Unit 4 - Sensation and Perception Flashcards
The stimulation of sensory
receptors and the transmission
of sensory information to the
central nervous system. (and
motor neurons return)
Sensory receptors are located
in sensory organs such as the
eyes and ears
Stimulation of senses is
automatic
Sources of energy – light &
sound – presence of chemicals
Sensation
The psychological process
through which we interpret and
organize sensory stimulation.
(Think of seeing something from a distance)
Know through experience
Perception
Sensation
bottom-up processing (starts at the sense and works its way up)
Perception
top-down processing (in brain, use prior knowledge to interpret what we see)
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Cocktail party effect
Texting while driving/talking on the phone while driving
Truck drivers 23x more likely to crash while texting
Drivers 4x more likely to crash while talking on phone (even hands-free devices)
Selective attention
When you can tune out all the background noise (in a loud environment) and focus on one particular stimulus
Cocktail Party effect
Is the conversion of one form of energy into another
Receive sensory stimulation, often using specialized receptor cells
Transform that stimulation into neural impulses
Deliver the neural impulse to our brain
Transduction
The weakest amount of stimulus that can be sensed
ex. when doing a hearing test (raising hand if you hear a beep) when you can’t hear the beep, it is below your ____ for hearing
Absolute threshold
The minimum amount of
difference that can be
detected between two
stimuli.
The smallest amount of
difference you can see in
order to distinguish between
two stimuli.
Aka just noticeable
difference (the JND)
ex. Paint Chip (the different colors on the paint swatches at home Depot when picking a color to paint your room)
Difference threshold
Two stimuli must differ by constant proportion and not constant amount for a difference to be detected
The louder, brighter, smellier something is the more you need to change it to notice a difference
Example: If lifting 200 pounds an additional 5 pounds might not be notice. However if lifting nothing adding 5 pounds would be noticed
Weber’s Law
The process by which we become more sensitive to weak stimuli and less sensitive to unchanging stimuli.
We can tune out noises in the environment, such as street traffic and music. After sitting in the dark movie theater we begin to see the people (weak stimuli). While lying on the
beach the sound of the waves eventually blends into the background (unchanging stimuli) and we become less aware of the sound.
Sensory adaptation
If we see a syllable being made
but hear another syllable being
produced then we blend to two
inputs to make sense
McGurk effect
the color we experience
Hue
the amount of energy in light
waves
Determines brightness
Greater amplitude = brighter
Smaller amplitude = duller
Intensity
the distance from one wave
peak to the next
Determines hue
Short wavelength = high frequency (blue)
Long wavelength = low frequency (red)
Wavelength
Light passes through the ___, a small adjustable opening
Pupil
Behind the pupil is a ___, focuses incoming light rays into an image on the ___, a
multilayered tissue
lens, retina
both are receptor cells
___: detect black, white, and gray. Necessary for
peripheral and twilight vision
___: function in daylight and detect fine details
rods, cones
Ganglion cell axons bind together and form the ____
___ carries impulses from the eye to the brain
Where the ___ leaves the eye, there are no
receptors (blind spot)
If one eye is closed the brain fills in the information automatically
optic nerve, blind spot
The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.
Parallel processing
This is the theory that states the retina contains three different color receptors which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color.
One receptor is sensitive to red, one to green, and one to blue
Young-Helmholtz (three color) theory
This theory states the opposing retinal processes (red+green; yellow+blue; white+black) enable color vision.
Ie: some cells are stimulated by green but inhibited by red.
Opponent process theory
The number of complete
wavelengths that pass a
point in a given time (per
second)
Determines pitch
Long waves - low frequency
Short waves - high frequency
frequency
A tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
Long waves - low frequency - low pitch
Short waves - high frequency - high pitch
Pitch
Middle Ear: the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny
bones (_____) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.
hammer, anvil, and stirrup
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses
cochlea
the visible portion of the outer ear, collects sound waves and channels them into the ear canal
Pinna/shell
sound waves are channeled into here, where the sound is amplified.
Auditory canal
a flexible, oval membrane at the end of the ear canal, Sound waves cause the ___ to vibrate.
Eardrum
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves also called nerve deafness (more common)
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system
that conducts sound waves to the cochlea (less common)
Conduction Hearing Loss
This device converts sounds into electrical signals.
It stimulates the auditory nerve through electrodes in the cochlea, which convey the
information to the brain.
It is the only method to restore hearing for people with nerve deafness.
When given to infants, they can trigger an “awakening” in a previously unused area of the
brain.
However, they cannot create “normal” hearing in adults who were deaf from birth, similar to
the Wild Child’s inability to learn speech after the critical period.
Cochlear implant
Sense of ___ is a mix of:
Pressure
Warmth
Cold
Pain—our body’s way of telling us something is wrong
Touch
we process pain through a “gate” in our spinal cord in our back, we can only have so much pain –> other inputs close the gates and reduces pain
Gate Control Theory
Pain in nonexisting limbs (or feelings)
Phantom Limbs
Sensed through receptor neurons on the tongue, aka taste buds:
Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami (like savory)
Taste
You have 20 million receptor cells at the
top of each nasal cavity (olfactory cells)
Smell and memory closely linked (a smell
can trigger a memory—processed near
one another in the brain)
Smell
