Sensation and Perception

Question 1

embodied cognition

Answer 1

in psychological science, the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments.

Question 2

place theory

Answer 2

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.

Question 3

feature detectors

Answer 3

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.

Question 3

kinesthesis

Answer 3

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.

Question 3

monocular cues

Answer 3

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.

Question 4

fovea

Answer 4

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster.

Question 4

parallel processing

Answer 4

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.

Question 5

lens

Answer 5

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.

Question 6

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 6

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness.

Question 7

bottom-up processing

Answer 7

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information.

Question 8

binocular cues

Answer 8

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.

Question 8

perceptual constancy

Answer 8

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.

Question 8

sensory adaptation

Answer 8

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Question 8

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory

Answer 8

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors-one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue-which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color.

Question 9

frequency theory

Answer 9

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch.

Question 11

cochlear implant

Answer 11

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.

Question 11

depth perception

Answer 11

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.

Question 13

audition

Answer 13

the sense or act of hearing.

Question 14

retinal disparity

Answer 14

a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance- the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.

Question 15

cones

Answer 15

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.

Question 15

optic nerve

Answer 15

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.

Question 17

frequency

Answer 17

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second).

Question 18

absolute threshold

Answer 18

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.

Question 20

conduction hearing loss

Answer 20

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Question 21

parapsychology

Answer 21

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis.

Question 22

difference threshold

Answer 22

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (or jnd).

Question 23

retina

Answer 23

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.

Question 23

rods

Answer 23

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond.

Question 24

iris

Answer 24

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.

Question 25

color constancy

Answer 25

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.

Question 26

gestalt

Answer 26

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

Question 27

hue

Answer 27

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth.

Question 29

cochlea

Answer 29

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses.

Question 30

gate-control theory

Answer 30

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.

Question 31

perceptual set

Answer 31

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

Question 32

phi phenomenon

Answer 32

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.

Question 34

inner ear

Answer 34

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.

Question 35

visual cliff

Answer 35

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals.

Question 36

opponent-process theory

Answer 36

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.

Question 38

extrasensory perception (ESP)

Answer 38

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition.

Question 39

perceptual adaptation

Answer 39

in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.

Question 40

figure-ground

Answer 40

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

Question 40

sensation

Answer 40

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.

Question 41

perception

Answer 41

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Question 42

middle ear

Answer 42

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.

Question 43

wavelength

Answer 43

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.

Question 44

intensity

Answer 44

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude.

Question 45

Weber’s law

Answer 45

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount).

Question 47

pitch

Answer 47

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.

Question 49

pupil

Answer 49

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

Question 50

transduction

Answer 50

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret.

Question 51

psychophysics

Answer 51

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.

Question 52

blind spot

Answer 52

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there.

Question 53

signal detection theory

Answer 53

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

Question 54

subliminal

Answer 54

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Question 55

sensory interaction

Answer 55

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.

Question 56

accommodation

Answer 56

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.

Question 57

vestibular sense

Answer 57

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance.

Question 59

grouping

Answer 59

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.

Question 60

priming

Answer 60

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response.

Question 61

top-down processing

Answer 61

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.