Midterm 1 Flashcards
1
Q
sensation is defined as
A
the reception, transduction, and encoding of environmental information
-low level process of getting low level information into the brain
2
Q
sensation is influenced by
A
genes
- inheritance
- physiology
- nature
3
Q
transduction
A
converting one form of energy into another
4
Q
encoding
A
neurons produce a code the brain can use
-changes in the pattern of action potentials
5
Q
sensation is ____ driven
A
data - raw data
6
Q
sensation is what type of process
A
bottom-up
i.e. single-neurons -> brain
7
Q
perception is defined as
A
organization and interpretation of environmental information
-means meaningless sensation meaningful
8
Q
perception is influenced by
A
environments
- experience
- psychology
- nurture
9
Q
perception is what type of process
A
top-down process
i.e. brain -> less complex (neuromuscular junctions
10
Q
perception is driven by
A
ideas and concepts - conceptually driven
-past experiences influence present perceptions
11
Q
perception involves
A
neural networks
-grown through experience
12
Q
memory creates
A
expectancy
-drives perception especially in early critical periods
13
Q
introspection
A
self-reflective thought - “it is already within us”
-studied by Socrates
14
Q
Socrates
A
an idealist
15
Q
empirical knowledge
A
knowledge is external and obtained through the senses
-studied by Aristotle
16
Q
Aristotle
A
a realist - the “real world” is outside
- the ladder of life -> scala natura
- only humans have the ability to reason
17
Q
Hippocrates
A
proposed the brain was where life, consciousness, and behavior emanated from
18
Q
reductionism
A
process of understanding things by taking the pieces apart
-studied by Rene Descartes
19
Q
Rene Descartes
A
- the pineal body - thought it was where the soul enters the brain
- a dualist - the soul comes through the heavens -> creates the mind
20
Q
Plato
A
an idealist
a dualist
21
Q
dualism
A
the mind and body are separate
2 kinds:
-parallelism
-interactionism
22
Q
monism
A
the mind is what the brain does/creates
2 kinds:
-physical
-mental: “all yours” - when your existence ends, everything ends
23
Q
the scientific method
A
- begins with observation (careful, objective)
- involves hypothesis testing
- create a theory/explanation to explain the phenomenon
-> self correcting
24
Q
Darwin
A
natural selection
-evolution through natural selection
25
evolution
def: a change in gene frequencies over time
- simple (less anatomical structures) vs. complex (more anatomical structures)
- primitive structures: everyone has it (i.e. a medulla)
- advanced features: modern, recent (i.e. speech centers)
- homology: structure that comes from the same evolutionary place (i.e. wings) - we are looking for this
26
natural selection
1. variation > 0 (differences among people)
2. over population
3. competition of resources
4. differential reproductive success
5. adaptation
27
adaptation
any characteristic that confers an advantage over an individual
28
3 lines of evidence
1. post-mortem studies
2. selective damage
3. electrostimulation
29
theory
series of related facts and ideas that function as an explanation
30
John Locke
- tabula rasa: "blank slate"
| - took the views of Aristotle
31
Wilhem Wundt
psychophysicist
| -how much stimulus does it take for someone to respond?
32
absolute threshold
minimum stimulus intensity a subject can detect
33
Gestaltists
the whole is more meaningful than the sum of the parts
34
approaches to perception - constructivist
information processing goes on in the individual; you are an active participant - the real world is within us
-Plato
35
approaches to perception - direct/environmental
information is contained in the external stimulus - it has everything necessary for the perception of the physical world directly (the environment)
-Aristotle
36
approaches to perception - physiological/neurophysiological
neurons; occurs because of interactions with neurons; structures and processes of the sensory system analyze incoming sensory stimuli to provide us with information about the environment
37
approaches to perception - cognitive/neuroscience
higher cognitive and perceptual processes result from the interaction of simple mental processes, each mediated by neural activity in a particular brain region
38
approaches to perception - computational
a mathematically oriented analysis of certain aspects of visual perception derived largely from the use of computer simulation and artificial intelligence
-characteristic perception requires a form of problem solving
39
nervous system
discrete and anatomical elements
40
endocrine system
glands with hormones and target tissues; exploits circulatory system
41
2 systems are important for
producing, sending, and receiving information
| -allow for information to be transmitted throughout the body
42
cell membrane
phospholipid bilayer
1. ion channels
2. Na-K pump - active transport
- 3 Na in - 2 K out
- active all the time
3. receptor cells
43
membrane polarization
positive pole on the outside
| negative pole on the inside
44
neurons
- primary fuel: glucose
- brain has 100 billion
- primary information producing cell in the brain
- most energized cell
- LEAST LIKELY TO DIVIDE
1. generate electrical potentials
2. synthesize chemicals - NTs
45
glial cells
Provide structure
pick up the waste
protect the neurons
-10x more glial cells than neurons (1 trillion)
46
2 kinds of glial cells
1. schwann cells - PNS
2. oligodendrocyte - CNS (in the brain)
->synthesize mylin - speeds up nerve impulses
47
3 parts of a neuron
1. cell body (soma) - nucleus
2. dendrites - most of the receptor sites
