sensation and perception (5) Flashcards
Sensation
physiological process Occurs when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor
Sensory receptors
specialized neurons that respond to specific stimuli
Absolute Threshold
The minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time (humans cannot hear as well as animals)
Transduction
conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential (5 senses plus more)
this is when the sensory receptors convert their energy into the stimuli
Subliminal Message
a message hidden in the bigger picture
Just noticeable difference
the minimum amount of change in a stimulus that an individual can detect a small difference
Perception
psychological process. The way that sensory information is interpreted, organizes, and consciously experienced
Bottom-up Processing
system in which perceptions are built from sensory input (have a cut, oh no)
Wavelength
Peak of the wave
Top-Down processing
interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts (have a cut- my nail must’ve got it, the dog must’ve scratched me)
What factors influence Perception?
a.) motivation: if something isn’t buzzing but we think it is
b.) Beliefs, Values, Prejudices, and Expectations: personality traits
c.) Life/Cultural Experiences
d.) sensory adaptations: if a phone blinks for hours we wont notice it
e.) attention: gorilla video
Amplitude
height of the wave
Frequency
directly related to wavelength, number of waves that pass in a given amount of times, the lower the frequency, the longer the wavelength
Cornea
clear membrane, protects the eye, focuses light (concussion tests)
PRK and LASIK
small incisions into the cornea for surgery
Lens
clear structure behind the iris, focuses light on the retina
Pupil
part where light enters the eye
Iris
(eye color) round muscle around pupil, size changes to help focus
Optic Nerve
carries visual information from the retina to the brain
Retina
Back of the eye, final stop for light, rods and cones, sends signals to the brain through the optic nerve
Blind Spot
spot where you cannot see within the visual field
Optic Chiasm
where both optic nerves merge together, x-shaped, right visual field sent to left side, sends info to the occipital nerve
Cones
Color vision and spacial awareness
Rods
non-color vision and detection of movement
Visual transduction:
light travels to occipital lobe
Trichromatic Theory
there are three types of cones long (reds), medium (greens), short (blues)
Opponent Process Theory
Red-Green
Blue-Yellow
Black-White
(if one is struggling, so is the other one)
Afterimage
continual visual sensation (american flag perpetually there)
Pain perception
-Anxiety and fear increase pain
-Mindfulness and sense of control decrease pain
-Inflammatory Pain: signal tissue damages (paper cut)
-Neuropathic Pain: caused by damage to neurons of wither the peripheral or central nervous system (shoulder surgery)
experiencing pain
Gestalt Psychology
Brain creates a perception that is more than simply the sum of sensory inputs, and it does so in predictable ways
whole is greater than parts
Rotating Snakes
Microsaccades: tiny images that make your eyes jerk and force movement in photos that really isn’t there
Müller-Lyer illusion
the lines are the same length but one looks smaller because of arrow direction
