Exam 2 – chap 5

Question 1

sensation (definition)

Answer 1

detection of signals in the environment by sensory receptors in the body

Question 2

perception (definition)

Answer 2

organization and interpretation of this info from sensation

Question 3

signal detection theory studies…

Answer 3

the extent to which we notice things based on a sensory process and a decision process

Question 4

absolute threshold

Answer 4

minimum amount of stimulation needed to detect a sensory input

Question 5

just noticeable difference measures…

Answer 5

how much change is necessary for us to notice change has taken placw

Question 6

attention helps…but is…

Answer 6

helps filter out unimportant info, but is limited

Question 7

attention focuses on processes such as ___ and ___

Answer 7

sensory adaptation

selective attention

Question 8

sensory adaptation

Answer 8

not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time

Question 9

selective attention

Answer 9

choosing to try and follow a more relevant stream of information

Question 10

inattentional blindness

Answer 10

failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention

Question 11

describe direction of processing…

Answer 11

bottom-up processing

starts from raw sensation and goes up to complex perception

Question 12

describe how sensation goes to processing

Answer 12

stimulus energy (light, sound, smell, etc.)

sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, etc.)

neural impulses

brain (visual, auditory, olfactory areas)

Question 13

previous knowledge ___ how we process and organize specific raw data

Answer 13

affects

Question 14

perceptual set

Answer 14

our expectations of what we think we shall perceive can drive how we process perceptual information

Question 15

top-down processing

Answer 15

interpretation of sensations influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts

Question 16

synaesthesia may occur due to…

Answer 16

breakdown in the bottom-up and top-down processes

see musical notes as colors, tastes have shape, words have taste

synaesthetic associations form in childhood and remain constant for the rest of life

Question 17

stroop effect

Answer 17

it’s easier to read words than describe ethier colors

hard to make top-down process ignore the word an focus only on their colors

Question 18

rods detect

Answer 18

light

Question 19

cones detect

Answer 19

color

Question 20

which part of eye has a higher concentration of receptors?

Answer 20

fovea

Question 21

where is our vision most detailed?

Answer 21

fovea

Question 22

what are various principles of perceptual organization according to the Gestalt psychologists?

Answer 22

similarity
continuity
proximity
closure

Question 23

what is Gestalt perceptual organization of similarity?

Answer 23

grouping things according to similarity

Question 24

what is Gestalt perceptual organization of continuity?

Answer 24

continuous flow to what we’re processing overall

Question 25

what is Gestalt perceptual organization of proximity?

Answer 25

things close to one another tend to be grouped together

Question 26

what is Gestalt perceptual organization of closure?

Answer 26

we organize our perceptions into complete objects rather than as a series of parts

Question 27

what are the 2 types of info we use to perceive depth?

Answer 27

binocular cues

monocular cues

Question 28

what are binocular cues?

Answer 28

a way to perceive depth

come by virtue of having 2 eyes

Question 29

what are monocular cues?

Answer 29

difference b/n images that reach each eye

disparity allows brain to estimate depth

Question 30

optical illusions:

ambiguous stimuli –> plays on ___ processing

Answer 30

bottom-up

highlights the way we might make an initial assumption but the have to modify that assumption

top-down processing is making different assumptions than it did in organization