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intro 2 psych > week 3 sensation > Flashcards

week 3 sensation Flashcards

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1
Q

what are sensory receptors

A

specialized neurons that respond to specific types of stimuli

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2
Q

describe the simple process of sensation

A
  1. light
  2. chemical info sent to the eye
  3. creates an action potential
  4. transduction
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3
Q

absolute threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time

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4
Q

when does a stimulus tech a psychological threshold

A

when it is strong enough to excite sensory receptors and end nerve impulses to the brain

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5
Q

what is the just noticeable difference/ difference threshold

A

how much difference in stimuli is required to detect a difference between them

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6
Q

what makes the difference threshold change

A

stimulus intensity

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7
Q

what does webers law suggest

A

the difference threshold is a constant fraction of the original stimulus

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8
Q

what does perception refer to

A

the way sensory information is organized, interpreted and consciously experienced

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9
Q

what is the bottom up process

A

perceptions are built from sensory input

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10
Q

what is the top down process

A

how we interpret sensations is influenced by knowledge and experiences

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11
Q

sensory adaption

A

we don’t perceive stimuli that remain constant over prolonged periods of time

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12
Q

inattention blindness

A

failure to notice something that is completely visible due to lack of attention

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13
Q

what affects perception

A
  1. attention
  2. motivation
  3. beliefs/values
  4. life experiences/expectations
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14
Q

signal detection theory

A

ability to identify a stimulus when it is embedded in a distracting background

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15
Q

perceptual constancy

A

despite variation in raw data received from senses, our perception of the world remains constant

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16
Q

what are the 4 factors of perceptual constancy?

A
  1. size (unaffected by distance)
  2. shape (door opening)
  3. colour (color of friends face is the same day and night)
  4. brightness (white wall remains bright even at night)
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17
Q

perceptual set

A

readiness to interpret stimuli in a certain way depending on expectations, experience and psychological state

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18
Q

how can you bias comes interpretation of a figure

A

manipulating a persons perceptual set

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19
Q

what did Stratton do

A

wore goggles that inverted the world but he adjusted well

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20
Q

what are the 4 stages of conversion in sensation

A
  1. accessory structures modify physical stimulus eg lens of eye
  2. transduction - physical energy detected by receptors and converted into neural energy
  3. sensory nerves send traduced neural energy to brain, first the thalamus (relay station) then different parts of cortex
  4. sensation is produced once message reaches brain
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21
Q

psychometrics

A

measuring senses and thresholds

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22
Q

noise

A

random excitation or inhibition of neurons that either increase or decrease sensed intensity of a physical stimulus

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23
Q

3 implications of noise

A
  1. repeated presentations of the same physical level of intensity don’t always produce the same internal sensation
  2. if a physical signal is doubled, doesn’t always double sensation
  3. absolute threshold
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24
Q

webers fraction

A

difference threshold increases in proportion to the standard

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25
Q

what Is webers law

A

change in intensity of stimulus/intensity of standard = C

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26
Q

what is general rule of webers law

A

as background intensity increases, difference threshold increases

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27
Q

amplitude

A

height of the wave measured from the highest point of the wave (peak) to the lowest point of the wave (trough)

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28
Q

wavelength

A

length of a wave from one peak to the next

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29
Q

frequency

A

number of waves that pass a given point in a given period - measured in Hz

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30
Q

how are the frequencies in shorter wavelengths

A

higher

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31
Q

visible spectrum

A

portion of larger electromagnetic spectrum humans can see

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32
Q

what is the amplitude of light waves associated with

A

our experience of brightness or color intensity, larger amplitudes appearing brighter

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33
Q

what is the frequency of sound waves associated with

A

perception of the sounds pitch

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34
Q

what is timbre and what is it affected by

A

a sounds purity, affected by the complex interplay of a frequency, amplitude and timing of sound waves

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35
Q

The visible spectrum includes light that ranges from about

A

400-700 nm

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36
Q

cornea

A

transparent covering over the eye - serves as a barrier

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37
Q

what does the cornea do

A

helps focus light waves

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38
Q

what happens to the pupil when its really light

A

pupil constricts to decrease amount of light entering eye

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39
Q

what controls the size of the pupil

A

muscles connected to the iris

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40
Q

what happens to a lens in a normal sighted person

A

lens will focus perfectly on a small indentation on the back of the eye called fovea

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41
Q

job of the fovea

A

light sensitive lining containing densely packed specialized photoreceptive cells eg cones

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42
Q

give 5 facts about cones

A
  1. concentrated at fovea
  2. work best in light conditions
  3. sensitive to acute detail
  4. very good spatial resolution
  5. what helps us perceive color
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43
Q

give 6 facts about rods

A
  1. work well in low light conditions
  2. lack spatial resolution
  3. very sensitive to light and helps us to see in the dark
  4. low visual acuity
  5. black and white
  6. helps with perception of movement and periphery of visual field
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44
Q

where are rods located

A

located throughout the retina but absent in the fovea.

