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MCAT Psych/Soc > Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Sensation and Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

the conversion (or transduction) of physical, electromagnetic, auditory, and other information from the internal and external environment into electrical signals in the nervous system

A

sensation

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2
Q

the processing of sensory information to make sense of its significance

A

perception

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3
Q

neurons that respond to stimuli by triggering electrical signals that carry information to the CNS

A

sensory receptors

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4
Q

stimuli produced by physical objects outside of the body

A

distal stimuli

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5
Q

stimuli produced by distal stimuli that directly interacts with sensory receptors, sensory-stimulating byproducts

A

proximal stimuli

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6
Q

field that studies relationship between the physical nature of stimuli and the sensations and perceptions these stimuli evoke

A

psychophysics

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7
Q

collections of neuron cell bodies found outside CNS; transmits data (electrical signals) pertaining to a stimulus to the CNS

A

sensory ganglia

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8
Q

areas of brain that receive electrochemical energy sent along neural pathways from sensory ganglia to further analyze the sensory input

A

projection areas

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9
Q

sensory receptors that respond to waves in visible spectrum (sight)

A

photoreceptors

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10
Q

sensory neurons that respond to pressure or movement (hair cells)

A

mechanoreceptors

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11
Q

sensory receptors that respond to painful or noxious stimuli (somatosensation)

A

nociceptors

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12
Q

sensory receptors that respond to changes in temperature

A

thermoreceptors

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13
Q

sensory receptors that respond to the osmolarity of the blood (water homeostasis)

A

osmoreceptors

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14
Q

sensory receptors that respond to volatile compounds (smell)

A

olfactory receptors

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15
Q

sensory receptors that respond to dissolved compounds (taste)

A

taste receptors

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16
Q

minimum stimulus that causes a change in signal transduction

A

threshold

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17
Q

minimum stimulus energy needed to activate sensory system

A

absolute threshold

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18
Q

level of intensity that a stimulus must pass in order to be consciously perceived by the brain

A

threshold of conscious perception

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19
Q

information received by CNS but does not cross threshold of conscious perception

A

subliminal perception

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20
Q

refers to minimum change in magnitude required for an observer to perceive that two different stimuli are different

A

difference threshold (just-noticeable difference (jnd))

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21
Q

participant presented with stimulus, stimulus varied slightly and asked if they perceive a change, varied until interval found, reported as fraction or percent

A

discrimination testing

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22
Q

different thresholds are proportional and must be computed as percents

A

Weber’s Law

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23
Q

studies how internal (psychological) and external (environmental) factors influence thresholds

A

signal detection theory

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24
Q

consists of many trials; during trial a stimulus (signal) may or may not be presented

A

signal detection experiment

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25
Q

signal detection experiment trial in which signal is presented

A

noise trial

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26
Q

signal detection experiment trial in which signal is not presented

A

catch trial

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27
Q

result of signal detection experiment trial in which signal is presented and correctly perceived

A

hit

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28
Q

result of signal detection experiment trial in which signal is presented and incorrectly not perceived

A

miss

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29
Q

result of signal detection experiment trial in which signal is not presented and incorrectly perceived

A

false alarm

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30
Q

result of signal detection experiment trial in which signal is not presented and correctly not perceived

A

correct negative

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31
Q

change in ability to detect a stimulus over time

A

adaptation

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32
Q

specialized organ used to detect light in the form of photons

A

eye

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33
Q

white of eye, thick structural layer covering exposed portion of eye, does not cover cornea

A

sclera

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34
Q

blood vessels that supply nutrients to the eye

A

choroidal and retinal vessels

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35
Q

innermost layer of eye, contains photoreceptors that transduce light into electrical information the brain can process

A

retina

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36
Q

clear, domelike window in front of eye, gathers and focuses incoming light

A

cornea

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37
Q

division of front of eye, lies in front of iris

A

anterior chamber

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38
Q

division of front of eye, between iris and lens

A

posterior chamber

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39
Q

colored part of eye composed of two muscles to open and constrict pupil

A

iris

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40
Q

opens pupil under sympathetic stimulation

A

dilator pupillae

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41
Q

constricts pupil under parasympathetic stimulation

A

constrictor pupillae

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42
Q

vascular layer of connective tissue that surrounds and provides nourishment to retina, continuous with the iris

A

choroid

43
Q

produces aqueous humor that bathes front of eye before draining into the canal of Schlemm, continuous with iris

A

ciliary body

44
Q

lies behind iris, helps control refraction of incoming light

A

lens

45
Q

change in shape of lens to focus on an image as the distance varies

A

accommodation

46
Q

contracts under parasympathetic control to pull on suspensory ligaments to change shape of the lens

A

ciliary muscle

47
Q

transparent gel behind the lens that supports the retina

A

vitreous humor

48
Q

in the back of the eye, like a screen consisting of neural elements and blood vessels, converts incoming photons of light to electrical signals

A

retina

49
Q

states retina contains two kinds of photoreceptors: those specialized for light-and-dark reception and those specialized for color detection

A

duplexity/duplicity theory of vision

50
Q

6 million, used for color vision and to sense fine details, most effective in bright light

A

cones

51
Q

120 million, more functional in reduced illumination, only contains rhodopsin pigment

A

rods

52
Q

central section of retina, contains high concentrations of cones

A

macula

53
Q

center most region of macula, contains only cones; directly involved in color sensation and its distribution of receptors varies across different species

