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AP Psychology > Unit 4: Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Unit 4: Sensation and Perception Flashcards

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1
Q

absolute threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus

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2
Q

Accommodation

A

process by which our eyes adjust to changes in the brightness of light

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3
Q

adaptation level

A

the tendency for people to adapt to a new situation until the situation becomes normal

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4
Q

Afterimage

A

image that persists when stimulus is removed

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5
Q

Anosmia

A

loss of smell or taste

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6
Q

Astigmatism

A

imperfection in the curvature of the eye

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7
Q

Attention

A

the focus of your awareness on one object by excluding other objects

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8
Q

auditory ossicles

A

set of three small bones in middle ear that relay vibrational information to the inner ear

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9
Q

binocular cues

A

“hints” that objects give both of our eyes to allow us to experience it in 3D

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10
Q

bipolar cells

A

cells in the retina relaying neural information to the ganglion cells

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11
Q

blind spot

A

the area where the optic nerve emerges that does not include rods or cones; optic disk

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12
Q

bones of middle ear

A

collectively called the ossicles, specifically the malleus, the incus, and the stapes

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13
Q

bottom-up processing / feature analysis

A

the process by which one analyzes parts to create a meaningful whole

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14
Q

Brightness

A

how intense light is due to amplitude

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15
Q

change blindness

A

when you don’t see visual changes in the environment due to your focus being somewhere else

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16
Q

chemical senses

A

senses that operate via the use of chemical receptors

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17
Q

Cochlea

A

spirally fluid-filled region in the inner ear where transduction of sound takes place

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18
Q

cochlear implant

A

electrical device that sends neural impulses to the brain

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19
Q

cocktail party phenomenon

A

you are likely to detect meaningful stimuli when surrounded by a lot of background noise

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20
Q

color blindness

A

loss of the ability to perceive one dimension of color (RGB) due to loss of the respective cones responsible for that dimension of color

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21
Q

conduction hearing loss

A

hearing loss where the pathway for sound vibration is disrupted between the outer and middle ears

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22
Q

Cones

A

photoreceptors responsible for the vision of color and daylight vision

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23
Q

context effects

A

idea that context can affect one’s perception

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24
Q

Convergence

A

principle of visual perception in binocular depth where your eyes rotate inward to focus on close objects

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25
Q

Cornea

A

dome-shaped region of the eye that acts as a window to let light in

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26
Q

dark adaptation

A

the process by which our eyes adapt to changes of light from bright to dark colors

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27
Q

Decibel

A

unit used to measure sound

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28
Q

depth cues

A

“hints” that objects give to allow us to experience a depth in it

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29
Q

depth perception

A

our ability to perceive objects as either close or far away

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30
Q

divided attention

A

ability to process more than one piece of information at a time

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31
Q

eardrum / tympanic membrane

A

membrane that vibrates when stimulated by a sound wave

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32
Q

embodied cognition

A

the idea that your body influences the way your mind processes things

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33
Q

energy senses

A

senses that are found in forms of energy

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34
Q

extrasensory perception (ESP)

A

the controversial idea that one can perceive without sensory input

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35
Q

feature detectors

A

specialized neurons in the visual cortex that responds to specific features of an object

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36
Q

Figure-ground

A

principle of gestalt psychology that allows us to differentiate between the object and its background

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37
Q

Fovea

A

part of retina where visual acuity is accomplished

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38
Q

Frequency

A

cycles per second of a wave

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39
Q

frequency theory

A

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

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40
Q

ganglion cells

A

cells in the retina that send neural impulses through the optical nerve to the visual cortex

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41
Q

gate control theory

A

states that the spinal cord can either block or allow pain signals to the brain

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42
Q

gestalt rules

A

principles of psychology explaining how our senses are organized into perceptions

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43
Q

grouping (proximity, continuity, closure)

