sensation and perception Flashcards
sensation
using our five senses to encode nformation
absolute threshold
the weakest level of a stimulus that can still be detected 50% of the time
signal detection theory
for some stimuli there is no absolute threshold due to factors such as fatigue, attention, emotion, distress, etc.
sublimal stimulation
a real change but you don’t notice because its so small
difference threshold
minimum difference between two stimuli that a person can detect 50% of the time
goldilocks moment - just right!
webers law
the bigger the stimulus change, the more the difference threshold goes up
bottom up processing
react first then think
top down processing
think and then react
constancies
things that stay constant even though it may appear to change when it gets closer/farther away
pupil
light reflects through it to see an object
vitreous
white part of the eye
retina
in back of eye
cornea
rigid transparent structure on surface of eyeball
lens
adjustable and helps to focus
myopia
cant see far away
hyperopia
can’t see close up
what are the two types of visual receptors
rods and cones
cones
help you see color
rods
help you see in the dark
dark adaptation
the gradual ability to be able to see better after the lights go out (the act of your eyes adjusting to the darkness and being able to see better)
fovea
in charge of sharp vision
cones and rods live in the center
trichromatic theory
AKA YOUNG HELMHOLTZ THEORY
our recepetors (cones) respond to three primary colors red green and blue
opponent process theory
we do not percieve colors as individual but in paired opposites
red v green
yellow v blue
white v black
vestibular sense
helps with balance
lives in inner ear
needs vision also (why its hard t stand on one foot with eyes closed)
pain
tactile sensation (somatosensation)
gate theory
pain messages must pass through a gate (believed to be the spinal cord) in order to reach the brain which processes the pain
taste
gustation
taste
olfaction
five tastes are…
salty, sweet, sour, bitter, umami (savory)
selective attention
at any moment our attention focuses on only a limited aspect of all that we experience
ex: cocktail party effect (hearing your name in a crowd and turning to look)
gestalt psychology
focuses on our ability to perceive patterns (optical illusions photos)
figure ground
ability to identify an object from a background
monocular cue
clues based on distance from one eye
binocular cue
clues based on distance from two eyes
includes retinal display and convergence
retinal disparity
slightly different view the two eyes have of the same object
your brain will automatically merge the two
convergence
inward turning of your eyes when an object comes closer
phi phnomenom
lights blinking perceived as movement
amplitude
height of the sound wave
the higher it is, the louder the sound
absolute threshold for hearing
0 db
(normal conversations are 60 db)
when does hearing loss occur
above 85 db
what is music with headphones
105-120 db
frequency of soundwave
the number of complete soundwaves that pass a point in a second (Hz)
determines the highness or lowness of the sound/pitch
the shorter the wavelength…
the higher the frequency
the higher the pitch
what is the range people can hear
20-20,000 Hz
sound localization
the process by which you can tell where a sound is coming from
cochlea
contains the receptors for hearing
shaped like a snail
contains the basilar membrane
basilar membrane
contains hair cells that are connected to neurons attached to the auditory nerve
conduction deafness
bones connected to the eardrum fail to transmit sound waves to the cochlea
nerve deafness
results from damage to the cochlea, the hair, cells, or the auditory nerve
frequency theory
the rate of the neural impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, enabling you to sense its pitch
