Sensing the Environment

Question 1

sensation vs perception

Answer 1

sensation- sending signals from internal/external environment to electrical signals in the brain. perception- processing the information

Question 2

photoreceptors

Answer 2

respond to EM waves (sight)

Question 3

hair cells

Answer 3

movement of fluid in inner ear (hearing, rotational/linear acceleration)

Question 4

nocireceptors

Answer 4

painful stimuli (somatosensory)

Question 5

thermoreceptors

Answer 5

changes in temperature

Question 6

osmoreceptors

Answer 6

respond to osmolarity of blood

Question 7

olfactory receptors

Answer 7

volatile compounds (smell)

Question 8

taste receptors

Answer 8

dissolved compounds (taste)

Question 9

threshold

Answer 9

minimum amount of a stimulus that renders a difference in perception

Question 10

absolute threshold

Answer 10

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

Question 11

subliminal perception/ threshold of conscious perception

Answer 11

perception of a stimulus below a given threshold- arrives at the CNS but not for attention.

Question 12

difference threshold/ just noticeable difference

Answer 12

minimum difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive this difference. RATIO.

Question 13

webers law

Answer 13

constant ratio between magnitude needed to produce a JND

Question 14

signal detection theory

Answer 14

changes in our perception of the same stimuli depending on internal and external context

Question 15

response bias

Answer 15

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

Question 16

schlera

Answer 16

thick structural layer, white of the eye

Question 17

retina

Answer 17

inner most layer of the eye, where the photoreceptors are- converts incoming photons into electrical signals

Question 18

cornea

Answer 18

gathers and focuses light

Question 19

iris

Answer 19

colored part of the eye- two muscles, dilator pupillae and constrictor pupillae

Question 20

lens

Answer 20

right behind iris, helps control refraction of incoming light

Question 21

cones

Answer 21

color vision and fine details

Question 22

rods

Answer 22

reduced light/ night vision

Question 23

visual pathway

Answer 23

each eye’s right visual field projects onto the left half of each eye’s retina and vice versa

Question 24

optic chiasm

Answer 24

where signals are reorganized- all fibers on left visual field from both eyes project into the right side of the brain and vice versa

Question 25

lateral geniculate nucleus

Answer 25

in the thalamus where the information goes through after the optic chiasm

Question 26

parallel processing

Answer 26

simultaneously analyze and combine information regarding color, shape and motion. then compared to memories

Question 27

parovocellular cells

Answer 27

detect shape

Question 28

magnocellular

Answer 28

detect motion

Question 29

pinna/auricle

Answer 29

cartilaginous outside part of the ear, channels sound waves into the external auditory canal

Question 30

tympanic membrance

Answer 30

where sound travels to after external auditory canal. divides outer ear from the middle ear. vibrates depending on the frequency of the sound wave

Question 31

middle ear

Answer 31

ossicles- 3 smallest bones in the body. ossicles help to transmit and amplify the vibrations from the TM to the inner ear

Question 32

ossicles

Answer 32

TM- malleus, incus, stapes- inner ear

Question 33

eustachian tube

Answer 33

how middle ear and nasal cavity are connected, helps equalize pressure

Question 34

inner ear

Answer 34

cochlea, vestibule. semicircular canals. membranous labyrinth filled with endolympth, suspended within bony labyrinth filled with perilympth

Question 35

cochlea

Answer 35

spiral shaped organ. hearing organ- organ of Corti composed of thousand of hair cells

Question 36

vestibule

Answer 36

linear acceleration

Question 37

semicircular cancals

Answer 37

rotational acceleration

Question 38

medial geniculate nucles

Answer 38

thalamus- auditory cortex

Question 39

hair cells

Answer 39

amplifies sound, which hair cells are vibrating gives the brain and indication of the pitch of the sound

Question 40

olfactory pathway

Answer 40

inhaled into nasal passage, contact the olfactory nerves, receptors or activated, sending signals to the olfactory bulb, relayed to olfactory tract

Question 41

two point threshold

Answer 41

minimum distance between 2 points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as two distinct stimuli

Question 42

gate theory of pain

Answer 42

can turn pain signals on/off, affecting whether or not we perceive pain

Question 43

bottom up processing

Answer 43

parallel processing and feature detection, individual stimuli and combining it to form one cohesive picture

Question 44

top down processing

Answer 44

driven by memories and expectations, brain recognized the whole object and then can recognize the individual components

Question 45

gestalt principle proximity

Answer 45

objects close to another tend to be perceived as one whole unit

Question 46

gestalt principle similarity

Answer 46

similar objects grouped together

Question 47

gestalt principle good continuation

Answer 47

obj that appear to follow same pathway are grouped together

Question 48

gestalt principle subjective contours

Answer 48

contours/shapes

Question 49

gestalt principle law of closure

Answer 49

enclosed by contour- perceived to be complete picture