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P/S MCAT > Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Sensation and Perception Flashcards

1
Q

Sensation

A

conversion of physical, electromagnetic, auditory and other information from our internal and external environments to electrical signals in the nervous system

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2
Q

Perception

A

processing of information to make sense of its significance

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3
Q

Distal stimuli

A

originate outside of the body. These are a part of the outside world

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4
Q

Proximal Stimuli

A

directly interact with and affect the sensory receptors

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5
Q

Psychophysics

A

relationship between the physical nature of stimuli and the sensations/perceptions that they evoke

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6
Q

Ganglia

A

collection of neuron cell bodies found outside of the CNS

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7
Q

Photoreceptors

A

respond to electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum

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8
Q

Hair Cells

A

respond to movement of fluid in the inner ear structure (hearing)

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9
Q

Nociceptors

A

respond to painful or poisonous stimuli (somatosensation)

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10
Q

Thermoreceptors

A

respond to changes in temperature (thermosensation)

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11
Q

Osmoreceptors

A

respond to the osmolarity of the blood

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12
Q

Olfactory Receptors

A

respond to volatile compounds (smell)

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13
Q

Taste Receptors

A

respond to dissolved compounds (taste)

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14
Q

Threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulus that renders a difference in perception

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15
Q

Absolute Threshold

A

Minimum stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system

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16
Q

Subliminal perception

A

perception of a stimulus below a given threshold

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17
Q

Threshold of Conscious Perception

A

minimum stimulus required to consciously perceive the stimulus

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18
Q

Discrimination Testing

A

way to analyze the

limit in human perceptive ability

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19
Q

Difference Threshold or Just-Noticeable Difference (jnd)

A

minimum difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive the
difference

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20
Q

Weber’s Law

A

states that there is a constant ratio between the change in stimulus
magnitude needed to produce a jnd and the magnitude of the original stimulus

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21
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

focuses on the changes in our perception of the same stimuli depending on both
internal (psychological) & external (environmental) context

