Sensations and preceptions

Question 1

sensation definition

Answer 1

the reception of stimulation from an environemnet
- detection of physical energy by sense organs which send information to the brain

Question 2

Preception definiton

Answer 2

interpretation of the sensory informaion which often happens as a automatic process (pattern recognition)

Question 3

Transduction definition

Answer 3

the process of converting an external stimulus into electrical activity within neurons

Question 4

Sensory adaption

Answer 4

the idea that activiation is greatest when stimulus first is detected

Question 5

definition of psychophysics

Answer 5

the study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their physical characterisitics

Question 6

absolute thereshold definition

Answer 6

the lowest level of stimulus needed to be detected by the nervous system 50% of the time

Question 7

just noticeable difference

Answer 7

the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect

Question 8

webr’s law

Answer 8

the constant proportional relationship between the JND and the orginal stimulus intensity

Question 9

photoreceptor

Answer 9

a specialized neuron that convert light into electrical signals that start transduction

Question 10

bottom up processing

Answer 10

analysis and integration of basic features into a perceptual unit (when features combine to form an object)

Question 11

hierarchial organization

Answer 11

form of perceptual units through a process of increasingly complex connection between simple units (occurs in the visual cortex, temporal and parietal lobes)

Question 12

paralle processing

Answer 12

when a system which has many different steps happens simultaneously (allows for perception of many different features)

Question 13

top-down processing

Answer 13

when context and higher level knowledge influence lower level process

Question 14

principal of simplicity

Answer 14

we have sensory input our perceptual systems usually tries to create a percept that is simple orderly and stable

Question 15

law of proximity

Answer 15

when objects that are physically close to each other tend to be perceived as unified wholes or groups

Question 16

the law of closure

Answer 16

when objects are percieved as whole even if there are not complete

Question 17

the law of good continuation

Answer 17

the ability to perceive objects as forming smooth and continous patterns

Question 18

law of symmetry

Answer 18

when objects are around a centre point form a group or whole

Question 19

law of figure-ground segregation

Answer 19

the tendancy to structure the visual field into two parts (figure and a background

Question 20

prosopagonosia

Answer 20

a deficit in recongnizing faces

Question 21

apperceptive agnpsoa

Answer 21

defict in recongizing patterns

Question 22

assoicative agnosia

Answer 22

deficit in associating meaning with pattern

Question 23

place theory (pitch perception)

Answer 23

different frequencies stimulated by different locations on the basier membrane

Question 24

frequency theory

Answer 24

tones with different frquencies cause neurons to fire at different rates

Question 25

volley theory

Answer 25

when sets of neurons fire just out if sync with each other to code for frequencies above the rates at which neurons can fire

Question 26

consciousness

Answer 26

the subjective experience of the world, our own bodies, and our mental prespectives

Question 27

circadian rhythm

Answer 27

changes that occur on a roughly 24 hour basis in many biological process