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PSYC 1200 > Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Sensation and Perception Flashcards

1
Q

Sensation

A

The process of detecting external events by the sense organs

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2
Q

Transduction

A

Process in which physical or chemical stimulation is converted into a neural impulse that is relayed to the brain

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3
Q

Perception

A

Involves attending to, organizing, and interpreting stimuli that we sense

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4
Q

Absolute threshold

A

The minimum amount of energy or quantity of a stimulus required for it to be reliably detected at least 50% of the time it is presented

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5
Q

Difference Threshold

A

Smallest difference between two stimuli that a subject can detect
- “just noticeable difference” expressed as a Weber fraction

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6
Q

Weber’s Law

A

K = DL/S
K = Difference threshold/Standard

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7
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

How we make decisions under conditions of uncertainty
- Thresholds can vary depending on the individual or context in which the decision is being made

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8
Q

Signal Detection Theory (Correct Responses)

A
  • Hit: detecting the stimulus when it is present
  • Correct Rejection: not detecting the stimulus when it is absent
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9
Q

Signal Detection Theory (Incorrect Responses)

A
  • Miss: failing to detect the stimulus when it is present
  • False Alarm: detecting the stimulus when it is absent
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10
Q

Subliminal Messaging

A
  • Subliminal stimuli: presented to a person below their conscious threshold
  • We detect subliminal stimuli without conscious awareness
    • Activation in certain brain regions
  • Effects are limited
    • Will not make you do anything you would not normally do
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11
Q

Perceptual Organization

A

The process by which elements are organized to form perceptible objects
- Grouping and segregation
- Gestalt psychologists proposed several principles by which we achieve perceptual organization

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12
Q

Figure-ground principle
(Gestalt Principles of Perception)

A

Objects and figures in our environment tend to stand out against a background

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13
Q

Gestalt Principles

A
  1. Good Continuation
  2. Proximity
  3. Similarity
  4. Closure
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14
Q

Good Continuation
(Gestalt Principles)

A

Objects that are partially covered by other objects are seen as continuing behind those objects

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15
Q

Top-Down Processing

A

Occurs when prior knowledge and expectations guide what is perceived

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16
Q

Bottom-Up Processing

A

Is constructing a whole stimulus or concept from bits of raw sensory information

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17
Q

Selective Attention

A

Involves focusing on one particular event or task

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18
Q

Divided attention

A

Involves paying attention to several stimuli/tasks at once
- Self-proclaimed multi-taskers perform worse on cognitive tests
- Distracted driving

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19
Q

Inattentional blindness

A

A failure to notice clearly visible events or objects because attention is directed elsewhere

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20
Q

Amplitude

A

Height of the waves

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21
Q

Wavelength

A

Distance between waves

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22
Q

Sclera (Eye)

A

White outer layer of eye

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23
Q

Cornea (Eye)

A

Clear layer that covers the front of the eye

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24
Q

Pupil (Eye)

A

Regulates amount of light let into eye

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25
Q

Iris (Eye)

A

Round muscle that adjusts the size of the pupil

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26
Q

Lens (Eye)

A

Clear structure that focuses light onto back of eye

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27
Q

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

A
  • Focus point falls short of the retina
    • Lens and/or cornea bends light too much or eyeball too long
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28
Q

Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

A
  • Ideal focus point falls beyond the retina
    • Cornea/lens too rigid and fails to bend light enough or eyeball not long enough
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29
Q

Retina

A
  • Cones concentrated on fovea to produce high-detail, colour vision at our point of visual focus
  • Rods on outer regions of retina provide peripheral vision and are specialized for low light conditions
  • Dark adaptation: the process by which rods and cones gain sensitivity to low light levels
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30
Q

Trichromatic theory

A

Colour vision is determined by three different cone types that are sensitive to short, medium, and long wavelength light

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31
Q

Trichromatic theory (PART 2)

A

The combined activity of all three cone types generates a unique signature associated with each perceived colour, even colours without a corresponding wavelength

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32
Q

Comparative Color Perception

A

Monochromatism vs Dichromatism vs trichromatism vs tetrachromatism

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33
Q

Opponent-Process Theory

A

We perceive colour in terms of opposite ends of the spectrum (red to green, yellow to blue, white to black)
- Ganglion cells provide three colour ‘channels’
- Certain colours are natural opposites