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45
Q

what are rods and cones connected to

A

retinal ganglion cells

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46
Q

what forms the optic nerve

A

axons from the retinal ganglion cells converge and exit through the back of the eye to form the optic nerve

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47
Q

what does the optic nerve do

A

carries visual information from the retina to the brain

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48
Q

what is the optic chiasm and where is it located

A

x shaped structure sits below the cerebral cortex at the front of the brain. information from the right visual field is sent to the left side of the brain and vice versa

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49
Q

where is information received to the brain then passed onto

A

occipital lobe

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50
Q

what does the trichromatic theory suggest

A

all colors of the spectrum can be produced by combining red, green and blue. and there are 3 types of cones receptive to one of the 3 colors

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51
Q

what is the opponent process theory

A

color is coded in opponent pairs: black-white, yellow-blue, and green-red. some cells of the visual system are excited by one of the opponent colors and inhibited by another.§

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52
Q

give an example of the opponent process theory with green and red

A

a cell excited by wavelengths associated with green would be inhibited by wavelengths associated with red.

53
Q

what are 2 implications of the opponent process theory

A
  1. we do not experience greenish-reds or yellowish-blues as colors
  2. negative afterimages
54
Q

what is an afterimage

A

the continuation of a visual sensation after the removal of the stimulus

55
Q

binocular disparity

A

slightly different view each of the eye receives

56
Q

linear perspective

A

we perceive depth when we see 2 parallel lines that seem to converge in an image

57
Q

interposition

A

monocular visual cue in which two objects are in the same line of vision and one patially conceals the other, indicating that the first object concealed is further away

58
Q

what is the visible part of the ear called

A

pinnea

59
Q

3 bones that make up ossicles

A
  1. hammer - malleus
  2. anvil - incus
  3. stirrup - stapes
60
Q

what’s the part of the ear that helps with balance and movement called

A

semi-circular canals

61
Q

cochlea

A

fluid-filled structure containing sensory receptor cells of the auditory system

62
Q

after sound waves travel along the auditory canal where do they go

A

tympanic membrane where it vibrates

63
Q

what happens after sound waves vibrate in the tympanic membrane

A

3 bones of ossicles move and stapes press into thin membrane of cochlea causing fluid inside it to vibrate

64
Q

what happens after fluid inside the cochlea vibrates

A

hair cells are stimulated causing cells to activate and a neural impulse is generated that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain

65
Q

what happens when neural impulses from sound waves reach the brain?

A

auditory information shuttles to the inferior colliculus then to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain for processing.

66
Q

inferior colliculus

A

the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus

67
Q

what does the temporal theory of pitch perfection suggest

A

frequency is coded by the activity level of a sensory neuron. eg a given hair cell would fire action potentials related to the frequency of the sound wave

68
Q

what’s a limitation of the temporal theory of pitch perfection

A

we detect such broad range of frequencies 20-20,000 Hz, that the frequency of AP’s fired by hair cells cannot account for this entire range.
because of the properties related to sodium channels, there is a point at which a cell cannot fire any faster

69
Q

what does the place theory of pitch perfection suggest

A

different portions of the basilar membrane are sensitive to sounds of different frequencies. the base of the basilar membrane responds best to high frequencies (high-pitch receptors) and the tip to low (low-pitch receptors).

70
Q

what does the place theory suggest about the location of sound

A

we can locate the place from which a sound is emitted because of the distance between our ears

71
Q

What forms part of the inner ear?

A
  1. oval window
  2. semi-circular canals
  3. cochlea
  4. the saccule
72
Q

What forms part of the middle ear?

A

ossicles

73
Q

what is the name given to cues used to localize sound

A

monaural and binaural

74
Q

why are monaural cues essential

A

The sound was received by your two ears from sounds that comes from directly above, below, in front, or behind you would be identical

75
Q

why are binaural cues essential?

A

they provide information on the location of a sound along a horizontal axis by relying on differences in patterns of vibration of the eardrum between 2 ears.

76
Q

what are interaural LEVEL differences?

A

a sound coming from the right side of your body is more intense at your right ear than your left because of the attenuation of the sound wave as it passes through your head

77
Q

what are interaural TIMING differences?

A

small difference in the time at which a given sound wave arrives at each ear.

78
Q

congenital deafness

A

born deaf

79
Q

how does hearing aid work

A

amplifies incoming sound waves to make a vibration of the eardrum and movement of the ossicles are more likely to occur.

