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Psychology > Sensation & Perception > Flashcards

Sensation & Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the difference between sensation and perception?

A

Sensation is the process of gathering sensory information about the environment and transmitting it to the brain; perception is the process of organising and interpreting the sensations

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2
Q

How does sensation begin?

A

With a detectable stimulus

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3
Q

What is the absolute threshold?

A

The minimum stimulus intensity required for detection (detected 50% of the time)

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4
Q

What is the signal-detection theory?

A

Sensation = Sensory processes + decision processes

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5
Q

What is the difference threshold?

A

The lowest level of stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred (a just noticeable difference)

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6
Q

Are sensation and perception passive or active processes?

A

Active

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7
Q

What is the evolutionary perspective of sensory and perceptual processes?

A

They reflect the impact of adaptive pressures

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8
Q

What are the five common features of the senses?

A

1) They must translate physical stimuli into sensory signals
2) They have thresholds
3) Sensation requires constant decision-making
4) Ability to detect changes in stimuli
5) Ability to tune out stimuli that continue without change

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9
Q

What is transduction?

A

The process of converting physical energy or stimulus information into neural impulses

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10
Q

For what two features does the brain code sensory stimulation?

A

Intensity and quality

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11
Q

What are the three laws regarding difference thresholds?

A

Weber’s, Fechner’s and Stevens’ power laws

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12
Q

What is adaptation?

A

Sensory receptors respond less to stimuli with repeated exposure

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13
Q

When do feature detectors in the primary visual cortex respond?

A

When stimulation in their receptive field matches a particular pattern or orientation

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14
Q

What do the ventral and dorsal visual pathways process?

A

Ventral: Form & colour
Dorsal: Depth & motion

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15
Q

What is the trichromatic theory?

A

The eye has 3 receptors for red, green and blue

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16
Q

What is the opponent-process theory?

A

There are three antagonistic colour systems: blue/yellow, red/green and black/white

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17
Q

What is the stimulus for hearing?

A

Sound waves

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18
Q

What is sound wave frequency experienced as?

A

Pitch

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19
Q

What is the place theory of hearing?

A

Perception of pitch corresponds with different places along the basilar membrane

20
Q

What is the frequency theory of hearing?

A

Perception of pitch corresponds to the frequency at which the entire membrane vibrates

21
Q

What is the travelling-wave theory of hearing?

A

The whole membrane moves, but waves peak at different places

22
Q

What two cues are critical for auditory localisation?

A

Intensity (loudness) and timing of the sounds arriving at each ear

23
Q

What is the pathway for smell?

A

Olfactory cilia - neural impulse - olfactory nerve - olfactory bulb

24
Q

What is the gate control theory of pain?

A

Incoming pain sensation pass through a gate in the spinal cord that can be closed to block pain signals

25
Q

What is kinaesthesia?

A

Knowing the position of the various parts of the body

26
Q

What is form perception?

A

The organisation of sensations into meaningful shapes and patterns

27
Q

What are the four aspects of perceptual organisation?

A

Form perception, depth/distance perception, motion perception & perceptual constancy

28
Q

What are the Gestalt principles of form perception?

A

Pragnanz/simplicity, similarity, good continuation, proximity and closure

29
Q

What is the recognition-by-components theory?

A

People perceive and categorise objects by first breaking them down into elementary units

30
Q

What are perceptual illusions?

A

Perceptual misinterpretations produced by normal perceptual processes

31
Q

What is the law of pragnanz?

A

Also known as the law of good figure and law of simplicity; every stimulus is organised to be perceived in the simplest form possible (e.g. heart with arrow)

32
Q

What is the law of similarity?

A

Similar things are grouped together

33
Q

What is the law of good continuation?

A

The brain organises things into continuous lines or patterns

34
Q

What is the law of proximity?

A

Things that are near each other appear to be grouped together

35
Q

What is the law of closure?

A

Whenever possible, people see incomplete figures as complete

36
Q

What is depth/distance perception?

A

The organisation of perception in three dimensions

37
Q

What are binocular cues?

A

Cues from both eyes together

38
Q

What are two types of binocular cues?

A

Retinal disparity (e.g. colourblind chart) and convergence

39
Q

What are monocular cues?

A

Cues from a single eye

40
Q

What are three types of monocular cues?

A

Linear perspective (e.g. train tracks), texture gradient (e.g. blurring) and shading

41
Q

What does motion perception rely on?

A

Motion detectors from the retina through the cortex

42
Q

What is perceptual constancy?

A

The organisation of changing sensations into percepts that are relatively stable

43
Q

What are the three types of perceptual constancy?

A

Colour, shape and size constancy

44
Q

What is bottom-up processing?

A

Processing that begins with raw, sensory data that feed up to the brain

45
Q

What is top-down processing?

A

Begins with the observer’s expectations and knowledge

Psychology (10 decks)

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