Sensation And Perception Flashcards
Perception
Process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
Enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Bottom up processing
Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and word up to the brains integration of sensory information
Top down processing
Information processing guided by higher level mental processing
We construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
Selective attention
The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.
Inattentional blindness
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Change blindness
Failing to notice changes in environment
Psychophysics
Study of relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them
Absolute threshold
The minimum stimulation needed to detect particular stimulus 50% of the time.
Signal detection theory
Theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation. Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a persons experience expectations motivation and alertness.
Subliminal
Below absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Priming
Activation
Often unconscious
Predisposing perception, memory or response
Difference threshold
Minimum diff between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time.
jnd or just noticeable difference
Weber’s law
The principal that in order to be perceived as different 2 stimuli must differ by a constant %.
Sensory adaptation
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Transduction
Conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation the transforming of stimulus energies such as sights, sounds, smells, Into neural impulses our brains can interpret
Wavelength
Distance from the peak of one long or sound wave to the peak of the next.
Hue
Dimension of color determined by the wavelength of light
What we know as blue green and so on…
Intensity
Amount of energy in a light or sounds wave
Which we perceive as brightness or loudness
Determined by waves amplitude
Pupil
Adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Iris
Ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.
Lens
Transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Retina
Light sensitive inner surface of the eye containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
Accommodation
Process by which eyes lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
Rods
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, gray. Necessary for peripheral and twilight vision when comes don’t respond.
Cones
Retinal receptor cells Concentrated near center of retina Function in daylight (well lit) Fine detail Colors
Optic nerve
Nerve that carries neural impulses from eye to the brain
Blind spot
Point at which optic nerve leaves the eye
Created blind spot bc there are no receptor cells located there
Fovea
central focal point in the retina
Cones cluster around them
Feature detectors
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus
Such as shape
Angle
movement
Parallel processing
Process of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
Natural
Young-Hemholtz trichromatic (three color) theory
Theory that retina contains 3 different color receptors One sensitive to red One to blue One to green Combined produces colors
Opponent process theory
Theory that opposing retinal processes
(Red, yellow blue, white black,) enable color vision
Some stimulated by green and inhibited by red
Others stimulated by red and inhibited by green
Audition
Sense of hearing
Frequency
Number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
Pitch
A tones experience highness or lowness depends on frequency
Middle ear
Chamber between the eardrum an cochlea containing 3 tiny bones
Hammer
Anvil
Stirrup
Concentrate vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlear oval window
Cochlea
Coiled bony fluid filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.
Inner ear
The innermost part of the ear
Cochlea
Semicircular canals
Vestibular sacs
Place theory
Theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochleas membrane is stimulated
Frequency theory
The theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone
Thus we sense pitch
Conduction hearing loss
Caused by damage to mechanical system
Sensorineural hearing loss
Damage to cochlea receptor cells or to auditory nerves
Cochlear implant
Device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
Kinesthesis
The system for sending the position and movement of body parts
Vestibular sense
The sense of body movement and position including the sense of balance
gate-control theory
Theory that spinal chord contains neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to go to the brain
Opened by activity of small nerve fibers
Closed by activity in larger fibers or other info
Sensory interaction
One sense may influence another
Gestalt
Organized whole (Gestalt psychologists Emphasize our tendency to integrate pieces into wholes)
Figure ground
Figures stand out from their surroundings
Grouping
Organize stimuli into coherent groups
Depth perception
Ability to see objects in three dimensions
Judge distance
Visual cliff
Test depth perception infants
Reluctant to go out over glass
Binocular cues
Retinal disparity
Depth cues
Use of two eyes
Retinal disparity
Depth
Brain gets images from both eyes
The greater difference between the images the closer the object is.
Monocular cues
Depth cues
Interposition
Linear perspective
Phi phenomenon
Illusion of movement
Two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
Perceptual constancy
Objects perceived as unchanging
Color constancy
Familiar objects per levels to have same color
Perceptual adaptation
Adjust to artificially displaced or inverted visual field
Perceptual set
Mental predisposition to perceived one thing and not another
Extrasensory perception
Controversial Claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input Telepathy Clairvoyance Precognition
Parapsychology
Study of paranormal phenomena
Esp
Psychokinesis
Sensation
Process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from environment
