensations related to touch.
What is the function of thermoreceptors?
Detects temperature
Thermoreceptors play a key role in sensing changes in temperature.
What do mechanoreceptors detect?
Mechanical displacements of the skin
These receptors are essential for detecting physical interactions with the skin.
What is proprioception?
The sense of location and position of body parts
Proprioception is facilitated by muscle spindles, joint receptors, and Golgi tendon organs.
Define nociceptive pain.
Pain resulting from tissue damage
This type of pain is associated with nociceptors located in the dermis and epidermis.
What are the two pain pathways to the brain?
- Dorsal column-medial lemniscal pathway
- Spinothalamic pathway
These pathways are crucial for transmitting pain signals to the brain.
What is the role of the somatosensory cortex?
Processes sensory info from the body
This region is essential for interpreting touch and pain sensations.
What is the function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in pain perception?
Involved in the emotional component of pain
The ACC modulates our experience of pain.
What are pruriceptors?
Receptors that respond to chemical irritants
Pruriceptors detect potential harm from chemicals on the skin.
What is haptic perception?
Active use of touch to identify objects
This involves exploring objects through touch to gain information about them.
What is the difference between active and passive exploration?
- Active exploration: experience object constancy
- Passive exploration: feel points of contact only
Both types of exploration provide different sensory information.
Fill in the blank: The _______ is a human figure representation of the somatotopic map.
Homunculus
The homunculus illustrates the distribution of sensory neurons in the somatosensory cortex.
What is the definition of anosmia?
Loss of the sense of smell
Anosmia can be caused by various health conditions, including high cholesterol and blood pressure.
What are tastants?
Water-soluble chemicals that produce a taste sensation
Tastants are crucial for the perception of different flavors.
What are the six basic tastes?
- Salty
- Sour
- Bitter
- Sweet
- Umami
- Oleogustus
Each taste corresponds to specific chemical properties.
What is the shape pattern theory in olfaction?
Odorants attach to ORN, creating a pattern of activation of glomeruli
This theory explains how we perceive different smells based on the activation patterns in the olfactory bulb.
What is phantom limb syndrome?
Feeling sensations in a missing limb
This occurs when areas of the brain associated with the limb are taken over by other regions.
What is the significance of the rubber hand illusion?
Demonstrates the brain’s perception of ownership over body parts
This illusion highlights how visual and tactile inputs can influence body perception.
True or False: The anterior insular cortex is the main taste cortex.
True
The anterior insular cortex plays a critical role in taste perception.
What is the phenomenon of tactile agnosia?
Inability to identify objects by touch
Individuals may still recognize textures and shapes despite this condition.
Fill in the blank: The _______ theory explains how pleasant odors can increase in likability up to a certain concentration.
Hedonic
The hedonic theory addresses the emotional responses to different odors.
What is the role of olfactory receptor neurons?
Detect and transduce odorant molecules into neural signals
These neurons are essential for our sense of smell.
What is the phenomenon of ageusia?
When the receptors in the tongue stop working
Ageusia leads to a loss of taste sensation.