A

our tendency to organize objects in specific ways

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44
Q

gustation/taste

A

our ability to taste food

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45
Q

hair cells / cilia

A

receptors for sound located in the cochlea

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46
Q

hearing/audition

A

process by which we detect sound

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47
Q

Hue

A

dimensions of color

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48
Q

Illusion

A

a false perception of a situation resulting from misinterpreted stimuli

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49
Q

illusory figure

A

a figure that represents an optical illusion

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50
Q

inattentional blindness

A

when you do not notice something even when it is within your lines of sight

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51
Q

inner ear

A

structure of ear including the cochlea and the auditory nerve

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52
Q

Intensity

A

how bright light is

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53
Q

Iris

A

colored part of eye that controls the pupil

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54
Q

just-noticeable difference / difference threshold

A

the minimum difference between two stimuli one can detect and differentiate between

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55
Q

kinesthetic sense / kinesthesia

A

the ability to sense the position and movement of body parts

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56
Q

Lens

A

flexible and transparent structure in the eye that focuses light to the retina

57
Q

Loudness

A

how loud a sound is, determined by the amplitude of the sound wave

58
Q

McGurk effect

A

an optical and auditory illusion involving processing the wrong sound due to deception from visual stimuli

59
Q

middle ear

A

structure of ear including the three bones collectively called the ossicles

60
Q

monocular cues

A

stimuli or events that can be detected by either one of our eyes

61
Q

nerve deafness

A

damage of the auditory nerve or the cilia in the cochlea; sinusoidal hearing loss

62
Q

Nociceptors

A

receptors throughout the body that detect pain

63
Q

olfaction/smell

A

process by which we smell

64
Q

opponent-process theory

A

theory of color perception stating that we perceive colors because photoreceptors make opposite responses to three pairs of colors

65
Q

optic nerve

A

neural structure that sends neural information from the retina to the primary visual cortex

66
Q

oval window

A

tissue connecting middle ear to cochlea of inner ear

67
Q

parallel processing

A

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

68
Q

Parapsychology

A

study of paranormal phenomena, like ESP and psychokinesis

69
Q

Telepathy

A

mind-to-mind communication

70
Q

Clairvoyance

A

perceiving events far away without knowing they will happen

71
Q

precognition

A

perceiving future events before they happen

72
Q

Perception

A

the process by which one selects, organizes, and interprets incoming senses

73
Q

perceptual adaptation

A

ability to adapt to an environment by filtering out distractions

74
Q

perceptual constancy (size, shape, color, brightness)

A

tendency for us to perceive specific attributes of an object a specific way despite the sensory input changing

75
Q

perceptual set

A

how the mental tendency for a person to act or believe a specific thing or way influences our perception and expectation

76
Q

peripheral vision

A

vision done by our rods

77
Q

phi phenomenon

A

the phenomenon where two stimuli are presented in rapid succession to appear to be moving

78
Q

pictorial depth cues

A

cues about distance detected on a 2D picture

79
Q

Pitch

A

how high a sound is, determined by frequency of the sound wave

80
Q

place theory

A

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

81
Q

Priming

A

unconscious reaction following a brief stimulus

82
Q

Psychophysics

A

study of the relation between our experience of a stimulus and the properties of the stimuli themselves causing the sensory experience

83
Q

Pupil

A

part on eye center controlling amount of light that can enter the eye by dilation or constriction

84
Q

Retina

A

part of eye with millions of photoreceptors that transduce visual information into neural impulses

85
Q

retinal disparity

A

slight difference between images from right and left eyes

86
Q

Rods

A

photoreceptors in the retina that process gray, black and white light; important for night and peripheral vision

87
Q

Saturation

A

point at which there is too much of a substance to add any more

88
Q

Schemas

A

concepts formed by prior experiences

89
Q

selective attention

A

the ability to focus your attention on one stimulus

90
Q

semicircular canals

A

vestibular organs in the cochlea that process tilt and rotation in the head

91
Q

Sensation

A

process by which one can experience senses and by which sensory information is transmitted to the CNS for processing

