Final Flashcards
Absolute Threshold
minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus in at least 50% of sensory exposures
A test examining the level of sensation-seeking has a mean of 80 with a standard deviation of 4. Give an example of a score that is within one standard deviation of the mean.
Any number between 76-80, 80-84
Framing Effect
the way that a problem is presented to someone, and it can drastically change that person’s perception or reaction to the problem or situation.
Afterimage effect; Explain the role of retinal cones in this optical illusion.
a visual illusion that occurs when you see or stare at an image for an extended period of time that continues to appear in your eyes after the original image is gone (or upon blinking…). The overstimulated retinal cones reduce their response which allows the complementary color cones to dominate perception.
Blue Colors = Yellow Afterimage
Black = White Afterimage
Red= Green Afterimage
What do color blind people have deficiencies in?
Their cones
Dichromatism
Unable to distinguish between red and green
Inattentional blindness
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Nociceptors
They send increased pain signals when we pay more attention to the pain
Scatterplot
When you have a table with two parts of data that you can make into coordinates
Sensory adaptation
- example
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Ex: How much time lapses after putting on your socks before you actually stop feeling the socks on your feet or around your leg?
A teacher finds the distribution of scores on a social-cognitive personality assessment to be positively skewed with low variability. On the basis of this information, what is a justified conclusion for the teacher to make?
The exam was too difficult because a positive skew means that the average was really low and the variance was low meaning most students did low and there wasn’t varied scores.
Retinal Convergence
Binocular cue whereby we use both eyes to focus on the same object. As an object moves close, the eyes come closer together to focus. As the eyes look at an object further away, the eyes move further apart to focus
Autokinetic effect
An illusory phenomenon in which a stationary, small point of light in an otherwise dark or featureless environment appears to move
Priming
- example
When we have unconscious activation of certain associations that predispose our perception, memory, or response
- If you are shown the color yellow and asked to name the first word on your mind, it will probably be “banana” because you associate yellow and banana closely.
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
Retina contains three different color receptors – one most sensitive to red, one to green, and one to blue – which, when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color
What role does binocular vision play in retinal disparity and depth perception?
It uses the slightly different images seen by each eye to calculate the distance and depth of objects. The brain processes the difference in position of images to help create perception of the world(retinal disparity). This ability helps us judge distances and perceive depth accurately.
Blindspot closure
The brain compensates by filling in the gap of visual info(blindspot) using info from the surrounding visual field and prior knowledge. This way we have the perception of a continuous image.
Cocktail party effect
imagine being at a crowded party and you’re trying to talk to someone and listen to another person’s conversation and understand both. You can focus on a particular stimulus while filtering out other distracting sounds
Sound localization
a listener’s ability to identify the location or origin of a detected sound in terms of direction and distance
Synesthesia
One sensory pathway leads to the automatic response in another pathway; any two senses can experience this “cross-wiring” effect. When you can taste a color for example.
Range
Difference between highest and lowest scores in a distribution
If Carmelita stares at a red spot for one minute and then shifts her gaze to a white piece of paper, she is likely to experience an afterimage that is..
Green
Is multi-tasking possible? Explain what happens when people are attempting to multi-task. How does this impact information storage while studying or doing homework?
No, we cannot consciously focus on 2 or more things at once. When we attempt to multi-task we are automating between certain behaviors quickly. A dopamine boost occurs in the frontal lobe. We lose around 30-40% of info when multi-tasking during studying or homework.
Opponent-Process Theory
Theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-green, white-black) enable color vision. One member of the color pair suppresses the other color.
Vestibular Sense
Sense of body movement and position mainly dealing with the head. AKA balance
Embodied cognition
Influence of bodily sensations (textures, posture, temp), gestures and other states can impact perception, performance, etc.
Ex: When wearing really comfortable clothes (sweatpants vs. dress clothes), we tend to behave less professionally and are typically lazier and less productive and focused.
Selective attention
Focusing your conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Context effect
- example
Stimuli perception is connected to environmental influences
- For example, research has shown that the comfort level of the floor that shoppers are standing on while reviewing products can affect their assessments of product’s quality
Why do we have a blindspot in our visual field?
