Sensation/Perception

Question 1

Signal Detection Theory

Answer 1

1) Sensitivity - how well a subject can sense a stimulus

2) Response bias - subjects respond in a particular way due to nonsensory factors

Question 2

Feature Detection Theory

Answer 2

Certain cells are sensitive to certain features of stimuli
Measured from single-cell recordings
1. Simple - orientation
2. Complex - movement
3. Hypercomplex - shape

Question 3

Illumination vs. Brightness

Answer 3

Illumination: objective measurement - amount of light falling on a surface
Brightness: subjective measurement - impression of the intensity of the light of a stimulus

Question 4

Brightness Factors

Answer 4

1. Adaptation - dark and light - dark: bleaching of rhodopsin into retinal and opsin
2. Simultaneous brightness contrast - target appears brighter if surrounded by darker stimuli (lateral inhibition)

Question 5

Lateral Inhibition

Answer 5

Adjacent retinal cells inhibit each other to sharpen and highlight borders between light and dark areas

Question 6

Subtractive and Additive Color Mixing

Answer 6

Subtractive: pigments
Additive: light

Question 7

Trichromatic Theory

Answer 7

Three types of color receptors - red, green, blue

Question 8

Opponent Process Theory of Color Vision

Answer 8

Three opponent pairs - red/green, blue/yellow, black/white

Question 9

Afterimage

Answer 9

Opposite color of the intense stimulus you just saw. Provides evidence for the opponent process theory.

Question 10

Depth Perception: Overlap

Answer 10

Object A covers object B, partially hidden image seems further away

Question 11

Depth Perception: Relative Size

Answer 11

Object gets farther away and image on retina gets smaller

Question 12

Depth Perception: Linear Perspective

Answer 12

Parallel lines converge in the distance, you know they don’t converge, so they must be in the distance

Question 13

Depth Perception: Texture Gradients

Answer 13

Variations in perceived surface texture can indicate distance from observer, a change in the shape, direction

Question 14

Motion Parallax

Answer 14

Variation in speed and motion of objects that are moving rather than you. Ex-car, train
Kinetic depth effect

Question 15

Binocular Disparity/Stereopsis

Answer 15

Binocular depth cue

Distance between the eyes provides slightly different views of the world - combining of these views

Question 16

Perception of form

Answer 16

Figure (object of importance) and ground (background).

Old and young women pictures are when they change

Question 17

Theory of Isomorphism

Answer 17

1:1 correlation of objects in perceptual field and pattern of stimulation in the brain
Now receives much speculation

Question 18

Preferential Looking

Answer 18

Studying visual perception in infants.

Present two stimuli at the same time. If difference in time spent looking, infant can distinguish.

Question 19

Habituation

Answer 19

Studying visual perception in infants.

Present 1 stimuli and let infant habituate. Introduce new stimuli. If infant habitues to new one, then can distinguish.

Question 20

Frequency

Answer 20

Hz - # cycles per second

Pitch is the subjective experience of frequency

Question 21

Intensity

Answer 21

Dbels - amplitude of sound wave

Loudness is the subjective experience of intensity

Question 22

Timbre

Answer 22

Quality of the sound. Ex- clarinet vs. piano

Question 23

Auditory Nerve Projections

Answer 23

Inferior colliculus
Medial geniculate nucleus (thalamus)
Auditory cortex (temporal lobe)

Question 24

Visual Nerve Projections

Answer 24

Superior colliculus
Lateral geniculate nucleus (thalamus)
Visual cortex (occipital lobe)

Question 25

Place Theory

Answer 25

One spot on the basilar membrane vibrates for each different pitch

Question 26

Frequency Theory

Answer 26

Whole membrane vibrates, and rate of vibration equals frequency of stimulus

Question 27

Traveling Wave

Answer 27

Movement of basilar membrane is maximal at a different place along the basilar membrane, but it always vibrates for given stimulus

Question 28

Two-point threshold

Answer 28

Minimum distance necessary between two points of stimulation on the skin so that the points will be felt as two separate stimuli

Question 29

Physiological Zero

Answer 29

Skin temp. Feel “cold” if drops below that

Question 30

Gate theory of pain

Answer 30

Special gating mechanism in the spine that signals on and off, whether we receive “pain” or not

Question 31

Vestibular Sense

Answer 31

1. Balance
2. Bodily position relative to gravity
   Semicircular canals in the middle ear

Question 32

Kinesthetic Sense

Answer 32

1. Bodily movement and position

2. Muscle, tendon, joint position

Question 33

Dichotic Listening

Answer 33

Present diff information in two ears and tell them to listen to just one of them. Can selectively attend.

Question 34

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Answer 34

Performance is worst at extremely low or extremely high arousal

Question 35

Pacinian corpuscles

Answer 35

Touch

Question 36

Weber’s law

Answer 36

K = change in I / I

Stimulus needs to be increased by constant in order to be noticed as different

Question 37

Fechner’s law

Answer 37

S = k log R

Strength of stimulus must be increased significantly to produce difference in sensation