92
Q

sensorineural hearing loss

A

auditory nerve or cilia in cochlea damaged so hearing is impaired

93
Q

sensory adaptation

A

idea that one will be more sensitive to newer stimuli and less sensitive to constant stimuli

94
Q

sensory interaction

A

idea that some senses can influence the perception of other senses

95
Q

sensory localization

A

our ability to determine where on the body a sense was felt

96
Q

signal detection theory

A

theory explaining how and when one will detect a weak stimulus within background noise

97
Q

somesthetic sense

A

collective term that describes how the body feels objects, determines the location of its head, and maintains balance

98
Q

sound waves

A

disturbances of energy that we detect with our ears, are the stimulus for audition

99
Q

stereoscopic vision

A

our ability to see depth

100
Q

stroboscopic movement

A

our perception of short consecutive images changing slightly as motion

101
Q

Subliminal

A

sensory input below the absolute threshold

102
Q

Synesthesia

A

experiencing one sense through another

103
Q

taste bud

A

a region of taste receptors in the tongue that transduce chemical energy to neural impulses to the brain to perceive it as taste

104
Q

temporary threshold shift

A

temporary shift in the auditory threshold

105
Q

Tinnitus

A

“ringing” in the ears

106
Q

top-down processing

A

process by which one perceives the whole before the parts

107
Q

Touch

A

our ability to feel things

108
Q

Transduction

A

the conversion of sensory information to neural information

109
Q

trichromatic theory (Young-Helmholtz theory)

A

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

110
Q

tunnel vision

A

loss of a person’s peripheral vision

111
Q

vestibular sense

A

sense of balance of body and head

112
Q

visible spectrum / light

A

the region of the EM spectrum which we can see

113
Q

Vision

A

process by which we can see

114
Q

visual acuity

A

sharpness of vision

115
Q

visual cliff

A

laboratory experiment used to determine whether individuals can perceive depth

116
Q

visual receptors

A

also called photoreceptors; detect light and allow us to see

117
Q

Wavelength

A

distance between two peaks of a wave

118
Q

Weber’s law

A

states that the difference threshold is proportional to the original intensity of stimulus

119
Q

Gustav Fechner

A

Pioneered work in experimental psychology, determined how to measure sensation, and founded psychophysics

120
Q

David Hubel

A

Canadian-American neurophysiologist noted for his studies on the visual cortex

121
Q

Ernst Weber

A

Founded Weber’s Law, a very important law about the difference threshold in humans and animals

122
Q

Torsten Wiesel

A

neurophysiologist noted for his studies on the visual cortex. He worked with David Hubel to do this

123
Q

In general, how do sensory systems function?

A

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.

124
Q

What are the limits of human sensory sensitivity?

A

These limits are defined as the absolute thresholds and the difference threshold

125
Q

How is vision accomplished?

A

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

126
Q

How do people perceive colors?

A

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.

127
Q

What are the mechanisms of hearing?

A

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.

128
Q

How do the chemical senses operate?

A

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

129
Q

What are the somesthetic senses, and why are they important?

A

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

130
Q

Why are people more aware of some sensations than others?

A

Because of selective attention, the idea that some stimuli are perceived by our brains, but others may be ignored

131
Q

How can pain be reduced in everyday situations?

A

Analgesics, which can be either natural or artificial painkillers, can reduce pain

132
Q

What is synesthesia, and what does it reveal about sensory systems?

A

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.

133
Q

What are perceptual constancies, and what is their role in perception?

A

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

134
Q

What basic principles do people use to group sensations into meaningful patterns, depth, and distance?

A

The principles of proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, and simplicity.

135
Q

How does attention influence perception?

A

Our focus on a specific stimulus allows us to perceive one thing, but not other things.

136
Q

What effects do learning and expectation have on perception?

A

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

137
Q

How is perception altered by attention, motives, values, and expectations?

A

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.

138
Q

What evidence is there to support extrasensory perception?

A

There is no scientific evidence supporting this. Experiments have been done, and ESP did no better than random chance.

AP Psychology (19 decks)

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