Sem. 1 - Unit 3 Flashcards
Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.
Sensory receptors
sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli.
Perception
sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli.
Bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information
Top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.
inattentional blindness
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness.
transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret.
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.
difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (or jnd)
priming
used to activate unconscious associations
weber’s law
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount).
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.
explain how selective attention directs our perceptions
by focusing conscious awareness on a specific stimulus, filtering out other stimuli from our immediate awareness.
explains the difference between absolute and difference thresholds; weber’s law
Absolute threshold is the minimum intensity of a stimulus detectable 50% of the time, while the difference threshold is the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, with Weber’s law stating that this difference is a constant proportion of the original stimulus intensity.
Describe how we are influenced by subliminal stimuli
Subliminal stimuli, though below our conscious awareness, can subtly influence our thoughts, attitudes, or behaviors without us actively noticing or remembering the stimulus.
explain the function of sensory adaptation
reduces our sensitivity to unchanging stimuli over time, allowing us to focus on changes in our environment that may be more important for survival.
perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
extrasensory perception (ESP)
the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.
parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis
telepathy
supposed ability to transmit thoughts or feelings directly from one person’s mind to another without using any known sensory channels.
clairvoyance
laimed ability to gain information about an object, person, or event without using the known human senses or prior knowledge.
psychokinesis/telekinesis
purported ability to move or manipulate objects solely through the power of the mind, without any physical interaction.
precognition
alleged ability to perceive or predict future events before they occur, without any inference from current knowledge.
explain how are expectations, contexts, motivation, and emotions influence our perceptions
by creating a mental framework that biases how we interpret sensory information, often making us more likely to notice or interpret stimuli in ways that align with our current state or experiences.
understand the claims of ESP, and what most research psychologists have concluded after testing these claims
Claims of ESP (extrasensory perception) include abilities like telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis, but most research psychologists have concluded that scientific evidence for ESP is lacking and that these phenomena are not reliably demonstrated under controlled experimental conditions.
wavelength
the distance from one wave peak to the next
hue
the color we experience
intensity
the amount of energy the wave contains. Intensity influences brightness
cornea
the eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris.
pupil
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
iris
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.
lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.
retina
the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond
accommodation
To focus the rays, the lens changes its curvature and thickness in a process called accommodation
cones
retinal receptors that are Concentrated near the Center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Cones detect fine detail and give rise to Color sensations.
optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
blind spot
an area with no receptor cells, where the optic nerve leaves the eye
fovea
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster
young-helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory
the theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptors—one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue—which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color.
opponent process theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions.
monochromatism (lecture)
complete color blindness in which all colors appear as shades of gray.
dichromatism (lecture)
someone can only perceive two primary colors (and combinations of those colors) rather than the usual three (red, green, and blue).
farsightedness and nearsightedness (lecture)
Farsightedness makes it hard to see things that are close, and nearsightedness makes it difficult to see things that are far away
controlled by the lens
prospagnosia (lecture)
Prosopagnosia is classically defined as an inability to recognize faces of people known to the patient
Describe the two theories on why we perceive color.
opponent process theory and young-helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory
Explain where feature detectors are located and what they do.
nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
gestalt
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
groupings
similarity, proximity, closure, symmetry, common fate, ect.
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
depth perception
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance
visual cliff
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
binocular cue
a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes.
retinal disparity
a binocular cue for perceiving depth. By comparing retinal images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.
monocular cues: Relative height, relative size, linear perspective, relative clarity, motion parallax, interposition, etc.
phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.
visual illusions: ames room, pnozo illusion, Muller-Lyer illusion
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change
a top down process
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.
shape constancy
perceiving familiar objects as havng a consistent shape, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
perceptual adaptation
the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
McGurk effect
The McGurk Effect is an auditory-visual illusion that illustrates how perceivers merge information for speech sounds across the senses. For example, when we hear the sound “ba” while seeing the face of a person articulate “ga,” many adults perceive the sound “da,” a third sound which is a blend of the two.
stroop effect
The Stroop effect is our tendency to experience difficulty naming a physical color when it is used to spell the name of a different color.
apparent movement (lecture)
the sensation of seeing movement when nothing actually moves in the environment, as when two neighbouring lights are switched on and off in rapid succession.
Explain how the Gestalt psychologists understand perceptual organization, and how figure-ground and grouping principles contribute to our perceptions.
Explain how perceptual constancies help us construct meaningful perceptions.
Describe how we use binocular and monocular cues to see in three dimensions, and how we perceive motion.
Explain what research on restored vision, sensory restriction, and perceptual adaptation reveal about the effects on restored perception.
frequency
pitch/tone
pitch
short wavelength = high frequency (high pitch)
long wavelength = low frequency (low pitch)
middle ear
the tiny bones that vibrate
auditory canal/ear canal
where sound travels through first
tympanic membrane/eardrum
thin layer of tissue that vibrates in response to sound waves
malleas, incus, stapes/hammer, anvil, stirrup
ossicles, they transfer the sound wave vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the cochlea
oval window
membrane covered opening of the cochlea. It vibrates when it receives the sound waves and causes the fluid inside the cochlea to move
cochlea
coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear. Sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses.
basilar membrane
membrance where the hair cells line the surface
hair cells
the hair cell movements in turn trigger impulses in adjacent nerve cells, whose axons converge to form the auditory nerve
inner ear
auditory nerve, cochlea, ect?
sensorineural hearing loss
most common type of hearing loss
damage is to the cochleas hair cell receptors or the auditory nerve can be helped with cochlea implant
conduction hearing loss
damage to the mechanicla system-the eardrum and middle ear bones- that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.
less common
cochlear implant
translates sounds into electrical signals that are transmitted to the cochlea and, via the auditory nerve, relayed to the brain
place theory
pitch is determined by what part or “place” of the cochlea bsilar membrance is stimulated (good for HIGH-PITCHED)
frequency theory
Basilar membrance fires to brain the same frequency of incoming sound wave (LOW PITCH)
Describe the characteristics of air pressure waves that we hear as sound.
Explain how the ear transforms sound energy into neural messages.
Explain how we detect loudness, discriminate pitch, and locate sounds.
Gate control theory
the blocking or allowing of pain throught the spinal chord to the brain
gustation
the perception of sensations that are usually described as having 1 or more basic taste qualities: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami (savory/brothy)
sweet/sour/salty/bitter/umami/ oleogustus (lecture)
gustation
supertasters and medium tasters (lecture)
medium-taster who has an average ability to sense different flavors. Along these lines, supertasters are those who experience taste with far greater intensity than most others.
olfaction
the sense of smell
pheromones (lecture)
smells that make you act or want something ?
kinesthesia
persons awareness of the position and movement of the parts of the. body by means of sensory organs
vestibular sense
our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance.
sensory interaction
the mixing of senses
embodied congnitin
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments.
synethesia
ex hearing colors
Explain how we sense touch.
pressure, hot, cold, pain
Describe how biological, psychological, and social-cultural influences affect our experiences with pain, and how placebos and distractions help control pain.
Describe how our sense of taste and our sense of smell are similar and different.
Explain how we sense our body’s position and movement.
o Explain how sensory interaction influences our perceptions.
