Midterm Flashcards
Eyes
Occipital
Perception
Peripheral
Speech
Memory
He is credited for the traditional classification of the five sense organs
Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)
Five sense organs
Sight Smell Taste Touch Heating
As far back of the 1760s the famous philosopher proposed that our knowledge of the outside world depends on our modes of perception
Immanuel Kant
In order to define what is “extrasensory” we need to define what is
“Sensory”
They consist of organs with specialized cellular structures that have receptors for specific stimuli
Each of the five senses
These cells have links to the nervous system and thus to the brain
Five senses
It is done at primitive levels in the cells and integrated into sensations in the nervous system
Sensing
Probably the most developed sense in humans, followed closely by hearing
Sight
Organ of vision
Eye
It has a complex structure
Eye
Focused light on the retina
Transparent lens
The retina hovered with two basic types of light-sensitive cells
Rods
Cones
Sensitive to color and are located in the part of the retina called __
Cone cells
Fovea
Where the light is focused by the lens
Fovea
Are not sensitive to color but have greater sensitivity to light
Rod cells
It is connected to the brain through the optic nerve
Eye
These cells are located around the fovea and are responsible for peripheral vision and night vision
Rod cells
The point of this connection because it is insensitive to light
Blind spot
Experiments have shown that it maps the visual input from the eyes
Back of the brain
It combine the input of our two eyes into a single three-dimensional image
Brain
In addition even though the image on the retina is upside down because of the focusing action of the lens, it compensate and provided the right-side up perception
Brain
Experiments have been done with the subjects fitted with __ that invert the images
Prisms
The subjects go through an initial period of great confusion, but subsequently they perceive the images as right side up
Prisms
Brain
The range of perception is phenomenal
Eye
A substance produced by the __ increases the sensitivity of the eye so that it is possible to detect very dim light
In the dark
Rod cells
The iris contacts reducing the size of the aperture that admits light into the eye and a protective obscure substance reduces the exposure of light sensitive cells
In strong light
The eye is sensitive varies from the red to violet
Spectrum of light
They are sensed as heat but cannot be seen
Lower electromagnetic frequencies in the infrared
Begin cannot be seen either but can be sensed as tingling of the skin or eyes depending on the frequency
Higher frequencies in the ultraviolet
Not sensitive to the polarization of light, light that oscillates on a specific plane
Human eye
The are sensitive to polarized light and have a visual range that extends into the ultraviolet
Bees
The sense of vision
Eyes
The have special infrared sensors that enable them to hunt in absolute darkness using only the best emitted by their prey
Some snakes
They have higher density of light sending cells than humans to in their retinas and therefore higher visual activity
Birds
Common abnormality in human vision that makes it impossible to differentiate colors accurately
Color blindness or Daltonism
One type of color blindness results in
Inability to disguise red from green
This can be a real handicap for certain types of occupations
Color blindness or Daltonism
A person with normal color vision would appear to have extrasensrory perception
Colorblind person
Perception that is beyond the range of the normal
Extrasensory perception
The sense of audition
Ear
Organ of hearing
Ear
Protruded away from the head
Outer ear
Shaped like a cup to direct sounds toward the tympanic membrane
Outer ear
Transmits vibrations to the inner ear through a series of small bones in the middle ear
Malleus
Incus
Stapes
Spiral shaped chamber cover d internally by nerve fibers that react to the vibrations and transmit impulses to the brain via auditory nerve
Inner ear or Cochlea
Combines the input of our two ears to determine the direction and distance of sound
Brain
Has a vestibular system formed by three semicircular canals that are approximately at right angles to each other
Inner ear
Inner ear has chambers full with
Viscous fluid Small particles (otoliths) containing calcium carbonate
The movement of these particles over small hair cells in the inner ear sends signals to the brain that are interpreted as
Motion
Acceleration
The human ear can perceive frequencies from __ which is a very deep bass to _ which is a very high pitch
16 cycles per second
28,000 cycles per second
They can detect frequencies higher than 100,000 cycles per second
Bats and Dolphins
It can detect pitch changes as small as 3 hundredths of one percent of the original frequency in some frequency ranges
Human ear
Ability to map a tone precisely on the musical scale without reference to an external standard
“Perfect pitch”
Perfect pitch population
Estimated less than one in ten thousand people
The show remarkably precise absolute ouch in reading out lists of words
Vietnamese and Mandarin
Essential feature in conveying the meaning of words in tone languages
Pitch
Teaches perfect pitch to children starting before they are 4 years old
Eguchi method
The ability to recognize notes does not improve much
Age 7
The sense of gustation
Tongue
Receptors of taste
Taste buds
Situated chiefly in the tongue but they are located in the roof of the mouth near the pharynx
Tate buds
Taste buds are able to detect four basic tastes
Salty
Sweet
Butter
Sour
The tongue can also detect s sensation from taste receptors sensitive to amino acids
Umami
Taste buds close to the tip of the tongue
Sweet tastes
Back of the tongue
Bitter tastes