80
Q

what is conductive hearing loss

A

failure in the vibration of the ear drum and or movement of the ossicles

81
Q

what is sensorineural hearing loss

A

failure to transmit neural signals from the cochlea to the brain.

82
Q

what is Ménière’s disease?

A
  • results in sensorineural hearing loss
  • degeneration of inner ear structures
  • leads to tinnitus, vertigo
83
Q

what are cochlear implants

A
  • electronic device that translates sounds into electrical signals the brain can understand
  • receives incoming sound information and directly stimulates the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain
84
Q

problem for place thoery

A

below 1000 Hz, no specific place on the membrane vibrates more than any other but we can distinguish between tones that are below that frequency

85
Q

problem for frequency theory

A

above 1000 Hz, cells can’t fire any faster - refractory period

86
Q

volleying

A

alternation in the firing of hair cells

87
Q

problem for volley theory

A

very high frequencies would need complex framework

88
Q

what is the term given to photopigments breaking down in response to light

A

bleaching

89
Q

what photopigment do rod cells contain

A

rhodopsin

90
Q

what photopigment do cone cells contain

A

iodopsin

91
Q

what are the 3 subtractive mixture colors

A

red blue yellow

92
Q

what are 3 additive mixture colors

A

red blue green

93
Q

what distinction can dichromats not make

A

red from green

94
Q

monochromatic colour-blindness

A

only have one type of iodopsin, see only shades of monochrome

95
Q

problem for trichromatic theory

A

Dichromats can see yellow. Yellow is (supposedly) the sensation when both red
and green iodopsin is bleached. How can both be bleached if dichromats don’t
have either green or red iodopsin?

96
Q

optic disk

A

place where optic nerve leaves the eye

97
Q

tactile sense

A

touch

98
Q

what’s relative temp

A

32 celcius

99
Q

what do endorphins decrease

A

pain

100
Q

what is released in anticipation of pain from electrodes in the brain

A

endorphins

101
Q

how may acupuncture work

A

stimulates endorphins

102
Q

olfactory sense

A

smell

103
Q

overtime our ability to detect odor drops to__%

A

30

104
Q

how many percent of people lose sense of smell

A

8

105
Q

what adds to flavor of food

A

olfaction, mood and texture

106
Q

what are taste buds called

A

papillae

107
Q

Whereas humans can hear up to about ______Hz, dogs can hear up to about _______Hz.

A

20000, 80000

108
Q

Roger is seated in a totally dark room. An experimenter presents a circle of light projected on the far wall and instructs Roger to indicate when he believes the light spot is either brighter or dimmer than it was originally. The experimenter is establishing Roger’s ________.

A

difference threshold

109
Q

Suppose you want to measure Linda’s absolute threshold for hearing. You fit her with earphones and present tones of four different intensities. The number of times she detects and misses each tone are tabled below. what intensities represents Linda’s absolute threshold?

A

10 correct detections; 10 errors

110
Q

Not counting umami, we have sensors that are sensitive to ________ different tastes.

A

4

111
Q

what are the 4 tastes excluding umami

A

sweet, sour, salty, bitter

112
Q

Damage to the _______ might prevent an elderly from hearing certain high pitches.

A

basilar membrane

113
Q

Visual information from the rods and cones is first conveyed to ________ before being sent to the brain.

A

ganglion cells

114
Q

For electromagnetic spectrum, we can see only about 400 to 700 between ______ and ______.

A

ultraviolet and infrared

115
Q

The eardrum is connected to the oval window by _____

A

bones

116
Q

Suppose Dr. Martin’s laboratory has shown that low- frequency sounds stimulate hair cells throughout the entire basilar membrane. This evidence would be most problematic for _______.

A

place theory

117
Q

where do high frequency sounds stimulate

A

the base near the oval window

118
Q

where do low frequency sounds stimulate

A

apex near the helicotrema

119
Q

why is the frequency theory different to place theory

A

it focuses on temporal patterns rather than spatial localization

120
Q

The __________ provides/provide evidence for opponent pairs of cone photoreceptors.

A

colour afterimages

121
Q

gustation

A

taste

122
Q

what is umami a taste for

A

monosodium glutamate

123
Q

What do Meissner’s corpuscles detect?

A

pressure and lower frequency vibrations

124
Q

what do Merkel’s disks respond to

A

light pressure

125
Q

what do Ruffini corpuscles detect

A

strech

126
Q

nociception

A

signal indicating potential harm and maybe pain

127
Q

congenital analgesia

A

inability to feel pain from birth

128
Q

Which part of the brain is involved in pain and taste perception, but not smell perception?

A

thalamus

129
Q

what does the vestibular sense contribute to

A

ability to maintain balance and body posture

intro 2 psych (9 decks)

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