sensation and perception Flashcards
bottom-up processing
begins with the sensory receptors and then goes to the brain
top-down processing
processing the sensory information by interpreting it through perosn experience and expectations
selective attention
the ability to focus on just stimuli we decide is important
cocktail party effect
when we are able to focus on just one thing in an overcrowded place
inattentional blindness
when we are extremely cocnentrated on a particular part that we miss something completely obvious in our surroundings
Change blindness
we are so focus on one thing that we fail to notice little changes in our environment
three steps of all sensory systems
recieve, transform information into neural impulses, deliver to the brain
tranduction
the rpocess of translatting physical energy into electromechanical one
absolute threshold
the minimum stimualtion needed to detect a stimulus
difference threshold
the minimum stimulus difference a aperson can detect
perceptual set
set of mental tendencies and assumptions that infleucne our sensory interpretation
sensory adaptation
temporary resistance to a stimuli, we become less sensitive to it
habituation
long-lasting resistanece to a stimuli
wavelenght
the distance from one peak to another, determines hue and color (light waves)
Amplitude
the height of the wave, determines intensity (light waves)
visual information journey
cornea - pupil - iris - trnasparent lens - retina
accomodation
the lens adjusts its thickness and curviture to focus on something far away or close to us
How does retina process light?
it covnerts light particles into neural impulses nad sends those to the brain
blind spot
where the optical nerve leaves the eye
rods
retina’s outer regions, eable seeing in balck and white
cones
in and around fovea (retina’s central focus area), enable to see colors and details
trichometry theory
every color is composed of three primary colors, the eye has the rceptors for only these three colors
color blindness
a person doesn’t see a certain cloro becuase they are missing on or more types of cones
opponent-process theroy
color vision depends on sets of opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black)
afterimages
an image that is reatined in the eye after a stimula has ceased
parallel processing
our brain multitasking while processing visual information
figure-ground principle
seperarting the object from its background
Proximity principle
grouping figures that are close to eachother together
Continuity principle
we see things as a smooth constinuous pattern rather than a discontinued one
closure principle
we fill in gaps in objects to create a whole
binocular cues
thanks to hte fact that we have two eys we see everything from two points of views
retinal disparity
comparing the two images from the two eyes
convergence
the inward angle of the eyes focusing on one object
relative height
taller part of the image is further away
relative size
we assume that smaller objects aree further away and bigger objects closer
interposition
an obejct that blocks the view of another is closer to us
relative motion
when we move it may appear that the objects that are in fact stable move as well
linear perspective
when parallel lines seemingly get closer it is a measure of distance
light and shadow
where there is shadow that part is deeper/further away from us
stroboscopic movement
many still images right after eachother create the illiusion of movement
phi phenomenon
when there are two lightbulbs next to each other taking turns bliking we are more likely to see it as one light moving
color constancy
familiar obejcts have constant color although illumination may affect it
brightness constancy
familiar obejcts have constant brightness although illumination may affect it
Relative luminance
the amount of light an obejct reflects is relative to its surroundings
shape constancy
shape of familiar objects is constant despite our angle saying otherwise
size constancy
shape of familiar objects is constant despite our angle saying otherwise
Muller-lyyer illusion
Our perception gets exaggerated depending on the lines at the end getting smaller or bigger.
moon illusion
the moon changes its size depending on its position on the horizon
motion illusion
animation
Ponzo illusion
The perception of size gets confused because of the converging lines in the picture.
Ames room
the room is built that one side Is close to the peep hole than the other and then people stand in both corners and the on the closer corners seem a lot larger than the on the further corner.
impossible illusion
our brains get so confused by weirdly drawn lines that it cannot create a 3D image
aplitude of sound
affects loudness
frequency of sound
affects pitch
the journey of sound
pinna - eardrum - middle ear - cochlea - inner ear - oval window - basilar membrane (hair cells). ajacent nerve - auditory nerve - auditory cortex
sensorineural hearing loss
damage to cochlea’s hair receptors, can hear sounds but can’t tell what someone is saying
conduction hearing loss
damage to the machanical system (eardrum, middle ear bones)
place theory
differnent putches trigger differnet places on the cochlea’s membrane. Place recognizes pithces by the areas activated
frequency theory
monitoring the frequency of the signals coming up the auditory nerve (only 1000 times per second)
Volley theory
place and frequency theory together, a gorup of nerves cooperates to reach a higher pitch than 1000Hz
skin sensations
pressure, warmth, cold and pain
gate control theory
there is a neurological gate in the spinal cord that can control the transmission of pain to the brain
5 basic tastes
sweet salty, sour, bitter, umami
taste journey
receptor cell - matching partenr cell - temporal lobe
smell journey
olfactory receptor cell - olfactory bulb - olfactory cortex - parts of the limibic system
kinesthetic sense
our movement sense, where certain body parts are located