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34
Q

Opponent-Process Theory (PART 2)

A
  • Opponent neurons found in the retina and lateral geniculate nucleus
    • Allows for additional layer of organization and analysis
  • Complementary with Trichromatic theory
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35
Q

Negative Afterimages

A

Opponent process theory supported by evidence from negative afterimages

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36
Q

Organization by opponent Neurons

A
  • If vision was only based on thrichromatic theory, red-green colour deficient individuals should not see yellow
  • Opponent cells respond to the ratio of certain cone responses to produce either an inhibitory or excitatory response
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37
Q

Why is Opponent Process Necessary?

A
  • Additional analysis of the ratio of cone responses allows for more fine color perception - unlike the mantis shrimp
    • Pattern of opponent neuron responses reveals the wavelength of light that produced it
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38
Q

Horizontal cells (Enhancing Contrast)

A

Inhibitory interneurons (GABA releasing) that connect between photoreceptors

39
Q

Optic Chiasm (Beyond the Retina)

A

crossover point for optic nerve at midpoint of the brain

40
Q

Lateral geniculate nucleus (Beyond the Retina)

A

Region within thalamus that directs visual information throughout the brain
- Receives 90% of visual signals from optic nerve

41
Q

Feature Detection Cells
(Primary Visual Cortex)

A

Neurons that respond selectively based on specific aspects of a stimulus (e.g., angles and edges) as well as to specific regions of the visual field

42
Q

Ventral (‘what’) Stream
(Visual Pathways)

A

Extends from visual cortex to temporal lobe
- Responsible for object and face recognition
- Fusiform face area
- Pareidolia and prosopagnosia

43
Q

Perceptual Constancy

A

The ability to perceive objects as having constant shape, size, and colour despite changes in perspective

44
Q

Size Constancy

A

Size constancy relies on other depth cues to make perceptual corrections to the retinal image
- Size constancy illusions rely on contextual depth cues to achieve deception

45
Q

Lightness Constancy

A

Maintaining perception under uneven illumination

46
Q

Dorsal (‘where/how’) Stream
(Visual Pathways)

A

Extends from visual cortex to the parietal lobe
- Guides interaction with objects
- Responsible for depth and motion perception

47
Q

Binocular Depth Cues

A

Distance cues that are based on the differing perspectives of both eyes

48
Q

Convergence

A

Occurs when the eye muscles contract so that both eyes focus on a single object

49
Q

Retinal Disparity

A

The difference in perspective provided by each eye
- Stereopsis: sense of depth

50
Q

Strabismus

A

Eyes do not align properly when looking at objects
- The case of ‘Stereo Sue’

51
Q

Binocular Depth in Animals

A
  • Frontal vs Lateral eyes
    • Eye placement depends on evolutionary demands of a species
52
Q

Monocular Depth Cues

A

These are depth cues that we can perceive with only one eye

53
Q

Accommodation
(Monocular Depth Cues)

A

Curving of lens to focus on nearby objects

54
Q

Motion Parallax
(Monocular Depth Cues)

A

Used when surroundings are in motion

55
Q

Pitch

A

Perceptual experience of sound wave frequencies

56
Q

Loudness

A

Perceptual experience of amplitude

57
Q

Sound Detection (Outer Ear)

A
  • Pinna collects sounds
  • Auditory canal amplifies frequencies between 1000 and 5000 Hz
58
Q

Sound Detection (Middle Ear)

A

Vibrations of tympanic membrane get amplified by ossicles to convert wave in air to wave in fluid of inner ear

59
Q

Inner Ear (Place Theory)

A
  • Region along basilar membrane that gets stimulated also corresponds with frequency
  • Base of basilar membrane 3-4 x narrower than apex and therefore about 100x stiffer
    • Tonotopic map
60
Q

Inner Ear (Frequency Theory)

A
  • hair cells fire synchronously with rising pressure phase of a sound stimulus
    • Refractory period limits frequency that individual nerve fibers can signal
  • Volley principle
    • Summed activity of groups of cells can provide more accurate representation of frequency
61
Q

Cochlear Nucleus (Auditory Pathway)

A

Crossover of auditory signals to contralateral hemisphere

62
Q

Medial Geniculate Nucleus
(Auditory Pathway)

