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Psychology > Sensations And Perception > Flashcards

Sensations And Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

What are sensations

A

The stimulus detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain

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2
Q

What does perception mean

A

Making sense of what our senses tell us

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3
Q

What is psychophysics

A

The scientific area that studies relations between the physical characteristics of stimuli and sensory capabilities

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4
Q

What is the absolute threshold

A

The lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time

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5
Q

What is decision criterion

A

A standard of how certain they must be that a stimulus is present before they will say they detect it

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6
Q

What is signal detection theory concerned with

A

The factors that influence sensory judgement

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7
Q

What is a subliminal stimulus

A

As stimulus that is so weak or brief that although it is received Blythe senses it cannot be perceived consciously

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8
Q

What is the difference threshold

A

The smallest difference between two stimuli that people can perceive 50% of the time

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9
Q

What is Weber’s law

A

The difference threshold is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which the comparison is being made

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10
Q

What is sensory adaption

A

Diminishing sensitivity to a stimulus

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11
Q

What is transduction

A

The process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses

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12
Q

Where do light wave enter the eye

A

Through the cornea

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13
Q

What is the pupil

A

An adjustable opening behind the cornea that controls the amount of light that enters the eye

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14
Q

What is the lens

A

A flexible structure that becomes thinner to focus on distant objects and thicker to focus on merely objects

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15
Q

Where is the retina located

A

The back of the eye

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16
Q

What is accommodation

A

When an image is focused directly and sharply onto the retina and determines good all round vision

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17
Q

Want is myopia

A

Nearsightedness

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18
Q

What happens in myopia

A

The visual image is focused in front of the retina

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19
Q

What is the cause of myopia

A

The eyeball is longer than normal

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20
Q

What is hyperopia

A

Farsightedness

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21
Q

What occurs in hyperopia

A

The image is focused behind the retina

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22
Q

What causes hyperopia

A

The lends doesn’t thicken enough

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23
Q

What is the retina

A

A multilayered light sensitive tissue at the rear of the fluid filled eyeball

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24
Q

What two light sense tie receptor cells does the retina contain

A

Rods

Cones

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25
Q

What are rods

A

Black and white brightness receptors

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26
Q

When do rods function best

A

In dim light

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27
Q

What are cones

A

Colour receptors

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28
Q

When do cones function best

A

In bright illumination

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29
Q

What is the fovea

A

A small area in the centre of the retina that contains no rods but many densely packed cones

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30
Q

What is the fovea responsible for

A

Our most detailed vision

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31
Q

What creates a blind spot

A

An absence of photoreceptors where the optic nerve exits the eye

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32
Q

What is the optic nerve

A

Ganglion cells whose axons are collected into a bundle to form the optic nerve

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33
Q

What are photopigments

A

Protein molecules that allow rods and cones to translate light waves into nerve impulses

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34
Q

What is dark adaption

A

The progressive improvement in brightness sensitivity that occurs over time under conditions of low illumination

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35
Q

What are feature detectors

A

Cells within the primary visual cortex that fire selectively in response to visual stimuli that have specific characteristics