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22
Q

response bias

A

tendency of subjects to systematically

responds to a stimulus in a particular way due to non-sensory factors

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23
Q

Catch Trials

A

stimulus is presented

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24
Q

Noise Trials

A

signals are not presented

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25
Sclera
- white of the eye | - covers the exposed portion of the eye and is a thick structural layer
26
Retina
- the innermost layer of the eye and this contains the actual photoreceptors that transduce light into electrical information that the brain can process - convert incoming photons of light to electrical signals
27
Duplexity (duplicity theory of vision)
- states that the retina contains two kinds of photoreceptors: - One set of photoreceptors for light and dark detection - One set of photoreceptors for color detection
28
Dilator pupillae
muscle that opens the pupil under sympathetic stimulation
29
Constrictor pupillae
muscle that constrict the pupil under parasympathetic stimulation
30
Lens
Controls the refraction of incoming light and lies directly behind the iris
31
Ciliary Muscle
component of the ciliary body and is under parasympathetic control
32
Vitreous
Transparent gel that lies behind the lens and supports the retina
33
Cones
- used for color vision and to sense fine details. - most effective in bright light - Come in three forms, and the forms are named after the wavelength of light that they best absorb: S (blue), M (green), L (red)
34
Rods
- more functional in darkened conditions - Only allow for sensation of light and dark - Contain single pigment that is called rhodopsin - Low sensitivity to detail and not involved in color vision
35
Fovea
centermost point of the retina that contains only cones
36
Bipolar Cells
- connect with rods and cones | - These highlight the light gradient between adjacent rods or cones
37
Ganglion cells
- where bipolar cells synapse to | - These group together to form the optic nerve
38
Amacrine & Horizontal Cells
- receive input from multiple retinal cells from the same area - accentuate any slight differences between the information in each bipolar cell, before the input is passed to the ganglion cells
39
optic chiasm
fibers from the nasal half of each retina cross paths
40
optic tracts
Reorganized pathways after leaving the optic chiasm
41
Parallel Processing
ability to simultaneously analyze and combine information regarding color, shape and motion
42
parvocellular cells
- detect shape - have high color spatial resolution, which permits them to see very fine detail when an object is thoroughly examined - only work with slow or stationary object since they have low temporal resolution
43
magnocellular cells
- detect motion | - have very high temporal resolution, but low spatial resolution
44
Pinna/auricle
- structure where sound wave first reaches - The cartilaginous outside part of the ear - channel sound waves into the external auditory canal
45
Eustachian tube
- connects the middle ear to the nasal cavity | - Helps equalize pressure between middle ear and environment
46
endolymph
fluid contained in the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear
47
perilymph
- extracellular fluid located in the bony labyrinth within the inner ear - transmits vibrations from the outside world and cushions the inner ear structures
48
Round Window
permits the incompressible fluids to move within the cochlea
49
otoliths
- covers modified hair cells in the utricle and saccule | - resist accelerative motion which causes a bend in the underlying hair cells
50
Vestibule
- portion of bony labyrinth that contains the utricle and saccule - sensitive to linear acceleration and are used as part of the balancing apparatus and to determine one’s orientation in 3-D space
51
Place Theory
- location of a hair cell on the basilar membrane determines the perception of pitch when the hair cell vibrates - Based on the fact that the basilar membrane changes its thickness depending on the location in the cochlea
52
tonotopically organized
specified hair cells determine the pitch of the sound that the brain interprets
53
Chemical sense
Responds to incoming chemicals from the outside world
54
Olfactory Chemoreceptors (nerves)
located in the olfactory epithelium in the upper part of the nasal cavity
55
Pheromones
ability of smell to carry interpersonal information
56
Olfactory Pathway
odor molecules are inhaled into the nasal passage and then come into contact with olfactory nerves. Receptor cells are activated and this sends signals to the olfactory bulb. Signals are then relayed via the olfactory tract into higher regions of the brain (including the limbic system)
57
Somatosensation
Four components: pressure, vibration, pain, and temperature
58
Pacinian Corpuscles
respond to deep pressure and vibration
59
Meissner Corpuscles
respond to light touch
60
Merkle cells (discs)
respond to deep pressure and texture
61
Ruffini Endings
respond to stretch
62
Free Nerve Endings
respond to pain and temperature
63
Two-Point Threshold
minimum distance necessary between two points of stimulation on the skin so that the point will be felt as two distinct stimuli
64
Physiological Zero
normal temperature of the skin
65
Gate Theory of Pain
proposes that there is a special “gating” mechanism that can turn pain signals on and off, which would affect whether or not pain is perceived
66
Kinesthetic Sense/ Proprioception
- Ability to tell where one’s body is in space - receptors found mostly in the muscle and joints - role in hand-eye coordination, balance and mobility
67
Bottom-Up (data-driven) processing
- object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection - Brain takes the individual sensory stimuli and combines them together to create a cohesive image before determining what the object is
68
Top-down (conceptually driven) processing
driven by memories and expectation that allow the brain to recognize the whole object and the recognize the components based on these expectations
69
Perceptual Organization
ability to use the two processes in tandem with all of the sensory clues about an object to create a complete picture or idea
70
Depth Perception
relies on both monocular and binocular cues
71
Monocular cues
relative size of objects, partial obscuring of one object by another, convergence of parallel lines at a distance, position of an object, and lighting/shadowing
72
Binocular cues
slight difference between images projected on the two retinas, and the angle required between two eyes to bring an object into focus
73
Constancy
idea that we perceive certain characteristics of objects to remain the same
74
Gestalt Principles
Ways for the brain to infer missing parts of a picture when the picture is incomplete
75
Law of Proximity
elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit
76
Law of Similarity
similar objects tend to be grouped together
77
Law of Good Continuation
elements that appear to follow the same pathway tend to be grouped together
78
Subjective Contours
Contours or shapes are perceived when they are not actually there
79
Law of Closure
When a space is enclosed by a contour, it tends to be perceived as a complete figure
80
law of pragnanz
Perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple and symmetric as possible

P/S MCAT (12 decks)

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