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PSYCH 101 > Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Sensation and Perception Flashcards

1
Q

Synesthesia

A

The “crossing” of the senses, senses are connected
e.g. 6 is a number that is green

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2
Q

The nervous system is connected to the environment through…

A

The senses (sensory systems)

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3
Q

Purpose of the nervous system being connected to the environment

A

To guide behaviour (approach/avoid), specific for survival and reproduction

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4
Q

Sensation

A

Detecting external events by sense organs and turning it into neural signals (basic)

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5
Q

Perception

A

Organizing sensory info in the brain for a meaningful interpretation (more complex), tied to thought and memory

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6
Q

Sensory Psychologists study relationships between…

A
  1. Physical Stimulus, 2. Physiological Response and 3. Sensory Experience
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7
Q

Physical Stimulus

A

The matter or energy in the world

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8
Q

Physiological Response

A

Pattern of chemical and electrical activity in sense organs and CNS in response to Physical Stimulus

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9
Q

Sensory Experience

A

The subjective psychological sensation (perception)

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10
Q

5 Major Senses

A

Taste, Touch, Hearing, Vision, Smell

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11
Q

Sense of Smell

A

Molecules dissolved in fluid on mucous membranes in the nose trigger a response in the sensitive ends of olfactory neurons in olfactory epithelium in the nose

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12
Q

Sense of Taste

A

Molecules dissolved in fluid on the tongue trigger a response in the taste cells that are within taste buds on the tongue

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13
Q

Sense of Touch

A

Pressure on the skin triggers sensitive ends of touch neurons in skin

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14
Q

Sense of Pain

A

Potentially harmful stimuli triggers sensitive ends of pain neurons in skin and other tissues

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15
Q

Sense of Hearing

A

Sound waves are sensed by pressure-sensitive hair cells in cochlea of inner ear

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16
Q

Sense of Vision

A

Light waves are sensed by light sensitive rods and cones in retina of the eye

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17
Q

Steps of message getting to brain

A
  1. Stimulation of sensory receptors (Reception)
    - Initiate neural impulses to sensory neurons
  2. Physical/chemical stimulation converted into nerve impulse (TRANSDUCTION)
  3. Message arriving in the brain (sent to many different parts of the brain, including specific sensory areas of cortex.
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18
Q

Sensory Coding

A

Senses preserve relevant information in step 2, interpreted in step 3

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19
Q

Qualitative variation

A

Perceived as a precise type of energy
e.g. lights of different wavelengths (perceived as different colours)

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20
Q

Quantitative variation

A

Interpreted as an intensity, e.g. a sound or light can be weak or strong

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21
Q

Sensory Adaptation

A

The reduction of activity in sensory receptors with repeated stimulus exposure
- Change in sensitivity when receptors are consistently stimulated or unstimulated
e.g. turning off the lights at night, rods were understimulated, become extra sensitive

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22
Q

Stimulus Thresholds

A

How loud does someone need to whisper for you to hear it? etc.

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23
Q

Absolute threshold

A

Measures sensitivity
- Faintest detectable stimulus
- Varies from person to person
- Weakest amount can detect 50% of the time
- Get higher with age

