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Psychology Subject Test > Sensation & Perception > Flashcards

Sensation & Perception Flashcards

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0
Q

Difference threshold

A

The amount of stimulus energy that needs to be added to or subtracted from a stimulus for a person to say that she notices a difference

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1
Q

Absolute threshold

A

The amount of stimulus energy needed for a person to say that she perceives it.

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2
Q

JND

A

One jnd needs to be added to or subtracted from a stimulus for a person to say that she notices the difference.

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3
Q

Weber’s law

A

What’s important in producing a jnd is not the absolute difference btw the 2 stimuli, but the ratio of them. Fechner.

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4
Q

Fechner’s law

A

Relates the intensity of the stimulus to the intensity of the sensation. Sensation increases more slowly as intensity increases

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5
Q

Steven’s power law

A

Also relates intensity of stimulus to intensity of sensation. Stevens performed some experiments that did not fit w fechner’s law, but instead fit this equation.

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6
Q

Response bias

A

Measures how risky the subject is in sensory decision making; based upon nonsensory factors

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7
Q

Sensitivity

A

Measures how well the subject can sense the stimulus

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8
Q

ROC curve

A

Used to graphically summarize a subject’s responses in a signal detection experiment. John A. Swets refined the use of ROC curves

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9
Q

Signal detection theory

A

Gives us a way to measure both sensitivity and response bias. Hit, miss, false alarm and correct rejection

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10
Q

Commonalities of sensory systems

A

Receptors- respond to physical stimuli
Transduction- translates physical energy to neural impulses
Projection areas- brain areas that further analyze sensory input

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11
Q

Cornea

A

Clear, domelike window in the front of your eye which gathers & focuses the incoming light

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12
Q

Pupil

A

The hole in the iris. Contracts and dilates in bright & dim light

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13
Q

Iris

A

The colored part of the eye. Involuntary muscles. It controls the size of the pupil, and therefore, the amount of light that enters the eye

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14
Q

Lens

A

Lies right behind the iris. Helps control the curvature of the light coming in and can focus near or distant objects on the retina

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15
Q

Retina

A

In the back of the eye & is like a projection screen that detects images. Image appears upside down on Retina

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16
Q

Duplicity theory of vision

A

States that the retina contains two kinds of photoreceptors- rods & cones (light must first pass through intermediate sensory neurons b4 reaching photoreceptors).

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17
Q

Cones

A

Used to detect fine detail & color vision. Most effective in bright light. In the center of the eye is the fovea- contains only cones. As you move away from center, # of cones decrease

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18
Q

Rods

A

Fxn best in dim light & only perceive achromatic colors. Not involved in color, low sensitivity to detail. More Rods than cones, at periphery, only rods

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19
Q

Connection btw receptors and optic nerve

A

Rods & cones➡️bipolar neurons ➡️ganglion cells (form optic nerve). The greater the number of receptors that converge onto one ganglion cell, the more difficult it is to see fine detail

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20
Q

Optic chiasm

A

Here the fibers from the nasal half of the retina cross paths. The fibers from the temporal halves do not cross paths on way to brain.

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21
Q

Where visual info goes when it leaves brain

A

Lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, the visual cortex in the occipital lobe, and the superior colliculus.

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22
Q

Hubel & Wiesel work on visual cortex

A

Feature detection theory. Certain cells are maximally sensitive to certain stimuli: simple- orientation, complex- movement, and hypercomplex- shape

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23
Q

Brightness perception

A

Illumination- objective measurement of light.

Brightness- subjective impression of intensity

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24
Q

Dark adaptation

A

Caused by the regeneration of rhodopsin, the photopigment in the rods

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25
Q

Lateral inhibition

A

Adjacent retinal cells inhibit one another; sharpens and highlights borders between light and dark areas

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26
Q

Subtractive color mixture

A

Occurs when we mix pigments. Blue + yellow make green

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27
Q

Additive color mixing

A

Occurs when we mix lights. Primary colors are blue, green (not yellow) & red. Red + green= yellow

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28
Q

Young-Helmholtz (trichromatic)

A

Three types of color receptors that are differentially sensitive to primary colors red, blue, green. Research has shown this theory to be the correct one

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29
Q

Hering (opponent process)

A

Three opposing pairs: red- green, blue-yellow, black-white. The concept of afterimages led him to his theory.

