Sense and Perception Flashcards
Sensation
Activation of receptors in various sense organs
Subliminal Sensation
Sensation occurring below the level of conscious awareness
Sensory Receptors
Specialized forms of neurons
Stimulus: Activated by different kinds of energy, not neurotransmitters
Transduction
Conversion of external stimuli (energy) to neural activity
Subliminal Stimuli
Stimuli that activate sensory receptors but are not strong enough for conscious awareness
Note: Below any just noticeable difference
Subliminal Perception
Process by which subliminal stimuli influence behavior through the unconscious mind
Example: Implicit association cues
Habituation
The brain’s tendency to stop attending to constant, unchanging information
Nature: A learned process; often described as ‘tuning it out’
Sensory Adaptation
Decreased responsiveness of sensory receptor cells to a constant, unchanging stimulus
Nature: A biological shift in sensory perception
Retina
Final stop for light in the eye
Layers:
1. Ganglion cells
2. Bipolar cells
3. Photoreceptors (respond to light waves)
Surgical Techniques- Cornea
PRK: Photoreactive keratectomy
LASIK: Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis
Both techniques involve incisions in the cornea to improve vision
Cornea
Definition: Clear membrane covering the eye’s surface
Functions:
-Protects the eye
-Focuses most incoming light
Cones
Responsible for color vision and visual sharpness
Rods
Give us good vision in low-level light.
Afterimages
Visual sensations that persist briefly after the original stimulus is removed
Blind Spot
Area in the retina where axons exit to form the optic nerve
Characteristic: Insensitive to light
Trichromatic Theory
Color vision based on three types of cones
Cone Types:
1. Red
2. Blue
3. Green
Opponent-Process Theory
Color vision theory with four primary colors arranged in pairs
Color Pairs:
1. Red and Green
2. Blue and Yellow
Monochrome Color Blindness
A condition where a person has no functioning cones or has cones that do not work at all
Conduction Hearing Impairment
Impairment resulting from problems in the outer or middle ear.
Causes:
Damaged Eardrum: Prevents sound waves from being carried into the middle ear properly.
Damage to Middle Ear Bones: Sound cannot be conducted from the eardrum to the cochlea.
Place Theory
Theory stating that different pitches are experienced by the stimulation of hair cells in different locations on the organ of Corti.
Pitch
The perceived frequency of a sound, determining how high or low it sounds.
Red-Green Color Blindness
A condition where either the red or the green cones are not functioning
Frequency Theory
Theory suggesting that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane.
Nerve Hearing Impairment
Impairment resulting from damage to the inner ear or auditory pathways.
Causes:
Damage in the Inner Ear: Affects the cochlea or hair cells.
Damage in Auditory Pathways: Affects the brain areas responsible for processing sound.
Note: Any sensory impairment may have structural or neurological (neurophysiological) bases.
Somesthetic Senses
Body senses related to physical sensations.
Components: Skin senses, kinesthetic sense, vestibular senses.
Etymology: “Soma” = body, “esthetic” = feeling.
Skin Senses
Types:
Touch: Detects texture and pressure.
Pressure: Sensation of force applied to the skin.
Temperature: Sensing heat and cold.
Pain: Signaled by specialized receptors (e.g., nociceptors).
Function: Touch senses texture through pressure mechanisms.
Vestibular Senses
Sensations related to body movement and balance.
Function: Detects movement and body position relative to gravity.
Major Organs: Utricle, saccule, and three semicircular canals (posterior, superior, horizontal).
Kinesthetic Sense
Sense of the location of body parts and movement.
Features:
Position Awareness: Understanding limbs’ position relative to each other.
Force Exertion: Sense of how much force is being applied.
Receptors: Proprioceptors found in fascia, tendons, and joints.
Differences Between Kinesthetic and Vestibular Senses
Kinesthetic Sense: Involves location of body parts and movement.
Vestibular Sense: Involves balance and body position.
Perception
Method by which sensations are interpreted and organized meaningfully at any given moment.
Sensory Conflict Theory
Definition: Explains motion sickness.
Mechanism: Conflicts arise between visual information and vestibular senses.
Symptoms: Dizziness, nausea, and physical discomfort.
Perception: Constancies
Principles that help us perceive objects as stable despite changes in sensory input.
Size Constancy
Tendency to interpret an object as maintaining the same size regardless of its distance from the observer.
Gestalt Principles
Our brains tend to order visual experiences in efficient, recognizable ways.
Shape Constancy
Tendency to perceive the shape of an object as constant, even when its shape changes on the retina due to perspective.
Brightness Constancy
Tendency to perceive an object’s brightness as constant even under varying light conditions.
Figure–Ground
Tendency to perceive objects/figures as existing on a background.
Reversible Figures
Visual illusions where the figure and ground can be reversed.
Focal Point
Elements that stand out visually capture and hold the viewer’s attention first.
Gestalt Principles of Grouping
Five basic space-related grouping tendencies.
Proximity (Nearness)
Objects close to each other are perceived as part of the same group.
Closure
Tendency to complete figures that are incomplete; filling in details.
Similarity
Things that look similar are perceived as part of the same group.
Continuity
Perceiving things as simply as possible, following a continuous pattern rather than a complex one.
Common Region
Tendency to perceive objects in a common area as being part of a group.
Contiguity
Tendency to perceive two things happening close together in time as related; linked to excitation transfer in aggression.
Perceptual Illusions
Visual phenomena where perception differs from reality.
Hermann Grid
An illusion possibly due to the response of the primary visual cortex, creating spots at the intersections that disappear.
Müller-Lyer Illusion
Illusion of line length distorted by inward- or outward-turning corners on the ends, causing lines of equal length to appear different.
Perceptual Illusions of Motion
Visual phenomena where movement is perceived when there is none.
Autokinetic Effect
A small, stationary light in a darkened room appears to move due to the absence of surrounding cues.
Phi Phenomenon
When lights turned on in a sequence appear to move; often used in stage lighting to direct attention.
Stroboscopic Motion
Illusion seen in motion pictures or flip books, where a rapid series of still images creates the perception of movement.
Factors that Influence Perception
Various elements that affect how we interpret sensory information.
Perceptual Set (Perceptual Expectancy)
The tendency to perceive things in a certain way based on previous experiences or expectations.
Top-Down Processing
Using preexisting knowledge to organize individual features into a unified whole.
Bottom-Up Processing
Analyzing smaller features to build up to a complete perception.
Perception Definition
Method by which the sensations experienced at any given moment, are interpreted and organized in some meaningful fashion.
