Psychology Chapter 3-4 Flashcards
What is the difference between sensation and perception
Sensation is detecting a physical stimulus such as light. And perception is being able to process and organize the info you get from sensation
What is Sensory Adaptation?
A gradual decline in sensory sensitivity when exposed to continual stimuli
What is Sensory Threshold?
To be strong enough to be detected, a stimulus must be able to activate a sensory receptor cell (there is a threshold it must pass in order for us to detect it)
What is Visible Light?
A portion of Electro Magnetic Spectrum that can be seen
What is the Retina?
The retina is in the back of the eye that contains CONES and photoreceptors. And these photoreceptors do detect color
What are the two types of light receptors in the retina called
Cones and Rods
What do Cones do?
They recieve color and within the area of the eye called the FOVEA. Most active in well lit conditions
What do Rods do?
Photoreceptors that are highly receptive to light but not color
What is the blindspot?
There is a point in the optic nerve where there is a small gap that we fill in through our field of vision.
How does information travel from the visual cortex to the brain?
Optic nerves meet at the optic chiasm and split apart, One set of nerve fibers crosses over to the other part of the brain while another set continues on the same side. They travel to the thalamus, then the visual cortex of the Optic Nerve
What is the Optic Chiasm
The optic chiasm is a small, X-shaped structure in the brain where the optic nerves cross over:
What structure is the sensory gateway to the brain?
The Thalamus
What area of the brain is the visual cortex
The Occipital Lobe
What are the two theories of Color Vision
Opponent Process theory and Trichromatic Theory of Color
Which Color Vision Theory is correct?
Tri-Chromatic Theory of Color
What is Opponent Process Theory?
Color vision is the product of opposing pairs of color receptors
What is Tri-Chromatic Theory of Color
Color is a result of cones having greater sensitivities to certain wavelengths
What is Synesthesia
When one sense is perceived simultaneously as another sense
What is a common form of Synesthesia
Word-Color Form
What causes Synesthesia
The condition occurs from increased communication between sensory regions and is involuntary,
What are the features of sound waves
Physical stimuli that we process as a sound
What are the 3 distinct parts of the ear?
Outer Ear, Middle ear, Inner ear
What are the three tiny bones in the ear
The malleus (aka the hammer) The Incus (the anvil) and the Stapes (the stirrup)
What is the outer ear composed of?
Contains the Pinna, Ear canal and eardrum
What is the inner ear composed of?
Cochlea, Semicircular Canals
What is the middle ear composed of?
The hammer, Anvil and Stirrup
What is the outer ears role?
It collects sound waves and channels them into the ear canal, where the sound is amplified
What is the middle ears role?
The three bones are all connected together and they all vibrate together so they can help block sounds and other foreign objects from reaching the brain
What is the Inner ears role
The inner ear converts sound waves into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret as sound:
What do the Semicircular Canals do?
They can assist with balance
What is the Cochlea?
Has a fluid filled tube that is the organ of auditory transduction
Wheref is the basilar Membrane
It is a structure in the inner ear that is located in the cochlea and separates the fluid filled tubes
What does the basilar membrane do?
When soundwaves enter the cochlea they cause fluid to ripple, which creates a wave along the basilar membrane. The basilar membrane respond to different frequencies of sound and they are translated into electrical impulses which are sent to the brain
What do hair cells do?
Hair cells are specialized sensory receptors located in the inner ear that convert mechanical energy, like sound waves or head movements, into electrical signals that are then transmitted to the brain
how can we determine pitch
By changing the frequencies of sound
What are common causes for hearing loss
Loud noises, Ear infections, loud noises
How do cochlear implants work?
A cochlear implant works by bypassing damaged parts of the ear and stimulating the auditory nerve with electrical currents to help people hear:
Where do odorant molecules bind in the nose?
Odorant molecules bind to receptors on the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons in the upper part of the nose:
What is the olfactory transduction pathway?
