Sensation and Perception Flashcards
sensation
the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and transforming those energies into neural energy
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information so that it makes sense (meaningful)
bottom-up processing
-sensation
-happens in the eyes
-sensory receptors take in every little detail occurring in a situation and send it up to the brain for interpretation
top-down processing
-perception
-occurs in the brain
-easily recognizable, ex. I hear one word from a song and I immediately know that it is pitbull singing and that I love that song
sensory receptors
specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit it to sensory (affluent) nerves and the brain
photoreception
direction of light, perceieved as sight
mechanoreception
detection of pressure, vibration, and movement, perceived as touch, hearing, and equillibrium
chemoreception
detection of chemical stimuli perceived as smell and taste
absolute threshold
the minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect
-candle 30 mi. away 50% of the time
noise
competing stimuli, anything that is in the way (distracting stimuli)
difference threshold
the degree of difference that must exist between two stimuli before the difference is detected
weber’s law
the rinciple that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount) to be perceives as different
subliminal perception
the detection of information below the level of conscious awareness
signal detection theory
an approach to perception that focuses on decision making about stimuli under conditions of uncertainty
-TSA checking bags (what causes them to not get a HIT)
attention
the processing of focusing awareness on a narrow aspect of the environment
selective attention
the act of focusing on a specific aspect of experience while ignoring others
perceptual set
a predisposition or readiness to perceive something in a particular way
-reflect top-down processing
sensory adaptation
a change in the responsiveness of the sensory system based on the average level of surrounding stimulation
sclera
the white outer part of the eye that helps maintain shape of the eye
iris
colored part of the eyes, muscles from it help to contract and dilate the pupil
pupil
opening in the eye; allows for light to enter the eye
cornea
clear membrane that is the outermost part of the eye that protects the pupil and iris
lens
-acts almost like a camera and moves to focus an image (accomadation)
-located behind the iris and pupil
retina
covered in receptor cells that converts the light energy into neural impulses for processing in the brain
-light sensitive
rods
receptor cells in the retina that detect light and dark. (black, grey, and white)
cones
receptor cells in retina that help us to see color
optic nerve
structure in the back of the eyes that is made up of axons of ganglion cells that carry visual information to the brain for further processing and analysis
feature detectors
-involved in vision
-neurons that are responsible for Shapes, angles and movement
-allow us to see the “whole” stimulus
parallel processing
the simultaneous distribution of information across different neural pathways
-perceiving “what” and “where” at once
binding
in the sense of vision, the bringing together and integration of what is processed by different neural pathways or cells
trichromatic theory
states that color perception is based on 3 types of cone receptors red, green, and blue
opponent-process theory
states that cells in the visual field system respond to complementary pairs of red-green and blue-yellow
-staring at red then looking away and you get a green after image
figure-ground relationship
principle by which we organize the perceptual field into stimuli that stand out (figure) and those that are left over (ground)
gestalt psychology
a school of thought interested in how people naturally organize their perceptions according to certain patterns
principles of gestalt
- closure
- proximity
- similarity
closure
when we see disconnected or incomplete figures, we fill in the spaces and see them as complete figures
proximity
when we see objects that are near to eachother, they tend to be seen as a unit
similarity
when we see objects that are similar to eachother, they tend to be seen as a unit
depth perception
the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally
binocular cues
depth cues that require both eyes
-convergence
-retinal disparity
retinal disparity
binocular cue
-objects within 25 feet project images to slightly different locations on the right and left retinal
-ex. opening and closing one eye with hand infront of ur face
convergence
binocular cue
-if the objects are near, the eyes will converge, almost crossing
-if object is far, focus without needing to converge
moncular cues
cues that require one eye
-familiar/relative size
-height in field of view/ plane
-linear perspective
-overlap/interposition
-light and shadow/ shading
-texture gradient
familiar/ relative size
knowing how far an object is by already knowing that objects typical size
height in field of view/plane
higher in the picture equals farther away
linear perspective
smaller equals farther away
overlap/interposition
object overlapping another equals closer
shading/ light and shadow
changes in the perception due to the position of light
texture gradient
denser and finer equals farther away
apparent movement
perception that a stationary object is moving
perceptual constancy
recognition that objects are constant and unchanging even though sensory input about them is changing
types of perceptual constancy
- size constancy
- shape constancy
- color constancy
size constancy
recognition that an object remains the same size even though the retinal image of the object changes
shape constancy
recognition that an object remains the same shape even though its orientation to you changes
color constancy
recognition that an object stays the same color even thought different amounts of light fall on it
-ex. paint swatches
timbre
the tone saturation
tympanic membrane
(eardrum)
-seperates the outer ear from the middle ear
-first structure that sound reaches in the middle ear
-vibrates in response to sound
hammer, anvil, stirrup
-also know as osicles
-when they vibrate, they transmit sound waves to the fluid-filled inner ear
-take the vibration of the eardrum and transmit it to the oval window
oval window
transmits sound waves to cochlea
cochlea
a tubuloar, fluid-filled structure that is coiled up liek a snail
basilar membrane
lines the inner wall of the cochlea but widens and becomes more flexible at the top
hair cells
ears sensory receptors
cilia
tufts or fine bristles located in the hair cells
tectorial membrane
jelly liike flap above hair cells
-movement of this generates impulses that the brain interprets as sound
cochlear implants
electronic device that is implanted in the ear and head that allows deaf people to detect sound
2 theories of hearing
- place theory
- frequency theory
place theory
theory on how the inner ear registers the frequency of sound stating that each frequency produces vibrations at a particular spot on the basilar membrane
frequency theory
theory on how the inner ear registers the frequency of sound, stating that the perception of a sound’s frequency depends on how often the auditory nerve fires
volley principle
modification of the frequency theory stating that individual nuerons can’t fire faster than 1,000 times per second, but if they team up and alternate their neural firing, they can attain a combined frequency above that rate
-ex. army soldiers firing their guns
thermoreceptors
sensory nerve endings under the skin that respond to changes in temperature at or near the skin and provide input to keep the body’s temperature 98.6
pain
the sensation that warns an individual of damage to the body
papillae
rounded bumps above the tongue’s surface that contain the taste buds
olfactory epithelium
the lining of the roof of the nasal canal, containing a sheet of receptor cells of smell
kinesthetic sense
senses that provide information about movement, posture, and orientation
vestibular sense
sense that provides information about balance and movement
semicircular canals
three-fluid filled circular tubes in the inner ear containing the sensory receptors that detect head motion caused when an individual tilts or moves the head
transduction for the eye
occurs in the retina, process of converting light waves into neural impulse
transduction for the ear
occurs in the cochlea, process of converting sound waves into neural impulse
prosopagnosia
disease where your brain can not recognize faces, they can see just fine, but cannot determine who a person is by their face
visual agnosia
inability to recognize an object by just looking at it
