Unit 3 Flashcards
Sensory receptors
Specialist cells that detect sensory stimuli and convert them into neural impulses
Sensation vs. perception
Sensation is the process by which we receive stimuli that impinge on our sensory organs and transform them into neural important or signals that the brain uses to create experience of vision hearing taste smell touch and so on, whereas perception is your brain trying to make sense of the outside world
Psychophysics
The study of how physical sources of stimulation like light,sound,odors and so on, relate to our experience of the stimuli is in form of sensation. Gustav Fechner wrote the elements of psychophysics.
Absolute threshold
The smallest amount of stimulus that person can reliably detect. Stimuli detected less than 50% of the time I considered the absolute threshold
Difference threshold
The minimal difference in the magnitude of energy needed for people to detect the difference between two stimuli.
Webbers law
According to this law the amount you must change a stimulus to detect the difference is given by a constant affection or proportion called a constant of the original stimulus for example Webbers constant for noticing a difference in weight is about 1/50 or 2% this means you’re lifting a 50 pound weight you would probably not notice a difference unless the weights were increased by 2%
Signal detection theory
According to this theory the threshold for detecting a signal depends not only on the properties of the stimulus itself such as its intensity but also on the level of background stimulation, or noise, and, importantly on the biological and psychological characteristic of the perceiver.
Sensory adaption
The process in which sensory systems become less sensitive to constant or unchanging stimuli, for example when wearing socks on your feet after while you were unaware of the sensation of the pressure on your feet/skin
Cornea
Transparent covering of the eyes surface through which light enters
Pupil
The black opening inside the iris that allows light to enter the eyes
Iris
The circular muscle in the eye that regulates the size of the pupil
Lens
The structure in the eye that focuses light rays on the retina changes shapes sometimes
Retina
The light-sensitive layer of the inner surface of I that contains a photo receptor cells. Receives the images
Fovea
The part of the eye that contains only cones, can see fine detail
Optic nerve
Nerve that carries neural impulses generated by light stimulation (made up of ganglion(transmit neural impulses))
Path of light
Light enters the cornea the iris adjusts reflexively to control the size of the pupil the lens focuses the light on the retina specially on the fovea, the point of central focus that gives the rise and the clearest vision, and then leaves to the optic nerve and then eventually to the visual cortex near the occipital lobe
Feature detectors
Specialized neurons in the visual cortex that respond only to particular features of visual stimuli, like horizontal/vertical lines
Eardrum
Tight layer that vibrates
Ossicles
Middke ear made our of three bones (hammer, anvil,stirrup)
Oval window
Attaches middle ear to cochkea
Cochlea
Snail like, that contains sensory receptors
Olfaction
Sense of smell
Gate control theory of pain
The belief that a neural gate in the spinal cord opens to allow pain messages reach the brain
Kinthesis
Sense that keeps us informed about movement of the parts of the body and their position in relation to eachother
