unit 4: sensation and perception (16-21) Flashcards
sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors & nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory info
enables us to recognize meaningful events & objects
bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration
top-down processing
info processing guided by higher level mental processes as we construct perceptions drawing on experience and expectation
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
inattention blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is elsewhere
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
out of sight
out of mind
transduction
conversion of one energy form into another
psychophysics
the study of the relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them
threshold
the lowest point at which a stimulus causes a response
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular response 50%
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how/when we detect stimuli amid background stimuli
assumes there’s no single absolute threshold and that detection partially depends on one’s psychological state
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
priming
the activation, often unconscious, of certain associations which predispose one’s perception, memory, or response
difference threshold
minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for 50% detection
weber’s law
principle stating 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (not a constant amount) to perceive change
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
perpetual set
mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
ESP
controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input
parapsychology
the study of paranormal behavior
parapsychology concepts
telepathy
clairvoyance
precognition
telepathy
mind to mind communication
clairvoyance
perceiving remote events
ex. house fire in another state
precognition
perceiving future events
ex. unexpected death next month
light wave measurement
wavelength
amplitude
intensity
hue
wavelength
distance from one peak to the next
determines hue
long wavelength
low frequency
red or low pitch
short wavelength
high frequency
blue or high pitch
intensity/amplitude
the amount of energy
brightness or loudness
short amplitude
dull colors
quiet sounds
tall amplitude
bright colors
loud sounds
parts of the eye
pupil iris lens retina cornea fovea blind spot optic nerve
pupil
adjustable opening in the center of the eye where light enters
iris
ring of colored muscle tissue that controls the size of the pupil
lens
transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to focus images on the retina
retina
sensitive inner surface of the eye in charge of beginning the processing of visual informaton
contains rods and cones
accommodation
the process of the lens changing shape to focus on near/far objects on the retina
rods
retinal receptors that pick up black, white, and grey
work in the dark - peripheral and twilight vision
dim light
cones
retinal receptors that pick up color
work in well-lit conditions
detect fine detail and color sensation
optic nerve
nerve carrying neural impulses from eye to brain
blind spot
the point where the optic nerve leaves the eye
creates a blind spot because no receptor cells are here
fovea
the center focal point in the retina
right visual cortex
inner left & outer right eye
left visual cortex
outer left & inner right eye
feature detectors
nerve cells respond to specific features of stimuli such as shape, angle, and movement
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously
brain divides visual scenes into
motion
depth
form
color
Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory
theory that the retina contains 3 color receptors
red / green / blue
opponent-process theory
theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision
red-green / yellow-blue / black-white
gestalt
an organized whole
fundamental truth
our brain does more than register information about the world
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (figure) that stand out from the background (ground)
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
types of grouping
proximity continuity similarity simplicity closure
proximity
grouping nearby figures
continuity
perceiving continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
similarity
grouping similar figures
simplicity
the mind interprets in the simplest way possible
closure
we fill in gaps to perceive complete, whole objects
depth perception
the ability to perceive 2D objects as 3D
Gibson and Walk experiment
visual cliff - cliff jumping babies
binocular cues
cues on depth that depend on both eyes
retinal disparity
the brain computes distance by comparing images from each retina
big disparity = close up
small disparity = far away
monocular cues
cues on depth that depend on one eye
phi phenomenon
illusion of movement from 2+ light blink in quick successions
perpetual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination & retinal images change
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color even if illumination alters the wavelength reflected
perpetual adaptation
in vision: the ability to adjust an artificially displaced/inverted field
audition
the sense/act of hearing
frequency
# of complete wavelengths that pass at a time usually measured per second
pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness
middle ear
chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window
contains: hammer, anvil, stirrup (malleus, incus, stapes)
cochlea
coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear
sound waves travel through the cochlear fluid to trigger nerve impulses
inner ear
the inner most part of the ear
contains: cochlea, semicircular canals, and vesticular sacs
sensorineural hearing loss
caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or auditory nerves
nerve deafness
conduction hearing loss
caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
cochlear implant
device that converts sound to electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
place theory
theory linking the pitch we hear to a place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
frequency theory
theory that rates nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone
enables us to register its pitch
gate-control theory
theory that the spinal cord has a neurological gate that blocks or allows pain signals to pass to the brain
4 skin sensations
pressure
hot
cold
pain
5 main tastes
sweet salty sour bitter umami
kinesthesia
system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
vestibular sense
the sense of body movement, position, and balance
sensory interaction
the principle that one sense might affect/influence another
smell + taste + texture = flavor
embodied cognition
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states have on cognitive preferences and judgment
vision
light waves striking the eye
rods and cones in the retina
hearing
sound waves striking the outer ear
cochlear hair cells in the inner ear
touch
pressure, warmth, coldness, pain on skin
skin receptors detect sensation
taste/gustation
chemical molecules in the mouth
basic tongue receptors for the 5 tastes
smell
chemical molecules breathed into the nose
millions of receptors in the nasal cavity
body position/kinesthesia
any change in position of a body part
kinesthetic sensors all over the body
body movement
movement of fluid in the inner ear caused by movement
hair-like receptors in the semicircular canals and the vestibular sacs
