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sensation and perception Flashcards

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1
Q

what are sensations?

A

raw info taken in by sense, affects behaviour and mental processes

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2
Q

what is the process of sensation?

A
  • accessory structure modifies energy
  • receptor tranduces energy
  • sensory nerves bring encoded info to CNS
  • initial processing in thalamus
  • processing in cerebral cortex
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3
Q

what does sensation in the cerebral cortex produce?

A

perception

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4
Q

what sensation is not initially processed in the thalamus

A

smell

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5
Q

what are the types of codes?

A

temporal and spatial

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6
Q

what is a temporal code?

A

timing of impulse

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7
Q

what is a spatial code?

A

location of firing neurones

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8
Q

what is psychophysics?

A

relationship of the physical energy in the enviro and the psychological experience

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9
Q

what is the absolute threshold

A

the minimum amount of energy that can be detected 50% of the time

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10
Q

what is sensitivity in relation to signal detection?

A

intensity of signal, capacity of sensory systems and is affected by noise level

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11
Q

what is response criterion in relation to signal detection?

A

willingness to respond to a stimulus

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12
Q

what are some characteristics of waveforms?

A
  • amplitude
  • wavelength
  • frequency
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13
Q

what is the amp of a waveform?

A

height from baseline to peak

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14
Q

what is the wavelength of a waveform?

A

distance from peak to peak

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15
Q

what is the frequency of a waveform?

A

cycles/second (Hz)

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16
Q

what are the psychological dimensions of sound (experience)?

A
  • loudness
  • pitch
  • timbre
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17
Q

what is loudness in relation to dimensions of sound?

A

amp, measured in dB

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18
Q

what is pitch in relation to dimensions of sound?

A

frequency, higher or lower tone

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19
Q

what is timbre in relation to dimensions of sound?

A

wave patterns added to lowest frequency, depends on specialised neurons

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20
Q

what are the main structures of the ear?

A
  • outer ear
  • middle ear
  • inner ear
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21
Q

what structures are part of the outer ear?

A
  • pinna, collects and shapes sound

- ear canal

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22
Q

what structures are part of the middle ear?

A
  • tympanic membrane

- ossicles: malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), stapes (stirrup)

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23
Q

what structures are part of the inner ear?

A
  • cochlea
  • basilar membrane
  • organ of corti
  • hair cells
  • acoustic nerve
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24
Q

what are the types of deafness?

A
  • conductive deafness

- nerve deafness

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25
what does conductive deafness prevent?
prevents accurate conduction of vibrations due to fusion of ossicles
26
what does nerve deafness result from?
damages to acoustic nerve, hair cells
27
what are the two ways frequency can be coded?
- place theory | - frequency matching (volley) theory
28
what part of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible light?
400 to 750 nm
29
what are the cells found in the retina?
- photoreceptors - ganglion cells - interneurons
30
what is hue?
colour
31
what is colour saturation?
purity
32
what is brightness in relation to colour?
intensity
33
what is visual transduction?
converts light energy into neural activity
34
what is the trichromatic theory of colour vision?
you can produce any colour by mixing pure lights of blue (440nm), green (510nm) and red (700nm)
35
what are the three types of cones?
- short wavelength - medium wavelength - long wavelength
36
what colour are short wavelengths most sensitive to?
blue
37
what colour are medium wavelengths most sensitive to?
green
38
what colour are long wavelengths most sensitive to?
reddish-yellow
39
does trichromatic theory of colour vision explain afterimages?
no
40
does the Opponent-Process theory of colour vision explain afterimages?
yes
41
what is an afterimage?
an image that continues to appear in the eyes after a period of exposure to the original image
42
why does an afterimage appear?
because photochemical activity in the retina continues even when the eyes are no longer experiencing the original stimulus
43
what are colour-sensitive visual elements grouped into pairs of?
red/green, blue/yellow, black/white
44
what is the kinaesthetic sense?
tells the brain where parts of the body are
45
what is the intensity of the stimulus encoded by?
- firing rate of individual neurons | - number of neurons stimulated
46
what happens according to the gate control theory?
pain is a function of the balance between info travelling into spinal cord through large and small nerve fibres, the gate is closed and there is no pain
47
what are the two types of nerve fibres that carry pain signals from skin to spinal cord?
- A-delta fibers | - C fibres
48
what are the three approaches to perception?
- computational model - constructivist approach - ecological approach
49
what is the computational model of perception?
what steps a computer takes to solve perceptual problems
50
what is the constructivist approach to perception?
we create representations from bits of info and our experiences
51
what is the ecological approach to perception?
how info helps us adapt to and use the enviro
52
what are gestalt principles of grouping of perceptual organisation?
- proximity - similarity - continuity - closure - texture - simplicity - common fate
53
what are Palmer's additional grouping principles of perceptual organisation?
- common reign - connectedness - synchrony
54
what is stroboscopic illusion based on principles of?
likelihood and simplicity
55
what is size constancy?
changes in size of a retinal image interpreted as changes in distance, not change in actual size
56
what is shape constancy?
the perceived shape of an object remains the same even when seen at different angles
57
when does shape constancy break down?
at extreme angles
58
what is bottom-up processing?
basic feature analysis
59
what is top-down processing?
- schemas and perceptual sets - impact of context - impact of motivation
60
what is a schema?
a cognitive structure that serves as the framework of one's knowledge about people, places, objects and events
61
what is a pareidolia?
a psychological phenomenon that causes people to see patterns in a random stimulus
62
what is pareidolia driven by?
top-down processing
63
what is the object superiority effect?
patterns are more likely to be detected in three-dimensional objects, rather than random patterns of lines
64
what is the word superiority effect?
words are easier to detect than non-words in strings of random letters
65
what is overt orienting?
looking directly at someone when talking to them
66
what is covert orienting?
listening to another conversation while seeming to listen to something else
67
is voluntary attention control a top-down or bottom-up process?
top-down processing
68
is involuntary attention control a top-down or bottom-up process?
bottom-up processing
69
what does parallel-processing describe?
ability to search for targets rapidly and automatically

psychology (8 decks)

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