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AP Psychology > Unit 4 - Sensation & Perception > Flashcards

Unit 4 - Sensation & Perception Flashcards

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0
Q

What is an example used to describe the difference between sensation and perception?

A

prosopagnosia - perfect vision allows sensory receptors to detect the same information as anybody else (sensation) while the organization and interpretation of sensory information does not enable her to recognize objects (perception)

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1
Q

prosopagnosia

A

face blindness; the inability to recognize faces; similar to trying to recognize a specific penguin in a group of waddling penguins

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2
Q

sensation & perception

A

1) How do we construct our representations of the external world?
2) How does a campfire specifically activate neural connections?
3) How do we create our conscious experience of the outside world?

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3
Q

the brain & perception

A

the mind interprets what the senses detect

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4
Q

sensation

A

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

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5
Q

perception

A

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

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6
Q

bottom-up processing

A

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

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7
Q

attention

A

it’s harder to focus attention than it is to divide it; at any precise moment, it is in one place

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8
Q

conscious & unconscious awareness

A

we are “blind” to all but a tiny sliver of the immense array of visual stimuli constantly before us

five senses take in 11,000,000 bits of information per second, but the mind consciously perceives about 40 bits; the mind’s unconscious track perceives the other 10,999,960 bits

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9
Q

cocktail party effect

A

the ability to attend to only one voice among many

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10
Q

change deafness

A

failing to notice changes in the environmental sound; 40% of people focused on repeating a list of sometimes challenging words failed to notice a chance in the person speaking

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11
Q

choice blindness

A

failing to notice the deception of their choice; choose between two female faces, have the experimenter switch the photos, and the volunteer does not notice and/or acknowledge the switch

choice-blindness blindness

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12
Q

pop-out

A

stimuli that is so strong that it draws the eyes and demands our attention

only smiling face in a crowd of frowning faces

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13
Q

top-down processing

A

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

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14
Q

selective attention

A

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

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15
Q

subliminal stimuli

A

stimuli we detect less than 50% of the time

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

sometimes we feel what we do not know and cannot describe

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16
Q

information processing

A

much of our information processing occurs automatically, out of sight, off the radar screen of our conscious mind

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17
Q

hidden persuasian

A

the stimulus has no direct effect, but people perceive themselves receiving the benefits they expect

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18
Q

inattentional blindness

A

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

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19
Q

change blindness

A

failing to notice changes in the environment

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20
Q

reducing sensitivity

A

gives us the freedom to focus on informative changes in our environment without being distracted by the constant chatter of uninformative background stimulation

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21
Q

perception of the world

A

we perceive the world not exactly as it is, but as it is useful for us to perceive it

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22
Q

psychophysics

A

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

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23
Q

absolute threshold

A

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

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24
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise); assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness

military personnel detecting nearly imperceptible noises

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25
Q

masking stimulus

A

a stimuli that interrupts the brain’s processing before conscious perception

image that follows adorable kitten while be described in a much nicer way than if it was followed by a scary scene

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26
Q

priming

A

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

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27
Q

difference threshold (just noticeable difference)

A

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time; we experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (jnd)

lights - 8%
objects - 2%
tones (frequency) - 0.3%

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28
Q

Weber’s Law

A

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)

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29
Q

sensory adaptation

A

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

after constant exposure, nerve cells fire less frequently

walking into a room with a musty odor and then no longer noticing it minutes later

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30
Q

transduction

A

conversion of one form of energy into another; in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret

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31
Q

wavelength

A

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next; electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission

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32
Q

hue

A

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

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33
Q

intensity

A

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude

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35
Q

pupil

A

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

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36
Q

iris

A

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

37
Q

lens

A

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

38
Q

retina

A

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

39
Q

accommodation

A

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

40
Q

rods

A

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond

41
Q

cones

A

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions; the cones detect fine detail and gives rise to color sensations

42
Q

optic nerve

A

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

43
Q

blind point

A

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there

44
Q

fovea

A

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

45
Q

cornea

A

protects the eye and bends light to provide focus

46
Q

parallel processing

A

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 (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

47
Q

Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic (three-color) Theory

A

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue - which, when simulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

48
Q

Opponent-Process Theory

A

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red - green, yellow - blue, white - black) enable color vision; for example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

49
Q

audition

A

the sense or act of hearing

50
Q

frequency

A

the number of complete wavelengths that pa a point in a given time (for example, per second)

51
Q

pitch

A

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

52
Q

middle ear

A

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window

53
Q

cochlea

A

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

54
Q

inner ear

A

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

55
Q

feature detectors

A

nerve cells in the brain that responds to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

56
Q

place theory

A

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

57
Q

frequency theory

A

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

58
Q

conduction hearing loss

A

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

59
Q

sensorineural hearing loss

A

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

60
Q

cochlear implant

A

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

61
Q

stereophonic hearing

A

three dimensional hearing caused by the “surround-sound” effect of two ears on each side of the head

62
Q

kinesthesis

A

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

63
Q

vestibular sense

A

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

64
Q

gate-control theory

A

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that block pain signals or allow them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” i opened by the activity of pain signal traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

65
Q

nociceptors

A

sensory receptors that detect hurtful temperature, pressure, or chemicals

66
Q

sensory interaction

A

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

smell + texture + taste = flavor

67
Q

gestalt

A

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

68
Q

figure-ground

A

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surrounding (the ground)

69
Q

proximitely

A

we group nearby figures together

three sets of two lines, rather than six separate lines

70
Q

continuity

A

we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones

a series of alternating semicircles is perceived a two continuous lines - one wavy, one straight

71
Q

connectedness

A

uniform and linked

perceive each set of two dots and the line between them as a single unit

72
Q

closure

A

we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object

we assume that the circles are completely but partially blocked by the (illusory) triangle. Add nothing more than little line segments that close off the circles and now your brain stops constructing a triangle

73
Q

similarity

A

we group similar figures together

vertical columns of triangles and circles, rather than horizontal row of dissimilar shapes

78
Q

monocular cues

A

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

79
Q

phi phenomen

A

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

80
Q

perceptual constancy

A

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change

81
Q

lightness (brightness) constancy

A

we perceive an object as having a constant lightness even while its illumination varies

82
Q

relative luminance

A

the amount of light an object reflects relative to its surroundings

83
Q

color constancy

A

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

84
Q

perceptual adaptation

A

in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

85
Q

perceptual set

A

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

86
Q

schemas

A

concepts that organize and interpret unfamiliar information

87
Q

extrasensory perception (ESP)

A

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

88
Q

parapsychology

A

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and pychokinesis

89
Q

grouping

A

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent group

90
Q

depth perception

A

the ability to see objects in three dimension although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

91
Q

visual cliff

A

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

92
Q

binocular cues

A

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes

93
Q

retinal disparity

A

a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object

AP Psychology (5 decks)

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