Sensation/Perception Flashcards
Sensation
Process our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus
Perception
Organizing and interpreting sensory information
Bottom-up processing
analysis beginning w/ sensory receptors, up to brain’s integration of sensory info
Top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, construct perceptions from experience and expectations
Psychophysics
Study of relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and psychological experience of them
Absolute threshold
Minimum stimulation needed to detect stimulus 50%
Signal detection theory
Predict how/when we detect faint stimulus amid background stimulation (assume no absolute threshold)
Subliminal
Below absolute threshold
Priming
Activation of certain associations, predispositions
Difference threshold
Minimum difference between stimuli to be perceived 50% of the time
Weber’s law
Different stimuli perceived different by constant minimum percentage
Sensory adaptation
Diminished sensation from constant stimulation
Transduction
Conversion of energy from one form to another
Pupil
Adjustable opening in center of eye
Iris
Ring of muscle tissue around colored part of eye, controls size of pupil opening
Lens
Behind pupil, focus images on retina
Retina
light-sensitive inner surface of eye, w/ receptor rods/cones
Accommodation
Process lens changes shape to focus
Fovea
point of central focus
Blind spot
Where optic nerve leaves eye
Rods
Black/white/Gray
Cones
Center of retina, fine detail, color
Optic nerve
Carries neural impulses from the eye to brain
Feature detectors
Nerve cells for specific features like shape, angle, etc.
Parallel processing
Processing many aspects simultaneously
Young-Helmholtz theory
Retina three cones-red, green, blue
Opponent-process theory
Opposing retinal processes enable color vision (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black)
Audition
Sense or act of hearing
Middle ear
Chamber between eardrum and cochlea w/ hammer, anvil, stirrup
Cochlea
coiled, bony fluid-filled tube in inner ear
Inner ear
Cochlea, semicircular canals, vestibular sacs
Place Theory
Pitch influence where cochlea is stimulated
Frequency theory
Rate of nerve impulses matches frequency of tone
Conduction hearing loss
Caused by damage to mechanical system
Sensorineural hearing loss
Damage to cochlea’s receptor cells or auditory nerves
Cochlear implant
Converts sound to electrical signals
Kinesthesis
Sensing position and movement of body parts
Vestibular sense
Body movement and position and balance
Gate-control theory
Large-block
Small-open
Basic tastes
Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami
Sensory interaction
One sense influence another (smell, taste)
Gestalt
Emphasize integration of pieces to whole
Figure-ground
Organization of figures and surroundings
Grouping
Organize stimuli into groups
Depth perception
3-D
Binocular cues
depth cues, retinal disparity
Retinal disparity
Two images from two eyes. Greater difference, closer it is
Monocular cues
Depth cues; interposition, linear perspective
Phi phenomenon
Illusion of movement
Perceptual constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging even as light/shape change
Color constancy
consistent color
Perceptual adaptation
Ability to adjust
Perceptual set
mental predisposition to perceive something
Immanuel Kant
Said knowledge comes from inborn organization tools
