Sensation and Perception

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

the detection of external stimuli and the transmission of this information to the brain

Question 2

perception

Answer 2

the processing, organization, and interpretation of sensory signals

Question 3

transduction

Answer 3

the process by which sensory stimuli are converted to signals the brain can interpret

Question 4

bottom-up processing

Answer 4

perception based on the physical features of the stimuli

Question 5

top-down processing

Answer 5

how knowledge, expectations, or past experiences shape the interpretation of sensory information

Question 6

Qualitative

Answer 6

sensory receptors respond to a qualitative difference by firing in different combinations

Question 7

quantitative information

Answer 7

sensory receptors respond to quantitative differences by firing at different rates

Question 8

psychophysics

Answer 8

a subfield developed during the nineteenth century by Weber and Fechner, examines our psychological experiences of physical stimuli

Question 9

absolute threshold

Answer 9

the minimum intensity of stimulation that must occur before you experience a sensation

Question 10

difference threshold

Answer 10

the minimum amount of change required for a person to detect a difference between two stimuli

Question 11

weber’s law

Answer 11

the just noticeable difference between two stimuli is based on a proportion of the original stimulus rather than on a fixed amount of difference

Question 12

signal detection theory

Answer 12

the detection of a stimulus required a judgement, it is not an all or nothing process

Question 13

sensory adaptation

Answer 13

a decrease in sensistivity to a constatn level of stimulation

Question 14

synesthesia

Answer 14

crossing of the senses

Question 15

rods

Answer 15

low light intensities, colorless

Question 16

cones

Answer 16

high light intensities, responsible for sensation of color

Question 17

fovea

Answer 17

the greatest acuity, this is where most of the cones are located

Question 18

human vision is based on which colors

Answer 18

red, blue, green

Question 19

lateral inhibition

Answer 19

an example of how the visual system refines stimulus information by emphasizing various aspects and understanding others

Question 20

binocular depth cues

Answer 20

cues of depth perception that arise from the fact that people have two eyes, the disparity from the two retinal images is used to compute distance

Question 21

monocular depth cues

Answer 21

cues of depth perception that are available to each eye alone

Question 22

nociceptors

Answer 22

receptors responding to various forms of tissue damage and temperature extremes

Question 23

A delta fibers

Answer 23

transmit pain signal quickly

Question 24

C fibers

Answer 24

transmit pain slowly

Question 25

olfactory epithelium

Answer 25

a mucous membrane in the nose that triggers smell

Question 26

5 types of taste receptors

Answer 26

salt, sour, sweet, bitter, umami