Unit 3: Sensations & Perception

Question 1

Cornea

Answer 1

light enters thru here, bends light waves to help provide focus.

The eye’s clear protective outer layer, covering the pupil & iris.

Question 2

Pupil

Answer 2

light passes thru pupil

the adjustable opening in the center of eye,

Question 3

Iris

Answer 3

surrounds the pupil & dilates/constricts in response to light intensity to control the size of the pupil opening

a ring of muscle tissue that forms colored part of eye,

Responds to your cognitive & emotional state
- Sunny sky imagination, saying no, disgust - constricts, pupil get small
- dark sky, lustful, - dilates, pupil gets bigger

Question 4

Lens

Answer 4

transparent structure behind pupil

changes shape (curvature & thickness) to help focus images on retina (ACCOMMODATION - specifically far/near object focus)

Question 5

Retina

Answer 5

light sensitive inner surface of eye

containing receptor rods & cones + neuron layers that begin processing visual info

Question 6

Rods

Answer 6

retinal receptors that detect gray, black, white,

sensitive to movement

necessary for peripheral & twilight vision when cones dont respond

Question 7

Cones

Answer 7

retinal receptors (at the retina’s center), work in daylight/well-lit conditions,

detect fine lines/details & gives rise to color sensations

Question 8

Optic Nerve

Answer 8

carries neural impulses from eye to brain, info highway

Question 9

Blind Spot

Answer 9

the point where the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot bc no receptor cells are there

Question 10

Fovea

Answer 10

the central focal point in retina, eye’s cones cluster in & around here

Question 11

Middle Ear

Answer 11

chamber between the eardrum & cochlea containing 3 tiny bones (hamer, anvil, stirrup), concentrates eardrum vibrations on cochlea’s oval window

Question 12

Cochlea

Answer 12

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in inner ear

sound waves traveling thru cochlear fluid causes ripples in basilar membrane,

bending surface hair cells & triggers nerve impulses

Question 13

Semicircular canals

Answer 13

fluid filled tubes in inner ear that provide info about head movement

Question 14

Weber’s Law

Answer 14

(principle)
to be perceived as diff, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum % (instead of constant amount #) - proportionate difference instead of absolute diff

Exact % varies depends on stimulus

Ex: 2 lights must differ in intensity by 8%, 2 objects must differ in weight by 2%, 2 tones must differ in frequency by only 0.3%
“difference threshold” is the absolute smallest difference between 2 similar stimuli “just noticeable difference”

Question 15

Binocular Cues

Answer 15

depth cues, depends on the use/input from BOTH eyes

Ex: Retinal disparity: binocular cue for perceiving depth, by comparing retinal images from 2 eyes, brain calculates distance – the bigger the difference between 2 images, the closer the object

Ex: Convergence: a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the more the eyes strain to turn inwards to view an object, the closer the object is

Question 16

Monocular Cues

Answer 16

Depth cues, (ex: interposition, linear perspective), input from ONE eye alone, often used in 2D art to create depth illusion

Ex: Linear perspective: parallel lines appear to meet in the distance (ex a long train track)

Ex: Interposition: if 1 object partially blocks view of another, we think it is closer

Question 17

Sound Waves

Answer 17

HEIGHT/amplitude of sound waves (shape varies) determines LOUDNESS
big amplitude = louder sound
small amplitude = softer sound

We measure sound amplitude/height in decibels w/ 0 decibels representing absolute threshold got hearing
Every 10 decibels - 10fold increase in sound intensity

The length (frequency) determines the PITCH (high/low tone) we experience

Long wavelength = low frequency = low pitch
Short wavelength = high frequency = high pitch

Question 18

Frequency

Answer 18

of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (ex: per second); determines perception of hue (dimension of color that is determine by the wavelength of light) in light & of pitch in sound

Question 19

Pitch

Answer 19

a tone’s experienced highness/lowness; depends on frequency (or wavelength) of sound waves

Question 20

Vestibular Sense

Answer 20

Sense of BODY/HEAD MOVEMENT & POSITION -> enables sense of BALANCE, fast

enabled by feedback (sends nerve signals) from fluid-filled semicircular canals & calcium crystal-filled vestibular sacs in inner ear

• Hairlike receptors in canals & sacs shifts in response to motion (When head rotates/tilts, organ movements) stimulations, sends nerve signals -> cerebellum at back of brain

Question 21

Interaction of Senses/Sensory Interaction

Answer 21

principle that one sense may influence another, (as when the smell of food influences taste)

Ex: vision & hearing - a weak flicker of light becomes more visible when accompanied w/ a short burst of sound, can hear sounds more easily if paired w/ visual cue

Question 22

What happens when senses disagree?

Answer 22

If our eyes see a speaker form of 1 sound but ears hear another sound…brain may perceive 3rd sound that blends both inputs
If we see mouth movements for ga while hearing ba, we can perceive da (McGurk effect)

Question 23

Embodied cognition

Answer 23

influence of bodily sensations, gestures, & other states on cognitive preferences & judgements

Physical warmth may promote social warmth
Social exclusion can literally feel cold
Judgements of others may mimic body sensations

Question 24

Synaesthesia

Answer 24

when a stimulation of 1 sense (such as hearing a sound) produces an experience of another (such as seeing color)

Question 25

Vision

Answer 25

Source: Light waves striking the eye
Receptors: Rods & Cones in Retina
Occipital lobe

Question 26

Hearing

Answer 26

Source Sound waves striking the outer ear
Receptors: Cochlear hair cells in the inner ear
Temporal Lobe

Question 27

Touch

Answer 27

Source: pressure, warmth, cold, pain
Receptors: most in the skin, detect pressure, warmth, cold, pain
Somatosensory cortex

Question 28

Taste

Answer 28

Source: chemical molecules in mouth
Receptors: basic tongue receptors for sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami
Frontal temporal lobe border

Question 28

Smell

Answer 28

Source: chemical molecules breathed in thru nose
Receptors: millions of receptors at top of nasal cavity
Olfactory bulb

Question 29

Body Position - Kinesthesia

Answer 29

Source: any change in position of a body part
Receptors: kinesthetic sensors in joints, tendons, muscles
Cerebellum

Question 30

Body Movement - Vestibular Sense

Answer 30

Source: movement of fluids in inner ear caused by head/body movement
Receptors: hairlike ear receptors (semicircular canals & vestibular sacs)
Cerebellum

Question 31

Describe the sensory processes, including the specific nature of energy transduction, relevant anatomical structures, and specialized pathways in the brain for each 5 senses.

Answer 31

Vision’s transduction starts off with our eyes that uses light to convert into electrical signals within the rods, cones, and ganglion cells in our retina. information is then processed within our visual cortex into the image we see. If one has poor vision, one can have either nearsightedness (objects are easier to seer when it is up close than farther away from the retina) or farsightedness (objects are easier to see when it is farther away then up close from the retina).

Auditory transduction is when our ear can transform changes within air pressure into vibrations within the basiliar membrane. Within the basiliar membrane, it vibrates causing the hairlike receptors to bend. These bending of hairs can lead to a change in the electrical potential within the hair. If one has poor hearing or none at all, it can lead to conduction hearing loss (damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea) or nerve hearing loss (damage to the cohclea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerve).

Question 32

wavelength

Answer 32

the distance from peak of 1 light/sound wave to the peak of the next

Question 33

hue

Answer 33

dimension of color, determined by wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, etc

Question 34

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 34

the hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

Question 35

conduction hearing loss

Answer 35

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical that conducts sound waves to the cochlea