The olfactory transduction pathway is the process by which odorants are converted into an electrical response in the olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) of the nose:
What are the primary tastes?
Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, umami
Why are tastes so important?
They help us seek nutrient rich foods
What are mechanoreceptors?
Receptors cells in the skin that are sensitive to pressure, grooves, vibrations, textures and etc
What are proprioceptors
Sensory receptors in the muscles and joints that provide info about body position and movement
What part of the cortex does touch
information travel to?
Somatosensory Cortex
What are nocireceptors?
Free Nerve endings: Small sensory fibers in the skin, muscles and internal organs
What are the two types of pain
Acute and Chronic
What is phantom limb
The feeling that people get when they lose their limbs and still think that have it.
What causes phantom limb pain?
When you hold up a mirror that mirrors the image of the reflected limb and THEN SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER
What is the Gate-Control Theory of Pain?
Pain experience is interpreted by the brain, which sends signals down the spinal cord
What factors influence perception of pain?
Variation in pain experience occurs as sensory pain signals are integrated with psychological and situational info
Intensifying pain experiences
Anxiety, depression, negative mood, social factors
What does Bottom-Up processing do
Emphasizes sensory receptors in detecting basic features of stimulus
What does top down processing do?
Emphasizes observers cognitive processes in arriving at meaningful perceptions
What is Gestalt psychology? What are the Gestalt Principles of Organization?
Emphasizes that we perceive whole objects of figures (gestalts) rather than isolated bits and pieces of sensory information.
How are perceptions organized so that an object is seen as separate from other objects
Gestalt Psychology
hat is a Figure-Ground Relationship?
whole perceptions, or gestalt
Figure- Ground relationship: Perception is automatically separated into the figure (clearly stands out) and the ground (background)
Depends on your own perception of the image and your own psychological interpretation
What is depth perception?
use of visual cues to perceive the distance or the 3D characteristics of an objects
What are monocular cues?
Distance of depth cue that can be processed by either eye alone
Binnocular Cues
Binocular Cues: Distance or depth cues that require information from both eyes
CONVERGENCE: degree to which muscles rotate your eyes to focus on an object
What is the term for motion blindness
Akinetopsia?
What is perpetual constacy
Tendency to perceive objects, especially familiar objects, as constant and unchanging despite changes in sensory input
Size
Shape
Color
What makes illusions so effective?
Misperception of the true characteristics of an object or image
(Why do the Müller-Lyer and Moon illusions work?)
Lines are the same, but Appears farther due to the arrows. It gives us the idea that the points of the building are closer to us
What is a trick?
Illusion Micheal, a trick is something a whore does for money
Why do you think humans have a tendency to see faces?
This happens because (i think) because we humans have a tendency to see faces in the the non-faceless
It is human nature to want to see and connect with other human beings, and faces are emphasized the most in day to day actions.
What are perceptual sets?
Tendency to perceive objects of situations from a particular frame of reference
What is Consciousness and why is it important?
Personal awareness of mental activities, internal sensations and external environment
A sense of consciousness is important because it integrates our past, present and future behavior. And it ties into our own personal identity,
What is attention, and what are the limitations of attention
The ability to be inherently focused on a single task. We can only be so focused on a single task for so long
What is multitasking? And how good are we at multitasking?
Multitasking is being able to do two tasks at the same time. We are truly terrible at multitasking, we can only retain information from one source of our multitasking
What is Circadian Rhythm
Cycle or rhythm that is roughly 24 hours long. AKA Our internal clocks
What brain structure is especially important for this biological
clock?
The hypothalamus
What is the role of melatonin?
Melatonin makes us sleepy
Our melatonin levels are affected by sunlight
What are the two broad categories of sleep?
NREM AND REM
What does REM stand for?
Rapid Eye Movement. And a hella good band
what does NREM stand for
Non- Rapid Eye Movement
What is a characteristics of REM
Rapid eye movement. Mostly associated with dreaming. Brain is more active at this point. Voluntary muscles are inactive
What are the characteristics of NREM
Not a lot of dreams. Our brain activity is decreased. It is a deeper stage of sleep
Why do we need sleep
Our brain and muscles need rest
What do most people typically dream about?
