Sensing the Environment Flashcards
sensation vs perception
sensation- sending signals from internal/external environment to electrical signals in the brain. perception- processing the information
photoreceptors
respond to EM waves (sight)
hair cells
movement of fluid in inner ear (hearing, rotational/linear acceleration)
nocireceptors
painful stimuli (somatosensory)
thermoreceptors
changes in temperature
osmoreceptors
respond to osmolarity of blood
olfactory receptors
volatile compounds (smell)
taste receptors
dissolved compounds (taste)
threshold
minimum amount of a stimulus that renders a difference in perception
absolute threshold
minimum of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system, never reaches CNS. how bright, loud, or intense something may be for you to notice it
subliminal perception/ threshold of conscious perception
perception of a stimulus below a given threshold- arrives at the CNS but not for attention.
difference threshold/ just noticeable difference
minimum difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive this difference. RATIO.
webers law
constant ratio between magnitude needed to produce a JND
signal detection theory
changes in our perception of the same stimuli depending on internal and external context
response bias
signal detection trials
hits- subject correctly perceives signal
misses- fails to perceive signal
false alarms- says there was a signal but none given
correct negatives- correctly says there was no signalco
schlera
thick structural layer, white of the eye
retina
inner most layer of the eye, where the photoreceptors are- converts incoming photons into electrical signals
cornea
gathers and focuses light
iris
colored part of the eye- two muscles, dilator pupillae and constrictor pupillae
lens
right behind iris, helps control refraction of incoming light
cones
color vision and fine details
rods
reduced light/ night vision
visual pathway
each eye’s right visual field projects onto the left half of each eye’s retina and vice versa
optic chiasm
where signals are reorganized- all fibers on left visual field from both eyes project into the right side of the brain and vice versa
lateral geniculate nucleus
in the thalamus where the information goes through after the optic chiasm
parallel processing
simultaneously analyze and combine information regarding color, shape and motion. then compared to memories
parovocellular cells
detect shape
magnocellular
detect motion
pinna/auricle
cartilaginous outside part of the ear, channels sound waves into the external auditory canal
tympanic membrance
where sound travels to after external auditory canal. divides outer ear from the middle ear. vibrates depending on the frequency of the sound wave
middle ear
ossicles- 3 smallest bones in the body. ossicles help to transmit and amplify the vibrations from the TM to the inner ear
ossicles
TM- malleus, incus, stapes- inner ear
eustachian tube
how middle ear and nasal cavity are connected, helps equalize pressure
inner ear
cochlea, vestibule. semicircular canals. membranous labyrinth filled with endolympth, suspended within bony labyrinth filled with perilympth
cochlea
spiral shaped organ. hearing organ- organ of Corti composed of thousand of hair cells
vestibule
linear acceleration
semicircular cancals
rotational acceleration
medial geniculate nucles
thalamus- auditory cortex
hair cells
amplifies sound, which hair cells are vibrating gives the brain and indication of the pitch of the sound
olfactory pathway
inhaled into nasal passage, contact the olfactory nerves, receptors or activated, sending signals to the olfactory bulb, relayed to olfactory tract
two point threshold
minimum distance between 2 points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as two distinct stimuli
gate theory of pain
can turn pain signals on/off, affecting whether or not we perceive pain
bottom up processing
parallel processing and feature detection, individual stimuli and combining it to form one cohesive picture
top down processing
driven by memories and expectations, brain recognized the whole object and then can recognize the individual components
gestalt principle proximity
objects close to another tend to be perceived as one whole unit
gestalt principle similarity
similar objects grouped together
gestalt principle good continuation
obj that appear to follow same pathway are grouped together
gestalt principle subjective contours
contours/shapes
gestalt principle law of closure
enclosed by contour- perceived to be complete picture