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36
Q

What is transduction

A

The process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses

37
Q

What are sound waves

A

Pressure waves travelling through any medium that will allow their conduction

38
Q

What are two characteristics of sound waves

A

Frequency

Amplitude

39
Q

What us frequency

A

The number of sound waves or cycles per second

40
Q

What range of sound frequencies can humans detect

A

20 to 20000 Hz

41
Q

What is amplitude

A

The vertical size of sound waves

42
Q

What are decibels

A

The measure of the physical pressures that occur at the eardrum

43
Q

What is the pinnae

A

The visible part of the ear that resides outside the head

44
Q

What is the function of the pinnae

A

To collect sound and help localise where sounds are coming from

45
Q

What are the bones in the middle ear collectively called

A

The ossicles

46
Q

What are the three ossicles

A

The hammer
The anvil
The stirrup

47
Q

What is the role of the ossicles

A

Impedance matching

48
Q

What does impedance mean

A

How much a given medium impedes sound waves

49
Q

What does the inner ear contain

A

The cochlea

50
Q

What is the cochlear

A

A coiled, fluid filled tube

51
Q

What is the basilar membrane

A

A sheet if tissue that runs the length of the cochlea

52
Q

Where is the organ of Corti

A

On the basilar membrane

53
Q

What is in the Corti

A

Thousands of tiny hair cells that are the actual cell receptors

54
Q

What is the theory of pitch perception

A

Nerve impulses sent to the brain match the frequency of the sound wave

55
Q

What is the place theory of pitch perception

A

The specific point in the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks and most strongly bends the hair cells serves as a frequency coding cue

56
Q

What are the two types of hearing loss

A

Conduction deafness

Nerve deafness

57
Q

What causes conduction deafness

A

Problems with the mechanical system that transmits sound waves to the cochlea

58
Q

What type of deafness can be helped with hearing aids

A

Conduction deafness

59
Q

What causes nerve deafness

A

Damaged receptors within the inner ear or damage to the auditory nerve itself

60
Q

What do sensory prosthetics do

A

Provide sensory input that can, to some extent, substitute for what cannot be supplied by the persons sensory receptors

61
Q

What is an example of a sensory prosthetic

A

Cochlear implants

62
Q

What is bottom up processing

A

The system takes in individual elements of the stimulus and then combines them into a unified perception

63
Q

What is top down processing

A

Sensory information is interpreted in light of existing knowledge, concepts, ideas and experiences

64
Q

What did the gestalt movement set out to do

A

Discover how we organise the parts of the perceptual field into a unified and meaningful whole

65
Q

What is the goal of perception

A

To recognise objects in the environment according to organisation of their elements

66
Q

What does the gestalt principle argue

A

The whole is more than and different to the sum of its parts

67
Q

What is figure down relations

A

Our tendency to organise stimuli into a central or foreground figure and a background

68
Q

What is the law of similarity

A

Similar elements will be perceived as belonging together

69
Q

What is the law of proximity

A

Elements that are near each other are likely to be perceived as part of the same configuration

70
Q

What is the law of closure

A

People tend to fill in gaps n incomplete figures

71
Q

What is the law of continuity

A

People link individual elements together to form a pattern that makes sense

72
Q

What is a perceptual scheme

A

A mental representation or image containing the critical and distinctive features of a person, object, event or other perceptual phenomenon

73
Q

What is a perceptual set

A

A readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way

74
Q

What is the purpose of perceptual constancies

A

They allow us to recognise familiar stimuli under varying conditions

75
Q

What is the purpose of shape constancy

A

Allows us to recognise people and other objects from many different angles

76
Q

What is brightness constancy

A

Relative brightness of objects remain the same under different conditions of illumination

77
Q

What is size constancy

A

The size of objects remain relatively constant even though images on our retina change in size with variations in distance

78
Q

What are the two types of cues

A

Monocular

Binocular

79
Q

What are monocular depth cues

A

Cues that require only one eye

80
Q

What is linear perspective

A

The perception that parallel lines converge in the distance

81
Q

What is texture/clarity

A

Clear objects are judged to be closer

82
Q

What is interposition

A

Objects closer to us may cut off parts of our view of more distant objects

83
Q

What is relative size

A

With objects of similar size, the one that looks smaller is judged to be farther away

84
Q

What is the motion paradox

A

If we are moving, nearby objects appear to move faster than faraway ones

85
Q

What are binocular depth cues

A

Cues that require both eyes

86
Q

What is binocular disparity

A

Each eye sees a slightly different image

87
Q

What produces convergence

A

Feedback from the muscles that turn your eyes inward to view a close object

88
Q

What are illusions

A

Compelling but incorrect perceptions

89
Q

What is the main cause of illusions

A

Perceptual constancies

Psychology (7 decks)

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