A

fovea

54
Q

blind spot devoid of photoreceptors in region of retina where optic nerve leaves the eye

A

optic disk

55
Q

visual pathway

A

eye → optic nerves → optic chiasm → optic tracts → lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of thalamus → visual radiations (run through temporal and parietal lobes) → visual cortex (in the occipital lobe)

56
Q

brain’s ability to analyze information regarding color, form, motion, and depth simultaneously

A

visual parallel processing

57
Q

detect form with high spatial resolution and low temporal resolution

A

parvocellular cells

58
Q

detect motion with low spatial resolution and high temporal resolution

A

magnocellular cells

59
Q

detect depth

A

binocular neurons

60
Q

responsible for sense of hearing and vestibular sense

A

ears

61
Q

ability to detect both linear and rotational acceleration and use this info to inform sense of balance and spatial orientation

A

vestibular sense

62
Q

cartilaginous outside part of ear, first to receive sound waves and channels them into external auditory canal (meatus)

A

pinna/auricle

63
Q

directs sound waves to tympanic membrane

A

external auditory canal (meatus)

64
Q

vibrates in phase with incoming sound waves

A

tympanic membrane (eardrum)

65
Q

three smallest bones in body in middle ear, transmit and amplify vibrations from tympanic membrane to inner ear

A

ossicles

66
Q

hammer, affixed to tympanic membrane, acts on incus

A

malleus

67
Q

anvil, acts on stapes

A

incus

68
Q

stirrup, baseplate rests on oval window of the cochlea

A

stapes

69
Q

connects middle ear to nasal cavity

A

Eustachian tube

70
Q

hollow region of temporal bone containing cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals of inner ear

A

bony labyrinth

71
Q

collection of structures inside bony labyrinth that contains receptors for the sense of equilibrium and hearing

A

membranous labyrinth

72
Q

potassium-rich fluid filling membranous labyrinth and suspended within bony labyrinth by thin layer of perilymph

A

endolymph

73
Q

thin layer that suspends endolymph in bony labyrinth, also transmits vibrations and cushions inner ear structures

A

perilymph

74
Q

spiral-shaped organ containing receptors for hearing; divided into three parts called scalae

A

cochlea

75
Q

three parts that run the entire length of the cochlea

A

scalae

76
Q

inside middle scala; actual hearing apparatus; rests on thin flexible membrane called basilar membrane, composed of thousands of hair cells bathed in endolymph, relatively immobile membrane on top called tectorial membrane

A

organ of Corti

77
Q

membrane covered hole in cochlea, permits perilymph to actually move within the cochlea

A

round window

78
Q

carries electrical signals transduced from physical stimulus by hair cells to CNS

A

auditory (vestibulocochlear) nerve

79
Q

portion of bony labyrinth containing utricle and saccule which are used as part of balancing apparatus and to determine 3-D orientation in space, sensitive to linear acceleration

A

vestibule

80
Q

modified hair cells covering the utricle and saccule

A

ostoliths

81
Q

three perpendicular canals sensitive to rotational acceleration

A

semicircular canals

82
Q

swelling on end of each canal where hair cells are located

A

ampulla

83
Q

auditory pathways

A

cochlea → vestibulocochlear nerve → medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of thalamus → auditory complex in temporal lobe

84
Q

long tufts of stereocilia on top surface, sway within endolymph causing ion channels to open causing receptor potential

A

hair cells

85
Q

theory on sound perception states location of hair cell determines perception of pitch when vibrated

A

place theory

86
Q

detection of volatile or aerosolized chemicals by olfactory chemoreceptors (olfactory nerves)

A

smell

87
Q

olfactory pathway

A

olfactory nerves → (through the cribriform plate) → olfactory bulb → olfactory tract → higher-order brain areas like the limbic system

88
Q

detection of dissolved compounds by taste buds in papillae; five modalities: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory)

A

taste

89
Q

four touch modalities: pressure, vibration, pain, and temperature

A

somatosensation

90
Q

miniumum distance necessary between points of stimulus on skin that they will be felt as distinct stimuli

A

two-point threshold

91
Q

normal temperature of skin objects are compared to to determine if they are hot or cold

A

physiological zero

92
Q

pain sensation reduced when other somatosensory senses are present

A

gate theory of pain

93
Q

ability to tell where one’s body is in 3-D space

A

proprioception

94
Q

recognition of objects by parallel processing and feature detection, slower but less prone to mistakes

A

bottom-up (data-driven) processing

95
Q

recognition of an object by memories and expectation with little attention to detail, faster but more prone to mistakes

A

top-down (conceptually driven) processing

96
Q

ways that brain can infer missing parts of an incomplete picture

A

Gestalt principles

97
Q

Gestalt principle that says that elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit

A

law of proximity

98
Q

Gestalt principle that says that objects that are similar appear to be grouped together

A

law of similarity

99
Q

Gestalt principle that says that elements that appear to follow the same pathway tend to be grouped togther

A

law of good continuation

100
Q

perception of nonexistent edges in figures based on surrounding visual cues

A

subjective contours

101
Q

Gestalt principle that says that when a space is enclosed by a group of lines it is perceived as a complete or closed line

A

law of closure

102
Q

Gestalt principle that says that perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple, and symmetric as possible

A

law of pragnanz

103
Q

our synthesis of stimuli to make sense of the world

A

perceptual organization

MCAT Psych/Soc (13 decks)

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