Sensation

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

simulation of a sense organ and the registration of light, sound, pressure, order, and taste as parts of your body interact with the social world

Question 2

where does registration happen and explain the flow of it

Answer 2

registration of sensation happens at the level of the central nervous system but messages get sent earlier than that; sensory neurons receive an electrical signal that get sent to the receptors in which these receptors interact with the process of transduction; when transduction occurs the message is sent to another sensory neuron which then sends it to the peripheral nervous system which sends the message to to the spinal cord and the spinal cord sends it to the brain

Question 3

where does perception take place and what happens during perceptions

Answer 3

in the brain where the brain organizes, identifies, and interprets the sensation signal received

Question 4

what is transduction

Answer 4

the process that occurs when many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into encoded neural signals sent to the central nervous system

Question 5

sensation of touch

Answer 5

the pressure of a surface against the skin signals its shape, texture, and temp

Question 6

sensation of vision

Answer 6

light reflected from the surface provides eyes with info about the shape, color, and position of objects

Question 7

sensation of smell

Answer 7

molecules dispersed in the air or dissolved in saliva reveal the identity of a substance that we may or may not want to eat

Question 8

what does the senses and our perception of them reveal about the world

Answer 8

that physical energy of the world is converted into neural energy inside the central nervous system

Question 9

psychophysics

Answer 9

measures the strength of a stimulus and our sensitivity to

it

Question 10

give an example of psychophysics

Answer 10

the wavelengths of color where the color is whats being perceived and wavelength id the physical energy of that stimulus

Question 11

what is the absolute threshold

Answer 11

its a certain threshold or breaking point of physical energy that needs to be reached in order for us to receive sensation; this is only felt 50% of the time.

Question 12

rather than sensational systems; what is better at detecting changes in simulation

Answer 12

the perceptual system

Question 13

in regards to sensation however what is the just noticeable difference

Answer 13

the smallest change in sensation that a person can sense and it depends on the intensity of the stimuli being measured - its not a fixed quantity

Question 14

how does webers law relate to the idea of just noticeable difference

Answer 14

webers law relates to the just noticeable difference in the sense that the change in the stimulus that will be just noticeable is constant ratio of the original stimulus (change in I over I = K) –> in that if the intensity increases so will the change in intensity and that is kept at a constant

Question 15

what are the two main ideas of psychophysics

Answer 15

signal detection and sensory adaptation

Question 16

what does signal detection refer to

Answer 16

the idea of an absolute threshold

Question 17

what us another term for just noticeable difference

Answer 17

difference threshold

Question 18

what is a critical assumption being made when we measure absolute or difference thresholds

Answer 18

the assumption that a threshold exists

Question 19

what does accurate perception of a sensory stimulus lack and why

Answer 19

obvious principles of organization because of how often we perceive certain signals and when (50% of the time)

Question 20

why is sensation only felt 50% of the time

Answer 20

because they face the competition of noise

Question 21

what kinds of noise exist

Answer 21

external and internal

Question 22

explain and identify examples of internal noise

Answer 22

internal noise is internal thoughts and processes that only we can hear; memories, moods, motives, etc

Question 23

explain and identify examples of external noise

Answer 23

external noise is things that we and other people can see, smell, or hear. this could be a cell phone ringing or shuffling papers

Question 24

what is the consequence of noise

Answer 24

you may not perceive everything or perceive things you havent sensed

Question 25

what is the signal detection theory

Answer 25

claims that our responses to stimulus rely on sensitivity to stimulus in the presence of noise and a persons decision crtierion

Question 26

what is a persons decision criterion

Answer 26

principles/guidelines/requirements used to make a decisions

Question 27

what is a catch trial

Answer 27

a trial within an experiment in which a stimulus is not present but the participants’ responses nonetheless are recorded.

Question 28

what are the results of a catch trial

Answer 28

if the sensory evidence exceeds the criterion the observer says yes (they detected a signal) if the sensory evidence falls short of the criterion the observer responds with no

Question 29

how do we characterize the ideas that sensory evidence exceeds or falls short of the criterion

Answer 29

liberal and conservative

Question 30

define a liberal signal detection theory

Answer 30

usually liberal signal detection means that someone is unlikely to miss the truth but more likely to encounter false alarms

Question 31

define a conservative detection theory

Answer 31

usually a conservative signal detection theory means that someone is likely to miss the truth but unlikely to experience false alarms

Question 32

define sensory adaptation

Answer 32

sensory adaptation means that a person will experience less sensitivity to a prolonged stimulation because the organism adapts to the conditions

Question 33

when are the sensory systems more likely produce a strong response and act upon a signal

Answer 33

when there is a change in the stimulus more likely than when there isnt a change (in that case the sensory system would produce a weak response and there would be no change in action)