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30
Q

Interposition (overlap)

A

When an object covers another object, we see it as being in front. George berekley

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31
Q

Relative size

A

Another cue for depth perception. If u know something about actual size, u can tell how far away something is by how large it appears.

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32
Q

Linear perspective

A

Refers to the convergence of parallel lines in the distance

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33
Q

J.J Gibson

A

Texture gradients. As scene recedes from viewer, the surface texture appears to change.

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34
Q

Motion parallax

A

Looking out a car window. Speed at which objects appear to move. Kinetic depth effect- when an object rather than the perceiver moves, the motion gives us cues about relative depth

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35
Q

Binocular disparity (stereopsis)

A

Only cue that requires two eyes. When brain combines two views from each eye, we get a perception of depth

36
Q

Gestalt- proximity

A

Elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit

37
Q

Gestalt- similarity

A

Elements that are similar to one another tend to be grouped together

38
Q

Gestalt- Good continuation

A

Elements that appear to follow in the same direction tend to be grouped together

39
Q

Gestalt- Closure

A

The tendency to see incomplete figures as being complete

40
Q

Gestalt- subjective contours

A

Perceiving contours, and therefore shapes, that are not present in the physical stimulus

41
Q

Prägnanz

A

Perceptual organization will always be as regular or simple as possible

42
Q

Theory of isomorphism

A

There is a 1:1 correspondence btw the object in the perceptual field and the pattern of stimulation in the brain. Hasn’t fared well empirically

43
Q

Bottom up processing (data driven)

A

Responds directly to components of incoming stimuli on the basis of fixed rules and then sums up components to arrive at the whole pattern

44
Q

Top- down processing (conceptually driven)

A

Guided by conceptual processes such as memories and expectations that allow the brain to recognize whole objects and then components

45
Q

Apparent motion (phi phenomenon)

A

When two or more stationery lights flicker in succession they tend to be perceived as a single moving light

46
Q

Induced motion

A

A stationery point of light appears to move when the background moves

47
Q

Autokinetic effect

A

A stationery point of light when viewed in a dark room appears to move; probably caused by involuntary eye movement & no frame of reference

48
Q

Motion aftereffect

A

If a moving object is viewed for an extended period of time (waterfall), it will appear to move in an opposite direction when the motion stops

49
Q

Emmert’s Law (size- distance invariance principle)

A

Size constancy depends on apparent distance.

50
Q

Ames room

A

Through peephole, room appears to be a rectangular room, but really it is a trapezoid; therefore, a person one on side will appear much bigger than a person on right bc we have been fooled into believing that the difference of visual angles is not due to size

51
Q

Moon illusion

A

Moon appears larger at horizon than at its zenith (perhaps bc of distance cues like bldgs)

52
Q

Size constancy

A

Tendency for the perceived size of an object to remain constant despite variations in the size of its retinal image

53
Q

Shape constancy

A

Tendency for perceived shape of an object to remain constant despite variations in the shape of its retinal image

54
Q

Lightness constancy

A

Tendency for the perceived lightness of an object to remain constant despite changes in illumination

55
Q

Color constancy

A

Tendency for the perceived color of an object to remain constant despite changes in the spectrum of light falling on it

56
Q

Muller-Lyer illusion

A

Line with arrows pointing out look smaller than line with arrows pointing in- even though the are same length

57
Q

Ponzu illusion

A

Two lines within an inverted triangle are same size, even though the line closer to the point looks larger

58
Q

Hering & Wundt illusions (different)

A

The two horizontal lines are straight & parallel although they don’t appear that way

59
Q

Poggendorf illusion

A

The diagonal line on bottom is a continuation of the diagonal line on the top

60
Q

Reversible figure

A

A stimulus pattern in which two alternative, equally compelling perceptual organizations spontaneously oscillate. I.e Necker cube