Real life things like school and work
How did Freud interpret dreams?
He interpreted that dreams were the for coming of Sexual and aggressive thoughts, feelings and wishes that are usually repressed when awake surface in dreams
What is manifest content vs Latent content and how do they differ?
Manifest Content are the types of dreams we are more likely to remember in the morning. Latent content is Unconscious wishes concealed within the manifest content .These theories are not supported by research
How does the Activation—Synthesis Model explain dreams?
While we sleep are brains create a story (Synthesis) Dreams are due to the automatic activations of brainstem circuits that occur when we sleep.
What is the Neurocognitive Model of Dreaming?
It emphasizes continuity of waking and dreaming. Dreams reflect personal interests and personality traits. Dreams mirror waking concerns
What are the sleep disorders?
Serious and consistent sleep disturbances that interfere with daytime functioning and causes subjective distress
What is Insomnia?
Regular inability to fall asleep, to stay asleep or be able to feel adequately rested in the morning after sleep.W
What are some effects of Insomnia?
Daytime sleepiness, fatigue and social performance failure
What is Obstructed Sleep Apnea? OSA?
When a person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep
What are some effects of Sleep Apnea?
Daytime sleepiness, grogginess, poor concentration. Maybe you should use an CPAP Machine.
What is Narcolepsy?
Excessive daytime sleepiness and brief lapses into sleep throughout the day (SLEEP ATTACKS)
What is Parasomnia
Undesired arousal or actions during sleep or sleep transitions
Lack of conscious awareness; amnesia
What is hypnosis?
HypWnosis is a cooperative social interaction in which the hypnotized person responds to the hypnotists suggestions with changes in perception, memory, thoughts, and behavior
Who is more susceptible to Hypnosis
Kids
How does Hypnotism work?
Splitting consciousness into 2 or more simultaneous streams of mental activity:
What is Meditation?
Involves any one of a number of sustained concentration techniques that focus attention and heighten awareness
What are the different types of Meditation?
Focused Attention Techniques and Open Monitoring Techniques
What are psychoactive drugs?
Chemical substances that can alter arousal, mood, thinking, sensation and perception
What does it mean to be physically dependent on a drug?
Person has physically adapted to a drug so that they must take it regularly to avoid withdrawal symptoms
What is substance abuse?
Recurrent substance use that involves
Impaired control
Disruption of social, occupational, and interpersonal functioning
Development of craving, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms
What are the ways that drugs can influence brain activity?
altering synaptic transmission among neurons
Increasing or decreasing neurotransmitter amounts
Blocking, mimicking or influencing a particular neurotransmitter’s effects
Addictive drugs activate dopamine, which produces neurons in the brains reward system
What are the main classes of drugs?
Depressants and Stimulants
What are some drug examples of Depressants
Alcohol, Tranquilizers, Barbiturates, Opioids,
What are some examples of Stimulants
Caffeine, Nicotine
What do depressants do?
Depress or inhibit brain activity
What do Stimulants do?
Increase brain activity, arouse behavior, increase mental alertness
What kinds of withdrawal symptoms are associated with each?
DEPRESSANTS: SLEEPINESS, RELIEVES ANXIETY, HAS ADDITIVES.
STIMULANTS: jumpiness, irritability, tremors, headaches, brain fog
What is Naloxone?
(Narcan) opioid antagonist- It rapidly reverses opioid overdose if given in time.
Common ingredients in Marijuana?
tetrahydrocannabinol
How does tetrahydrocannabinol work?
When marijuana is smoked, the active ingredient THC passes from the lungs and into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the organs throughout the body, including the brain.
What medical purposes does Marijuana have?
THC has been shown to be helpful in treating several medical conditions: Pain epilepsy, nausea/ vomiting, Glaucoma and Asthma