Unit 4 Flashcards
The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment is known as _________ (EX: Sight, Smell, Touch).
Sensation
How we select, organize, and interpret those sensations (Sight, Smell, Touch) is called __________. (*)
Perception
When a message is sent from your senses to your brain it is called _____-____ ______. (*)
Bottom-Up Processing
When a message is sent from your brain telling your senses what to experience
Top-Down Processing
The study of the relationship between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience with them is known as ________
Psychophysics
The minimum/maximum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time is known as the ______ ______. (***)
Absolute Threshold
The _______ _______ is the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time (quiet sound takes less than louder sound)
Difference Threshold
When stimuli are below a person’s absolute threshold we say they are on the _____ ______ (ELLEN, ROME, CHEESE). (*)
Subliminal Threshold
_______ ______ states that two stimuli need to differ by a certain percentage, and not a certain amount to be perceived as different. (***)
Weber’s Law
The THEORY that says a person’s absolute threshold can change depending on the situation they are in (EX: people in war) (*)
Signal Detection Theory
When you are continuously stimulated by the same stimuli you will stop realizing its there. This is known as ______ _______. (EX: band aids) (***)
Sensory Adaptation
The transformation of stimulus energy into neural impulses is known as ___________.
Transduction
The specific transfer of light energy into neural impulses that the brain can understand (vision) is known as ____________.
Phototransduction
The ________, or frequency determines the ___________ of light (large=red, small=blue/violet)
Wavelength, Hue(color)
The _________, or the amplitude (size of the wave) is related to the ___________ of light (High=birght, low=dull)
Intensity, Brightness
The First part of the eye that is made up of a transparent tissue (cover) where light enters the eye
Cornea
The second part of the eye that is a muscle that expands and contracts to change their size of the opening (pupil) for light (colored part of eye)
Iris
The third part of the eye that focuses the light ray on the retina
Lens
The fourth part of the eye that contains sensory receptors (cones and rods) that process visual information and sends it to the brain (allows you to see)
Retina
The fifth part of the eye that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain (this also creates a blind spot)
Optic Nerve
The part of the eye that is the central point of the retina around which the eye’s cones cluster
Fovea
The process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to help focus near or far objects on the retina is known as _____________ (**)
Accommodation
If you can see near objects but far objects are blurry you are _________ (***)
Nearsighted
If you can see far objects but near objects are blurry you are ____________ (**)
Farsighted
In what order does light travel through your eye (**)
cornea, Iris/Pupil, Lens, Retina (rods/cones), Bipolar cells, Ganglion cells, Optic nerve, Optic chasm, Thalamus, Occipital lobe
The point where the optic nerve leaves the eye where no rods or cones are present is known as the _________ (***)
Blindspot
What are the characteristics of Rods and Cones (***)
1) Rods and Cones are photo-receptors that transduce light and color/brightness
2) You have more rods than cones
3) Cones are in the center of the retina while rods are on the periphery
4) Cones see in color and not in the dark
5) Rods don’t see color but they can see in the dark
_______ _______ refers to the nerve cells in the visual cortex that respond to specific features (edges, angles, movement)
Feature Detectors
______ _______ refers to specific areas of the temporal lobe are active when particular shapes are present
Shape Detectors
The ______ ______ _____ is an area in the temporal lobe dedicated to recognizing faces (*)
Fusiform Face Area
If someone has a inability to recognize faces we call that _________ (if someone can’t recognize faces) (*)
Prosopagnosia
When your process several aspects of stimulus simultaneously it is called ______ _____
Parallel processing
The THEORY (also known as the Young-Helmholtz-Theory) that states that there are cones for blue, green, and red colors and that any other color you can see is a combination of those (*)
Trichromatic Theory
How does the Addition and Subtraction of Colors work
Paint/pigments that are red, blue, and yellow when combined you subtract wavelengths, so you will eventually end with brown or black.
But when dealing with light the 3 primary colors are blue, red, and green, so when you mix light you add wavelengths so you’ll eventually end up with white.