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24
Q

William Fechner

A

One of the first psychophysicists

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25
Psychophysics
How physical energy relates to psychological experience
26
Difference Threshold
Depends on magnitude of original stimulus - Just noticeable difference - Varies according to Weber's law
27
Weber's Law
JND changes as a proportion of stimuli
28
Signal Detection Theory
Stimuli is processed with previous experience and other senses - integrated wholes
29
What is the purpose of human vision?
Identifying meaningful objects and movements - Visual system has sorted all points and gradations in the reflected light into useful pieces through problems solving
30
Gestalt Psychology
We perceive whole, organized patterns rather than parts - The organization of the parts, not the parts themselves
31
What does "Gestalt" mean?
Means "form" or "whole" in German
32
Form Perception
We automatically divide the visual scene into two parts (1. figure, 2. background)
33
Gestalt Grouping Principles
Proximity, Similarity, Connectedness, Closure, Illusory Contours
34
Transduction
Conversion of stimulus energy to electrical energy
35
Conservative Response Bias
Lots of misses and no
36
Liberal Response Bias
Lots of yes and false alarms
37
Weber Fraction
Ratio of minimum change in magnitude of stimulus to overall magnitude of stimulus
38
Dark Adaptation
Adjustment of your eyes to a dark room
39
Perceptual Adaptation
Occurs in the brain, results in after affects (brain perceiving opposite of what it was exposed to) Example: Waterfall illusion
40
Autism
Reduced sensory adaptation, hypersensitivity, harder to detect changes in environment
41
Echolocation
Animals use soundwaves to map out an area ex. dolphins, bats, owls, etc.
42
What are the best smellers on land?
Bears are known to be the best smellers, 7x better than a bloodhound, 2000x better than a human - Olfactory cortex is 5x larger than a human
43
What range of wavelengths of light can humans detect?
750nm to 390nm (visible light)
44
What is the Just-noticeable difference of light?
Approx 1nm
45
Wavelength of light
Hue of colour
46
Amplitude of light
Max height of wave, intensity of brightness of light
47
Spectral colours
Colours that are made of one or just a few wavelengths
48
Iris
Decreases/increases side of pupil
49
Lens
Bends light to focus image on retina (fovea)
50
Accommodation
Adjusting the lens to focus the image
51
Presbyopia
Lens gets less elastic as people get older, accommodation ability weakens
52
Visual Transduction occurs....
In the rods and cones of the eye
53
Myopia
Objects projected in front of fovea
54
Hyperopia
Objects projected behind fovea
55
Photoreceptor cells
Contain photopigments
56
Photopigments
Sensitive to specific wavelengths of light
57
What happens when light hits photoreceptors?
It causes a chemical change to the photopigments and they change shape, which alters ion flow through the photoreceptor cell and the ionic concentration generates electricity, which moves to bipolar cells/ganglion cells -> ACTION POTENTIAL
58
Rods
All have same photopigment, important for SENSITIVITY, many are connected to one ganglion cell, used for dark vision
59
Cones
Have one of three photopigments, specialized for acuity, one to one match with bipolar/ganglion cells
60
How many rods and cones are there?
120 million rods, 5 million cones
61
Fovea
Location where most cones are found, most sensitive part of retina
62
Foveation
Focusing different stimuli on fovea through moving eyes
63
Acuity
Sharpness or specifity of perception
64
Sensitivity
Ability to detect a stimulus
65
Cortical magnification factor
Regions that require more detail (finer discrimination) get more cortical space
66
Visual Agnosia
Vision without knowing
67
Hierarchical analysis
Levels of the brain create more complete representation of the environment
68
Optic Chiasm
Information from each optic nerve diverges (switches sides) - Left side of retina to left hemisphere
69
Feature detectors
Detect basic features - ex. edges, lines, angles, etc.
70
Visual Association cortex
Secondary visual cortices Damage results in difficulty organizing details
71
Ventral visual pathway
Along temporal lobe, answers "what" questions, damage results in difficulty recognizing objects
72
Dorsal visual pathway
Along parietal lobe, "where" and "how" questions, damage results in difficulty understanding where it is and how to use
73
Focused attention
The way that the ventral and dorsal visual pathway communicate
74
Movement Perception
Occurs in Middle Temporal Cortex, part of Dorsal pathway - Knowing where something is depends on how it is moving - Responds to motion in specific directions
75
Akinetopsia
Unable to perceive motion
76
Phi Phenomenon
Separate lights or images flashing in rapid succession perceived as a fluid movement
77
Sound waves
Are made of air pressure waves
78
Frequency in sound
Results in pitch (Hz)
79
Amplitude in sound
Volume, measured in dB
80
Timbre
Quality of sound - Multiple wavelengths of sound
81
Human auditory range
20 to 20000 Hz
82
Pinna
Outer ear, sound funnel
83
Ear canal
Enhances certain sound frequencies
84
Tympanic membrane
Also known as the eardrum, vibrates, is the boundary between outer and middle ear
85
Ossicles
Tiny bones in middle ear (hammer, anvil and stirrup), connects eardrum to oval window, amplifies vibrations
86
Oval Window
Boundary between middle and inner ear, connects to cochlea
87
Cochlea
Transducer of the ear, full of fluid.
88
Basilar membrane
Vibrates when fluid in cochlea moves, causes cilia to bend
89
Cilia
More than 10 000 in each ear, bending triggers nerve impulses - Bending in one direction depolarizes, other hyperpolarizes
90
Auditory nerve
Transfers information from cilia to brainstem
91
Frequency Theory
- Brain uses frequency of hair cell firing to determine pitch - Neural hair alternate firing to account for higher pitches - Better explains lower pitches, doesn't account for amplitude
92
Place Theory
- Discovered by Hermann von Helmholtz - Different pitches come from different places along basilar membrane - High: beginning - Low: tip
93
Georg von Bekesy
Proved Place Theory using cadavers
94
Place-frequency map/ tonotopic organization
Areas on the basilar membrane and primary auditory cortex corresponds with the order of their frequencies
95
What is the timing difference between the two ears?
0.000027 seconds
96
How do humans localize sound?
Using the timing difference between two ears, and the sound barrier the head creates, also using visual feedback to assist.

PSYCH 101 (9 decks)

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