Because the optic nerve exits the retina which creates an area without photoreceptors
Explain the process of vision using the following terms in your own example (please underline or highlight each term):
pupil, iris, lens, cornea, fovea, retina, rods, cones (include cone color types for each light wavelength), optic nerve, ganglion
cells, transduction, feature detection (color, shape, movement, etc.), occipital lobe, visual accommodation
Light passes through the cornea(protective layer of the eye). Then, it enters into the pupil which is controlled by the iris. The light will then be focused by the lens in visual accommodation, which is when the lens can change shape based on how far away something is to help you perceive it. The light will be focused onto the fovea(focal point) on the retina, which contains rods, cones, and ganglion cells. Rods help us with black, white, and gray colors. Cones help with red, green, and blue cones. Blue cones have short wavelengths of light, green has medium, and red has long. The ganglion cells assist in transduction, which is converting light into an electrical signal. The signal then travels through the optic nerve and then to the occipital lobe in the brain where feature detection occurs(noticing shape, color, form, etc.).
Stroboscopic effect
A moving object such as a spinning fan is perceived as standing still or even moving in a different direction that it is actually moving
Phi Phenomenon
An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.
This is how movies create the appearance of motion from frame to frame.
Semicircular canals
Dealing with balance due to the fluid inside
What causes conduction hearing loss?
Caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea (hammer, anvil, stirrup)
Perceptual Adaptation
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or inverted visual field
Gender stereotypes
overgeneralizations about the behavior of people based on their gender and are rooted in society (the environment)
Monochromatism
Complete color-blindness where all colors appear as shades of one color. They have none or only one type of functional cone receptor.
Another name for face blindness
Prosopagnosia
Pitch
A tone’s highness or lowness which depends on frequency
Because of studies in the past that exposed participants to danger without their knowledge, which of the following was added to the American Psychological Association ethical guidelines?
Research may not involve deception unless participants are debriefed
Transduction
converting one form of energy into another
Ex: sights, sounds and smells converted into neural impulses
Gate-control theory
A neurological “gate” blocks or allows pain signals to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by pain signals from small nerve fibers and closed by activity in large fibers or information coming from the brain.
Optic nerve
Carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
Where does transduction occur in the eye?
Retina
Frequency
Number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
Stratton Experiment
Inversion goggles (flips visual field) were worn for 8 days nonstop and the subject grew to have full visual functionality. It took 4-5 days for vision to return to normal after removing the goggles.
What two senses make up the chemical senses?
Gustation(taste) and Olfaction(smell)
Sensory Interaction
Principle that one sense may influence another, as in the case of smell and taste
Smell + texture + taste = flavor experience
Perception
Process of organizing and interpreting sensory info so we can recognize objects and events.
Amplitude
Determines volume of sound
Sensation
Process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive stimuli from our environment
Gestalt psychology
Pieces of info integrated into whole pieces
Color constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters wavelengths of light
Shape constancy
The perception of an object’s shape as remaining constant even when its angle or orientation changes.
Perceptual constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging (shape, size, color, etc.) even as illumination and retinal images change
Relative size
A depth cue where objects of the same size are perceived differently based on their distance
Lightness constancy
he lightness of an object tends to remain the same even when the lighting changes
Size constancy
The perception of an object’s size as consistent, even when its distance changes and the retinal image becomes smaller or larger
Relative clarity
A depth cue where closer objects appear sharper and more detailed, while distant objects appear hazy or blurry due to atmospheric effects
Linear Perspective
A depth cue where parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance, such as train tracks appearing to meet at the horizon.
Layout the process of hearing using the following terms (please underline or highlight each term): eardrum (tympanic membrane), cochlea, auditory ossicles, auditory nerve, basilar membrane, cilia, transduction, temporal lobe
A wavelength foes into the ear canal and strikes the eardrum. The eardrum will pulse or vibrate which pulls on the auditory ossicles, which are tiny bones in the mid-ear region. These bones will eventually tap on the cochlea. Inside the cochlea, there is fluid that will ripple in response to the tapping from the ossicles. The movement of the fluid triggers the cilia, tiny hair cells, on the basilar membrane, and since each one of these has a nerve attached this triggering causes transduction. Transduction is where the vibration is converted into an electrical signal. This signal goes to the auditory nerve and then the temporal lobe so that the sound can be heard or perceived.
Figure-ground concept
Organization of the visual field into objects or figures that stand out from their surroundings.
Parapsychology
The study of paranormal phenomena that cannot be explained or studied accurately.
Just-Noticeable Difference
Principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage
Blindsight
People who are perceptually blind in a certain area of their visual field demonstrate some response to visual stimuli (still images vs. motion). They can see objects that move but are blind to stationary objects and cannot describe any of visual features
Cochlear implant
Device for converting sounds into electrical signals. Conduction hearing loss can potentially be repaired through this.
Place theory
Links pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
Frequency theory
Rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve that matches the frequency of a tone. It includes the volley principle which is the idea that groups of neurons can work together to perceive sounds at frequencies beyond their individual firing rate.