A

Structure within thalamus responsible for routing of auditory information

63
Q

Primary Auditory Cortex

A

Organized similar to the cochlea (tonotopic map)

64
Q

Sound Localization

A

Process of identifying where sounds come from
- Achieved by:
- Interaural time differences
- Sound shadow

65
Q

Determining Elevation

A

Folds of the pinna affect the intensities of frequencies differently depending on their elevation

66
Q

Multimodal Integration

A
  • Combining sensations from different modalities into single integrated perception
    • Dependent on spatial and temporal association
    • McGurk effect
67
Q

Mechanoreceptors (Somatosensory System)

A

Detect pressure and touch

68
Q

Nociceptors (Somatosensory System)

A

Detect heat and pain

69
Q

Hearing through Touch

A
  • Elephant foot stomping and low-frequency rumbles can be tactilely detected through seismic waves in the ground
  • Waves travel through toenails to the ear via bone conduction
  • Use low frequencies to Coordinate movements with other distant herds
70
Q

Acuity (Touch Sensitivity)

A

Ability to discern points of pressure
- Two-point threshold test
- Sensitivity corresponds with areas of greater neural representation in somatosensory cortex

71
Q

Tactile Acuity

A

Blind Braille readers

72
Q

Haptics (Perceiving Objects)

A

Exploratory sense of touch
- Active vs passive touch
- Tactile agnosia

73
Q

Sensory Integration

A
  • Visual information influences perception of touch
    • Rubber hand illusion
74
Q

Proprioception

A

Our sense of bodily position

75
Q

Kinesthesis

A

Our sense of bodily motion

76
Q

Proprioception and Kinesthesis

A

Both work in conjunction with haptics to garasp and interact with objects

77
Q

Neural Prosthetics

A

Feeling through machines

78
Q

Nociception (Feeling Pain)

A

Sense of pain signaled by specialized nociceptors
- Fast fibres: register sharp, immediate pain
- Slow fibres: register chronic dull pain

79
Q

Traditional Theory (Model of Pain)

A

Nociceptors are stimulated and send signals to the brain
- Very straightforward and purely physiological

80
Q

Model of Pain

A
  • Failure to account for
    • Pain can be enhanced or suppressed by a person’s current mental state
    • Phantom limb pain
    • Placebo effect
81
Q

Gate Control Theory

A

Explains our experience of pain as an interaction between nerves that transmit pain messages and those that inhibit these messages

82
Q

Top Down Influences on Pain

A
  • Pain perception has a subjective component
  • Emotion and expectations influence our experience
83
Q

Empathy and Pain

A

Having empathy for another person can result in a shared experience

84
Q

Taste (Gustatory System)

A
  • Receptors for taste (taste buds) located on small bumps (papillae) that cover the tongue
  • Receptors detect sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami
  • Projections go to thalamus > gustatory cortex
85
Q

Taste Sensitivity

A
  • Supertaster
  • Non-taster
    • Supertasters have more taste buds, increasing their sensitivity to bitter substances
86
Q

Tuck (cats)

A

Lacks sweet receptors

87
Q

Alice (parrots)

A

300 - 400 taste buds for sweet, sour, bitter, and salty

88
Q

Catfish

A

Hunt through taste with > 100,000 taste buds located all over their body

89
Q

Smell
(Olfactory System)

A
  • Olfactory Epithelium: thin layer of cells that are lined by sensory receptors called cilia
  • Cilia transmit transduced signal to olfactory bulb via the olfactory tract
90
Q

Chemotopic Organization

A
  • Olfactory bulb organized in clusters according to chemical type and structure
  • Ability to understand smells depends on being able to retrieve reference points from memory
91
Q

Macrosomatic (Olfactory System)

A

Strong sense of smell that is necessary for survival (Animals)
- Tuck: 45-80 million

92
Q

Microsomatic (Olfactory System)

A

Weaker sense of smell that is not as crucial to survival (Humans)
- Dawson: 5 million

93
Q

Olfactory System

A

Individual smell receptors equally sensitive, but differ in number across species

94
Q

Top-Down Influences on Flavour Perception

A

Enjoyment and brain activity can be influenced by expectations of quality

PSYC 1200 (8 decks)

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