Unit 4: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
absolute threshold
minimum amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus
Accommodation
process by which our eyes adjust to changes in the brightness of light
adaptation level
the tendency for people to adapt to a new situation until the situation becomes normal
Afterimage
image that persists when stimulus is removed
Anosmia
loss of smell or taste
Astigmatism
imperfection in the curvature of the eye
Attention
the focus of your awareness on one object by excluding other objects
auditory ossicles
set of three small bones in middle ear that relay vibrational information to the inner ear
binocular cues
“hints” that objects give both of our eyes to allow us to experience it in 3D
bipolar cells
cells in the retina relaying neural information to the ganglion cells
blind spot
the area where the optic nerve emerges that does not include rods or cones; optic disk
bones of middle ear
collectively called the ossicles, specifically the malleus, the incus, and the stapes
bottom-up processing / feature analysis
the process by which one analyzes parts to create a meaningful whole
Brightness
how intense light is due to amplitude
change blindness
when you don’t see visual changes in the environment due to your focus being somewhere else
chemical senses
senses that operate via the use of chemical receptors
Cochlea
spirally fluid-filled region in the inner ear where transduction of sound takes place
cochlear implant
electrical device that sends neural impulses to the brain
cocktail party phenomenon
you are likely to detect meaningful stimuli when surrounded by a lot of background noise
color blindness
loss of the ability to perceive one dimension of color (RGB) due to loss of the respective cones responsible for that dimension of color
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss where the pathway for sound vibration is disrupted between the outer and middle ears
Cones
photoreceptors responsible for the vision of color and daylight vision
context effects
idea that context can affect one’s perception
Convergence
principle of visual perception in binocular depth where your eyes rotate inward to focus on close objects
Cornea
dome-shaped region of the eye that acts as a window to let light in
dark adaptation
the process by which our eyes adapt to changes of light from bright to dark colors
Decibel
unit used to measure sound
depth cues
“hints” that objects give to allow us to experience a depth in it
depth perception
our ability to perceive objects as either close or far away
divided attention
ability to process more than one piece of information at a time
eardrum / tympanic membrane
membrane that vibrates when stimulated by a sound wave
embodied cognition
the idea that your body influences the way your mind processes things
energy senses
senses that are found in forms of energy
extrasensory perception (ESP)
the controversial idea that one can perceive without sensory input
feature detectors
specialized neurons in the visual cortex that responds to specific features of an object
Figure-ground
principle of gestalt psychology that allows us to differentiate between the object and its background
Fovea
part of retina where visual acuity is accomplished
Frequency
cycles per second of a wave
frequency theory
states that pitch is perceived because sound waves cause the cochlea to vibrate at the same frequency as the sound wave which the brain interprets using the neural information
ganglion cells
cells in the retina that send neural impulses through the optical nerve to the visual cortex
gate control theory
states that the spinal cord can either block or allow pain signals to the brain
gestalt rules
principles of psychology explaining how our senses are organized into perceptions
grouping (proximity, continuity, closure)
our tendency to organize objects in specific ways
gustation/taste
our ability to taste food
hair cells / cilia
receptors for sound located in the cochlea
hearing/audition
process by which we detect sound
Hue
dimensions of color
Illusion
a false perception of a situation resulting from misinterpreted stimuli
illusory figure
a figure that represents an optical illusion
inattentional blindness
when you do not notice something even when it is within your lines of sight
inner ear
structure of ear including the cochlea and the auditory nerve
Intensity
how bright light is
Iris
colored part of eye that controls the pupil
just-noticeable difference / difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli one can detect and differentiate between
kinesthetic sense / kinesthesia
the ability to sense the position and movement of body parts
Lens
flexible and transparent structure in the eye that focuses light to the retina
Loudness
how loud a sound is, determined by the amplitude of the sound wave
McGurk effect
an optical and auditory illusion involving processing the wrong sound due to deception from visual stimuli
middle ear
structure of ear including the three bones collectively called the ossicles
monocular cues
stimuli or events that can be detected by either one of our eyes
nerve deafness
damage of the auditory nerve or the cilia in the cochlea; sinusoidal hearing loss
Nociceptors
receptors throughout the body that detect pain
olfaction/smell
process by which we smell
opponent-process theory
theory of color perception stating that we perceive colors because photoreceptors make opposite responses to three pairs of colors
optic nerve
neural structure that sends neural information from the retina to the primary visual cortex
oval window
tissue connecting middle ear to cochlea of inner ear
parallel processing
ability of our brain to process multiple visual variables collected on an object simultaneously, then putting them all together to create a finalized complete image
Parapsychology
study of paranormal phenomena, like ESP and psychokinesis
Telepathy
mind-to-mind communication
Clairvoyance
perceiving events far away without knowing they will happen
precognition
perceiving future events before they happen
Perception
the process by which one selects, organizes, and interprets incoming senses
perceptual adaptation
ability to adapt to an environment by filtering out distractions
perceptual constancy (size, shape, color, brightness)
tendency for us to perceive specific attributes of an object a specific way despite the sensory input changing
perceptual set
how the mental tendency for a person to act or believe a specific thing or way influences our perception and expectation
peripheral vision
vision done by our rods
phi phenomenon
the phenomenon where two stimuli are presented in rapid succession to appear to be moving
pictorial depth cues
cues about distance detected on a 2D picture
Pitch
how high a sound is, determined by frequency of the sound wave
place theory
states that pitch is perceived because a particular sound wave resonates with a particular region of the basilar membrane, and the brain uses the location of the region stimulated to figure out what the frequency is
Priming
unconscious reaction following a brief stimulus
Psychophysics
study of the relation between our experience of a stimulus and the properties of the stimuli themselves causing the sensory experience
Pupil
part on eye center controlling amount of light that can enter the eye by dilation or constriction
Retina