Taste buds on top and on the sides of the tongue
Salty and sour taste
Nerve that sends the sensations to the brain
Base of the each taste bud
Functions in coordination with the sense of smell
Sense of taste
It varies substantially from individual to individual but greater number increase sensitivity
Number of taste buds
They have a greater number of taste buds than
Women
Some people are insensitive to some taste
Case of color blindness
The sense of olfaction
Nose/smell
Organ responsible for the sense of smell
Nose
Lined with mucous membranes that have smell receptors connected to the olfactory nerve
Cavity of nose
Consists of values of various substances
Smell
Interact with the molecules of these vapors and transmit the sensations to the brain
Smell receptors
It has a structure whose function has not been determined but which is suspected of being sensitive to pheromones
Vomeronasal organ
Influence the reproductive cycle
Pheromones
The smell receptors are sensitive in seven types of sensations
Camphor Must Flower Mint Ether Acrid Putrid
The sense of smell is sometimes temporarily lost
Person has a cold
They have a sense of smell that many times more sensitive than man’s
Dogs
The sense of touch
Akin
It is distributed throughout the body
Sense of touch
Transmit sensations to the brain
Nerve endings in the skin and other parts of the body
Four kinds of touch sensations
Cold
Hear
Contact
Pain
Magnify the sensitivity and act as an early warning system for the body
Hairs on the skin
They gave the greatest concentration of nerve endings
Fingertips
Sexual organs
The sexual organs that when stimulates starts a series of endocrine reactions and motor responses resulting in __
Erogenous zones
Orgasm
Human also have a awareness of balance
Equilibrioception
Pressure, Temperature
Thermoception
Pain
Noiception
Motion all of which may involve the coordinate use of multiple
Sensory organ
The sense of balance is maintained by a complex interaction
Visual inputs
Proprioceptive sensors
Inner ear vestibular system
Central Nervous system
Disturbances occurring in any part of the balance system or even within the brain’s integration of inputs
Dizziness or unsteadiness
Precise awareness of muscle and joint movement
Kinesthesia
Allows to coordinate our muscles when we walk, talk and use our hands
Kinesthesia
Enables us to touch the tip of our nose with our eyes closed or to know which part of the body we should scratch when we itch
Kinesthesia
Latin word of joined perception
Synesthesia
A phenomenon in which one type of stimulation evoked the sensation of another
Synesthesia
Hearing of a sound may result in the sensation of the visualization of a color, shape may be sensed as smell
Synesthesia
It is hereditary
Synesthesia
Synesthesia population
Occurs in 1 out of 1000 individuals with variations of type and intensity
The most common form of synesthesia
Link numbers or letters with colors
They are often used interchangeably
Sensation and perception
Passive process of bringing information from the outside world into the body and into the brain
Sensation
Process of sensation
Passive in a sense we do not have to be consciously engaging in a “sensing” process
Active process of selecting, org anong and interpreting the information brought to the brain by sense organs
Perception
It absorb energy from a physical stimulus in the environment
Sensory organs
It convert this energy into neural impulses and send them to the brain
Sensory receptor said
The brain organized the information and translates into something meaningful
Perception
Important Interpretation
Selective Attention
Perceptual Expetancy
Process of discriminating between what is important and irrelevant
Selective attention
Seems redundant and is influenced by motivation
Selective-attention
Students in class should touchdown on what the teachers are saying and the overhead being presented
Selective attention
Students walking by the classroom mag focus on people in the room who is the teacher, etc. and not the same thing the students in the class
Selective attention
How we perceive the world is a function of our past experiences, culture and biological makeup
Perceptual expectancy
For example as an American when I look at a highway, I expect so dr car trucks etc. not airplanes
Perceptual expectancy
But someone from a different country with different experiences and history many not have any idea what to expect and thus be surprised when they see cars go driving by
Perceptual expectancy
Another example you may look at a painting and not really understand the message the artist is trying to convey. But if someone tells you about it, you might begin to see things in the painting that you were unable to see before
Perceptual expectancy
Study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience
Psych physics
Measure these events
Threshold
A dividing line between what has detectable energy and what does not
Threshold
The minimum amount of stimulus intensity change needs to produce a noticeable change
Difference Threshold
Detection of stimulus involves some decision making process as well as sensory process
Signal detection theory
For example, many classrooms have automic light sensors, when people have not been in a room for a while, the lights go out. However, once someone walks into the room, lights go back on
Threshold
So dust floating in the room should not make the lights go on but a person walking in should
Threshold
The greater the intensity (weight) of a stimulus, the greater the change needed to produce a noticeable change
Difference Threshold
For example, when you pick up 100 lbs and then 105 lbs it is as much more difficult to feel the difference
Difference threshold
Additionally, both sensory and decision making process are influenced by many more factors than just intensity
Signal detection theory
