The Perceiving Mind: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
role of rods and cones
they are the photoreceptors in the retina that begin the process of interpreting the light energy that enters the eye.
are colours really as they seem to man
Colours are a construction of the human brain.
what are photoreceptors?
They are responsible for taking information from the world and translating it to neural signals that the brain can understand.
Photo phenomenon
-mother of Scottish bride
-February 2015
-blue/black and white/gold
-Justin Bieber and other neuroscientists got involved
-was posted on Tumblr blog
-INTERPRETATION: artificial light are mostly able and natural light are mostly perceived as yellow
what is sensation
It is the process of detecting environmental stimuli and stimuli from within the body.
Sensory systems have been shaped by…?
natural selection
perception
This is the process of interpreting sensory information.
this is the selecting, organizing and interpreting of sensory input.
what is synesthesia
This is a condition where the stimulation of one sensory pathway leads the simultaneous and automatic stimulation of another sensory pathway.
-Colour Grapheme synesthesia (see letters as different colours)
-Lexical Gustatory synesthesia (taste words)
Chromesthesia (hear colours)
what is stimulus
This is anything that elicits a reaction from our sensory systems.
how does the sensation process occur
It begins as an interaction between our physical stimulus and our biological sensory systems.
A perceptual process in which memory and other cognitive processes are required for interpreting incoming sensory information.
visual range
dogs have a different visual range
Also snakes, insects, etc
what is transduction
this is the translation of incoming sensory information into neural signals.
what is attention
it is a narrow focus of consciousness.
what is sensory adaptation
It is the tendency to pay less attention to a non-hanging source of stimuli.
what is top-down processing
it is the perceptual process in which the memory and other cognitive processes are required for interpreting incoming sensory information.
what is bottom up processing
it is the perception based on building simple input into more complex perceptions.
what could prevent a person from being able to listen selectively
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
what is the cornea
it is a curved transparent protective layer through which light enters the eye.
The clear surface at the front of the eye that begins the process of directing light to the retina.
what is the lens
they are the clear structure behind the pupil that bends light towards the retina.
what is the iris
this is the coloured structure on the surface of the eye surrounding the pupil.
The brightly coloured circular muscle surrounding the pupil of the eye.
what is the fovea
This is a tiny spot on the centre of the retina containing only cones where visual acuity is greatest.
An area of the retina that is specialized for highly detailed vision.
what is the absolute threshold
This is the minimum amount of physical energy (stimulus) that can be detected 50% of the time.
what is the pupil
it is the black opening inside the iris that allows light enter the eye.
An opening formed by the iris.
optic nerve
This is the structure that conveys visual information away from the retina to the brain.
The nerve exiting the retina of the eye.
basilar membrane
This is a structure in the cochlear duct containing hair cells that convert sound waves into action potentials.
what is the retina
This is the structure at the back of the eye onto which the lens focuses light rays.
Layers of visual processing cells in the back of the eye.
binocular cue
this is the indication of distance from the differing views of the two eyes.
A depth cue that requires the use of both eyes.
blind spot
the area in the retina where the optic nerve exits that contains no photoreceptor cells.
psychophysics
This Sith study of how the mind interprets the physical properties of stimuli.
The study of relationships between the physical qualities of stimuli and the subjective responses they produce.
difference threshold
The smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.
signal detection
The analysis of sensory and decision-making processes in the detection of faint, uncertain stimuli.
Vision
The sense that allows us to process reflected light.
Rods
A photoreceptor specialized to detect dim light.
Cones
They are photoreceptors that are sensitive to colour.
A photoreceptor in the retina that processes colour and fine detail.
optic tracts
Nerve pathways travelling from the optic chiasm to the thalamus, hypothalamus, and midbrain.
dorsal stream
The “where” visual pathway that extends from the occipital lobe into the parietal lobe.
ventral stream
The “what” visual pathway that extends from the occipital lobe into the temporal lobe.
trichromatic theory
A theory of colour vision based on the existence of different types of cones for the detection of short, medium, and long wavelengths
opponent process theory
A theory of colour vision that suggests we have a red-green colour channel and a blue-yellow colour channel in which activation of one colour in each pair inhibits the other colour.
This is the proposition that colour vision is based on coding things as red or green, yellow or blue, or black or white
depth perception
The ability to use the two-dimensional image projected on the retina to perceive three dimensions.
monocular cues
A depth cue that requires the use of only one eye.
retinal disparity
The difference between the images projected onto each eye.
Audition
The sense of hearing.
cochlea
This is the snail shaped organ in the inner earth contains sensory receptors for hearing
The structure in the inner ear that contains auditory receptors.
basilar membrane
Membrane in the cochlea on which the organ of Corti is located.
organ of Corti
A structure located on the basilar membrane that contains auditory receptors.
auditory nerve
Nerve carrying sound information from the cochlea to the brain.
Somatosensation
The body senses, including body position, touch, skin temperature, and pain.
vestibular system
The system in the inner ear that provides information about body position and movement.
gate control theory
The theory that suggests that input from touch fibres competes with input from pain receptors, possibly preventing pain messages from reaching the brain.
olfaction
The sense of smell.
gustation
The sense of taste.
olfactory nerve
A nerve carrying olfactory information from the olfactory receptors to the olfactory bulbs.
olfactory bulbs
One of two structures below the frontal lobes of the brain that receive input from the olfactory receptors in the nose.
papillae
Small bumps on the tongue that contain taste buds.
taste buds
A structure found in papillae that contains taste receptor cells.
convergence
This is the degree to which the eyes turnfdo in to focus on a close object.
Ear drum
This is the sheet of connective tissue that vibrates in response to sound waves and transmits them inwards.
Feature detector
these are the cells in the cortex that respond to the specific attribute of an object
Frequency theory
this is the proposition that pitch is decoded from the rate at which hair cells of the basilar membrane are firing.
hue
This is the colour of light as determined by it wavelength.
pitch
This is how high or low a tone sounds.
place theory
this is proposition that higher and lower tones excite specific areas of the cochlea
retinal disparity
This is the difference between the images projected onto each eye.