part of eye with millions of photoreceptors that transduce visual information into neural impulses
retinal disparity
slight difference between images from right and left eyes
Rods
photoreceptors in the retina that process gray, black and white light; important for night and peripheral vision
Saturation
point at which there is too much of a substance to add any more
Schemas
concepts formed by prior experiences
selective attention
the ability to focus your attention on one stimulus
semicircular canals
vestibular organs in the cochlea that process tilt and rotation in the head
Sensation
process by which one can experience senses and by which sensory information is transmitted to the CNS for processing
sensorineural hearing loss
auditory nerve or cilia in cochlea damaged so hearing is impaired
sensory adaptation
idea that one will be more sensitive to newer stimuli and less sensitive to constant stimuli
sensory interaction
idea that some senses can influence the perception of other senses
sensory localization
our ability to determine where on the body a sense was felt
signal detection theory
theory explaining how and when one will detect a weak stimulus within background noise
somesthetic sense
collective term that describes how the body feels objects, determines the location of its head, and maintains balance
sound waves
disturbances of energy that we detect with our ears, are the stimulus for audition
stereoscopic vision
our ability to see depth
stroboscopic movement
our perception of short consecutive images changing slightly as motion
Subliminal
sensory input below the absolute threshold
Synesthesia
experiencing one sense through another
taste bud
a region of taste receptors in the tongue that transduce chemical energy to neural impulses to the brain to perceive it as taste
temporary threshold shift
temporary shift in the auditory threshold
Tinnitus
“ringing” in the ears
top-down processing
process by which one perceives the whole before the parts
Touch
our ability to feel things
Transduction
the conversion of sensory information to neural information
trichromatic theory (Young-Helmholtz theory)
theory of color vision stating that photoreceptors come in three types- ones that detect light with wavelength red, green, and blue, and all other colors are some combination of these three colors
tunnel vision
loss of a person’s peripheral vision
vestibular sense
sense of balance of body and head
visible spectrum / light
the region of the EM spectrum which we can see
Vision
process by which we can see
visual acuity
sharpness of vision
visual cliff
laboratory experiment used to determine whether individuals can perceive depth
visual receptors
also called photoreceptors; detect light and allow us to see
Wavelength
distance between two peaks of a wave
Weber’s law
states that the difference threshold is proportional to the original intensity of stimulus
Gustav Fechner
Pioneered work in experimental psychology, determined how to measure sensation, and founded psychophysics
David Hubel
Canadian-American neurophysiologist noted for his studies on the visual cortex
Ernst Weber
Founded Weber’s Law, a very important law about the difference threshold in humans and animals
Torsten Wiesel
neurophysiologist noted for his studies on the visual cortex. He worked with David Hubel to do this
In general, how do sensory systems function?
They first modify sensory stimuli using accessory structures if applicable. If that is not needed, the sensory info is transduction by sensory receptors into neurological information, which then flows along sensory neurons to the thalamus where it is relayed to a lobe of the cerebral cortex or final processing and response.
What are the limits of human sensory sensitivity?
These limits are defined as the absolute thresholds and the difference threshold
How is vision accomplished?
First, accessory receptors in our eyes modify photological sensory information slightly and then relay it to the photoreceptors in our eyes. These photoreceptors transduce the information into neurological information which is carried by sensory neurons into the thalamus, where the information is relayed to the occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex, specifically the visual cortex where the sensory information is processed and responded to
How do people perceive colors?
People perceive colors in the following steps: When a color stimulus is detected (in fact, the accessory receptors on our eyes modify this stimulus information before it is detected by our photoreceptors), our photoreceptors in our eyes are stimulated and they convert that information to neurological information in neural impulses to the brain, specifically the thalamus where the information is relayed to the occipital lobe of the visual cortex to be processed and perceived as a specific color.
What are the mechanisms of hearing?
The mechanisms of hearing are parts of our ear and brain that function in the perception of sound. Such include the outer, middle, inner, and primary auditory complexes.
How do the chemical senses operate?
The chemical senses, like taste and smell, operate via chemical receptors specific for the chemical, which sends neural messages to the brain to be perceived as smell or taste
What are the somesthetic senses, and why are they important?
The somesthetic senses are touch, the vestibular sense, and the kinesthetic sense. These are important because they allow our bodies to feel, balance, and locate itself
Why are people more aware of some sensations than others?
Because of selective attention, the idea that some stimuli are perceived by our brains, but others may be ignored
How can pain be reduced in everyday situations?
Analgesics, which can be either natural or artificial painkillers, can reduce pain
What is synesthesia, and what does it reveal about sensory systems?
The condition where you can experience one sense through the other. For example, one person might be able to “taste” smell. This reveals that our senses are connected.
What are perceptual constancies, and what is their role in perception?
Perceptual constancies are our tendency and our ability to keep a stable perception as our sensory input changes. They allow for something about an object to appear to be the same even when observed in different scenarios
What basic principles do people use to group sensations into meaningful patterns, depth, and distance?
The principles of proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, and simplicity.
How does attention influence perception?
Our focus on a specific stimulus allows us to perceive one thing, but not other things.
What effects do learning and expectation have on perception?
When you learn or expect something to happen or learn and expect to perceive something, you are more focused on that likelihood and not other likelihoods of things that might happen
How is perception altered by attention, motives, values, and expectations?
All of these factors alter our perception by first altering our perception set, our mental tendencies that certain things must be or act a specific way, which then alters our perception of these things since we have experience with them.
What evidence is there to support extrasensory perception?
There is no scientific evidence supporting this. Experiments have been done, and ESP did no better than random chance.
