Unit 4 Flashcards
What are binocular depth cues?
Cues that use input from both eyes for spatial awareness, such as retinal disparity where slightly different images from each eye help determine depth.
Name three monocular depth cues.
Motion parallax, linear perspective, and texture gradient.
What is motion parallax?
Closer objects move faster than distant ones as we move, providing a depth cue.
How does linear perspective serve as a depth cue?
Parallel lines converge as they recede into the distance, indicating depth.
What is texture gradient?
Finer details are visible in closer objects, providing information about distance.
Explain interposition as a depth cue.
Closer objects block or overlap farther ones, indicating depth.
How does relative size contribute to depth perception?
Distant objects appear smaller than closer ones of the same size.
What is “height in plane” in depth perception?
Higher objects in the visual field are perceived as farther away.
How do light and shadow act as depth cues?
Shadows indicate depth and spatial relationships between objects.
What is convergence in depth perception?
The strain or tension of eye muscles as the eyes turn inward to look at a nearby object, indicating its distance.
Define accommodation in the context of depth perception.
The change in the curvature of the lens as an object comes closer, helping the eye adjust its focus
What are pictorial depth cues?
Monocular cues like linear perspective, texture gradient, and interposition used in 2D artwork to create the illusion of depth.
What is perceptual constancy?
The perception of objects as stable in size, shape, color, and brightness despite changes in distance, angle, or lighting.
Why is perceptual constancy important?
It maintains a consistent interpretation of objects despite varying sensory input.
Provide an example of perceptual constancy.
A door viewed from different angles is still perceived as rectangular.
Why are visual and optical illusions important in studying perception?
They reveal how perception relies on contextual and experiential cues and show how perception can fill gaps, impose structure, and sometimes misinterpret stimuli.
What strengths do visual illusions illustrate about perception?
The ability to make sense of incomplete or noisy input.
What vulnerabilities do visual illusions reveal in perception?
Susceptibility to being fooled by unnatural or ambiguous stimuli.
What is the Müller-Lyer illusion?
An illusion where lines of the same length appear different due to the placement of arrowheads.
What are impossible objects?
Creations, like those by Escher, that challenge spatial logic and cannot exist in three-dimensional space.
What is the common name for the gustatory system?
The taste system.
What is the common name for the olfactory system?
The smell system.
What type of chemical stimuli does the gustatory system detect?
Soluble chemicals, such as sugar and salt.
What type of chemical stimuli does the olfactory system detect?
Volatile chemicals, which are airborne molecules.
How do taste and smell differ from vision and hearing?
Taste and smell rely on direct chemical interactions with receptors, while vision senses light waves and hearing senses sound waves.
What are the five basic tastes?
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory).
Are taste buds restricted to specific zones on the tongue?
No, taste buds are scattered across the tongue and can detect all tastes.
How do taste buds work to detect flavors?
They work in combination, regardless of location, to detect a range of flavors.
What is sensory adaptation in taste?
Repeated exposure to a taste reduces sensitivity, such as a sweet dessert tasting less sweet over time.
What are taste aftereffects?
Switching to a neutral taste after a strong one creates altered sensations, such as water tasting sweet after eating something sour.
How are taste aftereffects similar to afterimages in vision?
Both involve sensory systems adjusting to prior stimuli.
How do taste and smell combine to create flavor perception?
Taste buds detect basic tastes, while olfactory receptors detect volatile compounds, and retronasal olfaction enhances flavor perception.
What is retronasal olfaction?
The process where aromas travel to the nose via the throat during chewing.
What happens to flavor perception if taste or smell is disrupted?
Flavor perception is diminished, such as when a blocked nose affects taste.
In what state must chemicals be to be detected by the olfactory system?
Gaseous state, so they release volatile molecules.
What determines whether a substance can be smelled?
The volatility of the substance.
Where are olfactory receptors located?
In the olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity.
What does the olfactory system do after detecting odor molecules?
Signals travel to the olfactory bulb and are sent to the olfactory cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus.
What is the role of the amygdala in processing smells?
It associates smells with emotions.
What is the role of the hippocampus in processing smells?
It links smells to memories.
How is the olfactory system unique compared to other sensory systems?
Olfactory signals bypass the thalamus, allowing for faster and more emotional responses to odors.
What is an example of sensory adaptation in vision?
Entering a dark room and gradually adjusting to the low light (dark adaptation).
Why doesn’t sensory adaptation occur in vision like it does in other senses?
Saccades, rapid eye movements, prevent continuous stimulation of the same retinal cells, keeping the visual field fresh.
What is an example of sensory adaptation in taste?
Eating a spicy meal and noticing the intensity of the spice diminishing over time.
What is an example of sensory adaptation in smell?
Entering a bakery and noticing the smell of fresh bread, but the smell fades after a few minutes.
What is an example of sensory adaptation in touch?
Putting on a watch and feeling it initially, but forgetting it’s there after a short period.
What is sensation?
The initial detection of environmental stimuli, involving sensory receptors converting physical energy into neural signals.
What is perception?
The interpretation and organization of sensory signals into meaningful experiences, using prior knowledge and context.
How does sensation differ from perception?
Sensation is passive detection of stimuli, while perception actively constructs awareness.
Provide an example of sensation versus perception.
Sensation detects light waves; perception interprets them as a specific object.
What is psychophysics?
The study of the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they evoke.
Who coined the term psychophysics?
Gustav Fechner.
What is the focus of psychophysics?
Sensory thresholds and how stimuli are processed by the brain.
What is an absolute threshold?
The minimum stimulus intensity detectable 50% of the time.
What is an example of an absolute threshold?
The faintest light visible in a dark room.
