Sensation and perception

Question 1

sensation

Answer 1

stimulus detection process where organs translate stimuli into nerve impulses

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

Organizing and giving meaning to input. Our senses encode the information our brains perceive.

Question 3

Psychophysicists

Answer 3

Measure the minimum amount of a stimulus needed for detection.

Question 4

Pyschophysics

Answer 4

Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observers sensitivity to that stimulus .

Question 5

Transduction

Answer 5

Takes place when many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into encoded neural signals sent to the CNS

Question 6

Absolute threshold

Answer 6

Intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time. The lower the threshold the higher the sensitivity.

Question 7

Just noticeable difference

Answer 7

the minimal change in a stimulus that can just barley be detected.

Question 8

Just noticeable difference is determined by 2 factors:

Answer 8

How much of a stimulus was there to begin with.
How much sense is being stimulated.

Question 9

4 possible outcomes of signal detection theory:

Answer 9

Hit, miss, false alarm, correct regection.

Question 10

Sensory adaption

Answer 10

Decreasing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus.

Question 11

Adaptive value

Answer 11

Frees senses to be more sensitive to changes in the environment.

Question 12

Cornea

Answer 12

Light reflected from a surface enters the eye via cornea which is the transparent structure in the eye.

Question 13

Pupil

Answer 13

Adjustable opening that controls the amount of light.

Question 14

Lens

Answer 14

Elastic structure for focusing.
Thinner to focus on distant objects and thicker to focus on closer objects.

Question 15

Retina

Answer 15

Photoreceptor’s transduce light energy into electrical impulses

Question 16

Myopia

Answer 16

Nearsightedness: Difficulty seeing far, your eyeball is longer back to front and your lens focuses light infront of the retina.

Question 17

Hyperopia

Answer 17

Farsightedness: Difficulty seeing up close, your eyeball is to short and your lens focuses light behind the retina.

Question 18

Photoreceptors

Answer 18

There are two types of photoreceptor cells in the retina that contain light sensitive pigments that transduce light into neural impulses.

Question 19

Cones

Answer 19

For colour, detail, and functions in high illumination.

Question 20

Rods

Answer 20

functions best in low illumination, 500 more times more sensitive to light than cones. (Allows us to see in the dark)

Question 21

Rods and cones….

Answer 21

have synaptic connections with bipolar cells.
cones have a single line connection while many rods connect to single bipolar cells.
Bipolar cells synapse with ganglion cells which forms the optic nerve.

Question 22

Blind spot

Answer 22

where the optic nerve exits from the eye.

Question 23

Trichromatic theory

Answer 23

that there are three types of colour receptors in the retina.
cones are more sensitive to red, blue, and green waves.

Question 24

Opponent process theory

Answer 24

Suggests that there are three types of cones that each respond to different wavelengths.
Red or green
Blue or yellow
Black or white

Question 25

After images

Answer 25

Happens after you stare at a certain colour, your neural impulses becomes fatigued and you have a rebound effect with receptor responding it’s opponents opposite reaction.

Question 26

Colour deficient vision

Answer 26

Trichromats: normal colour vision
Dichromats: deficient in one system (red and green are most common)
Monochromat: sensitive to black and white only

Question 27

Visual form agnosia

Answer 27

Inability to recognize objects by sight

Question 28

Bottom up processing

Answer 28

The analysis of individual stimulus elements

Question 29

Top down processing

Answer 29

Existing knowledge, concepts, ideas and expectations.

Question 30

Inattentional blindness

Answer 30

Failure of unattended stimuli to register in consciousness.