3. axon (not in all neurons)
- nerve impulses or action potentials
- release of NTs
-information goes from the dendrites -> cell body -> axon
48
3 kinds of neurons
1. sensory (AFFERENT): an input neuron - outside world into the brain
2. motor (EFFERENT): take information from the brain -> muscles
- never has more than 1 axon but has many dendrites
3. interneurons: take information from sensory neurons, integrate it, and produce information
49
action potentials
at rest: not under any direct stimulation - resting membrane potential/voltage (difference in charge)
- polarized
- Na channels are closed - wants to get into the cell
50
depolarization
NTs attach to the receptor cell
- becomes less polarized - some Na channels open -> makes cell more positive
- cell reaches threshold - Na channels on axon spring open
- ALL-OR-NONE law
51
nerve impulse
occur in the axon
- rapid depolarization
- action potential relay - same size
52
synapse
the gap between neurons
53
2 most common NTs
1. glutamate - excitatory
| 2. gaba - inhibitory
54
cortex
outer most layer of cells in the mammalian brain
-makes it larger
-makes it able to store information
contains the 4 lobes (specialized structures)
55
receptor cells
a place where NTs can attach to dendrites
| -a lock-and-key model: only attach to it's specific site
56
most neurons in the brain are
interneurons
57
strong affinity
when a NT fits into the receptor site (i.e. nicotine) - its ability to bind
58
efficacy
the ability for the NT to have its full function - produce the maximum response
59
communication between neurons is
chemical
60
agonist
assist NT binding
| -direct agonist: copy of a NT
61
antagonist
inhibit NT binding
| -competitive inhibitors
62
gyrus
bumps on the brain
63
sulcus
grooves between the bumps
64
fissure
a left and right fissure separate the halves of the brain
65
nuclei
cluster of neurons that works together to do the same thing in the BRAIN
-outside of the brain: ganglion
66
grey matter
cell bodies
67
white matter
nerve tracts - heavily mylinated
68
CNS is comprised of
brain and spinal cord
69
PNS is comprised of
everything else
70
PNS - 2 categories
1. somatic: controls voluntary skeletal muscles (motor cortex)
2. autonomic: involuntary; controls metabolism
71
autonomic - 2 categories
1. parasympathetic: energy conservation
2. sympathetic: energy mobilization
- fight-or-flight
72
brain stem is comprised of
medulla
pons
thalamus
celebellum
73
medulla
- hind most part of the brain stem (hindbrain)
- vital activity (breathing, heart rate)
- sensitive to alcohol and opiates
74
pons
- anterior to the medulla
- attention
- orienting toward a stimulus
75
thalamus
- forebrain
- a more recent adaptation
- primary, sensory, receiving, integration, and distribution center for sensory stimuli in the brain
- has multiple "centers" for vision, audition, etc.
76
cerebellum
- the "little brain"
- refining motor patterns
- shifting of attention
- procedural memory
- allows perceptual processes to proceed
77
limbic system
```
learning, memory, emotion
4 parts:
1. hypothalamus
2. hippocampus
3. amygdala
4. olfactory bulb
```
78
hypothalamus
establishes equilibrium in the body -> homeostasis
| -regulates motivation (i.e. thirst and hunger)
79
hippocampus
non-cortical part of the brain associated with STM and memory formation
-larger in males than females
80
occipital lobes
primary visual cortex
| back of the brain
81
temporal lobes
primary auditory cortex
| side of the brain
82
parietal lobes
taste and touch - somatosensory cortex
| top of the brain
83
frontal lobes
primary and secondary motor cortex
front of the brain
-association cortex: in front of motor cortex
-dorsal, lateral, prefrontal cortex (DLPC): most advanced part
84
what is the oldest sense
olfactory
85
senses in primates
vision became the dominant sensory channel at the expense of the olfactory sense
86
amygdala
production and regulation of 2 primary simple negative emotions: fear and anger
87
psychophysics
the study of the quantitative relationship between environmental stimulation (the physical dimension) and sensory experience (the psychological dimension)
88
absolute/detection threshold
the minimum stimulus intensity required for a subject to detect it correctly 50% of the time
89
hit
correctly detecting a stimulus (+,+)
90
correct rejection
correctly rejecting that the stimulus is not present (-,-)
91
false alarm
no stimuli was presented, but the subject said yes (-,+)
92
miss
stimuli is presented, but the subject does not detect it
| -possible acuity problems
93
difference threshold
smallest change a subject can detect 50% of the time
| -used to determine the strength of the sensory systems
94
just noticeable difference (JND)
psychological equivalent to the difference threshold
95
signal detection theory
try to understand the receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve)
-look at sensitivity and thresholds
96
sensitivity (D')
if a subject has high sensitivity, they have a low threshold for that stimulus
97
criterion level (β)
willingness to respond
- low criteria subjects commit a lot of false alarms
- high criteria subjects are overly cautious: not many false alarms, but a lot of misses
98
method of limits
- ascending: involves a pre-set intensity of stimulus, then raise it
- descending: stimulus moves up and down until the 50% is reached
99
method of constant stimuli
allow the participant bias to be reduced
- a series of forced-choice trials
- fixed number of stimuli of different intensities
100
method of adjustment
subject controls the stimulus until they can detect
| least accurate way to get results