61
Q

Preferential looking

A

Two different stimuli are presented side by side; if infant looks longer at one of them, it is inferred that the infant can perceive the difference btw the stimuli

62
Q

Habituation

A

A stimulus is presented to infant, infant eventually stops attending to it; a different stimulus is presented; if infant attends to it, it is inferred that the infant can perceive the difference btw the old and new stimuli

63
Q

Visual cliff

A

An apparatus designed by Gibson and Walk to assess infant depth perception

64
Q

Animal experiments

A

Sometimes used to assess contributions of nature and nurture to the development of vision

65
Q

Frequency

A

Objective dimension of sound. The number of cycles per second; measured in Hertzes

66
Q

Intensity

A

Objective measure of sound. The amplitude of to the sound wave; measured in decibels

67
Q

Pitch

A

The subjective experience if the frequency of the sound

68
Q

Loudness

A

The subjective experience of the intensity of the sound

69
Q

Timbre

A

Refers to the quality of the sound (I.e piano vs. clarinet)

70
Q

Pinna

A

Outer ear. Fleshy part of the ear visible from the outside. Main fxn is to channel sound waves into the auditory canal.

71
Q

Eardrum (tympanic membrane)

A

Auditory canal channels the sound here. Vibrates in phase with the incoming sound waves.

72
Q

Middle ear

A

Has 3 tiny bones called ossicles, which are the smallest bones in your body, & transmit the vibrations of the tympanum to the inner ear

73
Q

Cochlea

A

Inner ear. Filled with cochlear fluid. Contains basilar membrane & organ of Corti (where transduction takes place)- the hair cells on this are the receptors for hearing. Works like a chain rxn

74
Q

Auditory nerve

A

Gets signals from nerve fibers from bending hair cells. Then projects to the superior olive, the inferior colliculus, and the medial geniculate nucleus in the thalamus, and finally to the temporal cortex

75
Q

Place theory

A

Operative for tones btw 500- 4,000 HzHelmholtz and Young. Each diff pitch causes a different place on the basilar membrane to vibrate. These different places of disturbance cause different hair cells to bend

76
Q

Frequency theory

A

Operative for tones up to 0-4000 Hz. Basilar membrane vibrates as a whole, and that the rate of vibration equals the frequency of the stimulus. Translates to a proportional number of neural impulses per second.

77
Q

Beskey’s traveling wave theory

A

High frequencies maximally vibrate the membrane near the part of the cochlea close to the oval window; low frequencies maximally vibrate near the tip of the cochlea

78
Q

Taste & Smell

A

Chemical senses- receptors require contact w molecules that make up the stimulus.
Taste- taste buds- papillae. Travels to taste center in thalamus.
Smell- receptors in the upper nasal passage of nose called olfactory epithelium. Travels to olfactory bulb in brain.

79
Q

Touch

A

Pressure, pain, warmth & cold. Info travels to somatosensory cortex in parietal lobe.

80
Q

Two-point threshold

A

The minimum distance necessary btw two points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as 2 distinct stimuli

81
Q

Physiological zero

A

A neutral temperature perceived to be neither not not cold.

82
Q

Gate theory of pain

A

The theory that there is a gating mechanism in the spinal cord that turns pain signals on and off

83
Q

Proprioception

A

Our sense of bodily position and includes aspects of both vestibular and kinesthetic senses

84
Q

Vestibular sense

A

Our sense of balance and body position relative to gravity

85
Q

Kinesthetic sense

A

Awareness of body movement and position; specifically with muscle, tendon, and joint position

86
Q

Dichotic listening

A

Selective attention. Two ears are presented with 2 diff messages. Listeners can attend to one message and dampen out the other

87
Q

Yerkes- Dodson law

A

Performance is worst at extremely low or extremely high levels of arousal & optimal at some intermediate level.

88
Q

Physical vs. psychological properties

A

Physical- objective

Psych- subjective

Psychology Subject Test (8 decks)

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