What is the term that describes the inability to distinguish between red/green and blue/yellow
Dichromatism
What is the term that describes the inability to perceive color
Monochromatism
The THEORY that states that we process that 4 colors are seen by the ganglion cells combined in pairs of red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white. (**) (You need to know what pairs together for test)
Opponent Process
Theory
_____ ______ are composed of air molecules that are being compressed and refracted before they hit your ear
Sound Waves
Remember, Transduction refers to turning sensory stimuli into a neural code. When we talk about sound waves specifically and turning them into neural code we call that __________ ______
Acoustical Transduction
The shorter the _________ (or frequency) of a sound wave, the higher the _______ and vice versa
Wavelength, pitch
The higher the _________ (or height) of a sound wave is the ________ the sound will be and vice versa
Amplitude, Louder
what are the 3 parts that make up the outer ear (first parts of the ear) (**)
Pinna (fleshy outer part), Auditory canal (the hole), Eardrum (still soundwaves)
the 2 parts that make up the middle of the ear (includes the 3 bones) (**)
Ossicles (3 tiny bones: hammer, anvil, stirrup), Oval Window (hole in the stirrup)
The 6 parts that make up the inner Ear (***)
Cochlea, Basilar Membrane, hair cells (=transduction), auditory nerve, Thalamus, Temporal lobe (IN THAT ORDER)
The name for the coiled, bony, snail-like, fluid filled tube in the inner ear that transforms sound vibrations to auditory systems (***)
Cochlea
What are the 3 theories that talk about how hair cells hear different pitches (**)
1) Place Theory
2) Frequency theory
3) Volley Theory
What does the Place Theory state about how hair cells hear different pitches (**)
There are hair cells for high pitches and hair cells for low pitches, it depends where the stimulation happens
What does the Frequency theory state about how hair cells hear different pitches (**)
All hair cells can hear all pitches, it just depends on how fast the hair cells are stimulated that allow one to hear different pitches
What does the Volley Theory state about how hair cells hear different pitches (**)
For really high frequencies, multiple ares of the basilar membrane alternate back and forth to achieve a combined high frequency sound
Because our two ears are spread apart we can ________ sounds
localize
What are the 2 factors that allow us to localize sound
1) intensity differences (one ear hears it louder)
2) Time differences (one ear hears it sooner)
Hearing loss that is caused by damage to a part of the hearing process up, but not including, the cochlea is known as _______ _______ (can be fixed by hearing aids)
Conduction Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss that is caused by damage to a part of the hearing process from the cochlea on is known as _______ ______ ______ (can be fixed by cochlear implants)
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
The sense of ______ is a combination of 4 distinct skin senses. What are they (*)
Touch
Pressure, warmth, cold, pain
______ is actually quite beneficial to human beings as it can determine if something is wrong
Pain
______ ______ ______ occurs to some people who have lost a limb. They can sometimes still feel sensation in the missing limb, often manifesting as pain
Phantom Limb Sensation
What does the Gate-control Theory of Pain state (*)
There is a gate on our spinal cord that when opened sends pain, but when shut blocks pain. (When doing stuff it might close gate, when not doing stuff the gate might open)
What are the 6 methods that can aid in the reduction of pain
drugs, surgery, acupuncture, exercise, hypnosis, and even distractions
Your two chemical senses are _______ an _______ (*)
Taste, Smell
Why are taste and smell called chemical senses (*)
Because chemical messages are sent through the tongue and nose for us to experience taste and smell
What are the six unique taste sensations (**)
sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umani (or savory), oleogustus (oily/fat)
(HINT FOR TEST: you can;t taste spicy)
How strong can you taste (what are the 3 groups of tasters)
1) super tasters (very high sense of taste)
2) medium tasters (average sense of taste)
3) non tasters (very low sense of taste)
When senses work together, such as taste and smell, we call that ______ ______
Sensory Interaction
_________ occurs when a person has senses that interact in unusual ways
Synethesia
What are the 7 pieces of important info about your senses of smell (*)
1) It is also known as the ALFACTORY SYSTEM (VERY IMPORTANT)
2) There are many unique smell sensations.
3) Smell bypasses the thalamus and goes right to the temporal lobe
4) PHEROMONES are chemicals messages from people/animals that give them a distinct smell.
5) smell declines with age
6) Women are better at detecting odors than men
7) The brain region for smell and the brain region for memory are located close together, therefore your senses of smell is highly connected to your memories
Knowing how your body is positioned in space and how your body senses it’s movement is called ________
Kinethesis
The _______ _______ located behind the ear is the control of your balance and your head’s position
Vestibular sense
The Vestibular sense is controlled by your __________ ______ and your _________ _________ in your inner ear
Semicircular canals, vestibular sacs
______ _______ sometimes allows our senses to affect our thinking (EX: A hard chair might make a teacher more strict)
Embodied Cognition
