Week 7 Flashcards
What is sensation
involves cells of the nervous system that are specialised to detect stimuli from the environment.
What is perception
is the conscious experience and interpretation of information from the senses
What is visible light
Visible light is a narrow band of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that receptor cells in our eyes detect
What are the 3 dimensions determining the perceived colour of the light
- Hue = Dominant wavelength
- Saturation = Purity
- Brightness = Intensity
What is Hue
Colour = dominant wavelength at a given moment
What is saturation
Is the relative purity of the light being perceived
What is brightness
Brightness is the intensity of the electromagnetic energy
What are sensory receptors
specialized neurons that detect a particular category of physical events (e.g., light)
What is sensory transduction
the process by which sensory stimuli are transformed into changes in the cell’s membrane potential
What are receptor potentials
electrical changes produced by a receptor cell in response to a physical stimulus
What is the retina
Located at the back of the eye.
An image must be focused on the retina for us to see because receptor cells for vision are located there.
What are photoreceptors
Rods and Cones
What is the optic nerve
When an image is focused on the retina, this causes changes in the electrical activity of millions of photoreceptors.
This results in messages being sent through the optic nerve to the rest of the brain for further processing.
How are the eyes held in place
The six extraocular muscles which are attached to the sclera (tough, white outer coat of the eye).
The sclera is opaque and does not let light in
What is the cornea
The cornea is the transparent outer layer at the front of the eye that lets light in to reach the retina
How is the amount of light that enters the eye regulated
The amount of light that enters the eye is regulated by the size of the pupil, which is an opening in the iris, the pigmented ring of muscles behind the cornea.
What is the lens
The lens is right behind the iris and consists of a series of transparent, onion-like layers.
The shape of the lens can be altered by contraction of the muscles called the ciliary muscles.
Changes in lens shape permit accommodation
Explain accommodation
Accommodation refers to the ability of the eye to focus images of near or distant objects on the retina.
What are the 3 main cellular layers of the retina
Photoreceptive layer
Bipolar cell layer
Ganglion cell layer
What is in the photoreceptive layer
92 million rods and 4.6 million cones
What is inside the fovea
It is the central region of the retina and contains only cones
Explain cones
Most prevalent in the central retina, found in the fovea.
Sensitive to moderate to high levels of light
Provide information about Hue
Provide excellent acuity
Explain rods
Most prevalent in the peripheral retina, not found in the fovea.
Sensitive to low levels of light
Provide only monochromatic information
Provide poor acuity
Why does the blind spot occur
because of the optic disc
Explain the optic disk
The optic disk is where the axons conveying visual information gather together and leave the eye through the optic nerve = no photoreceptors there to detect light.
Explain bipolar cells
Photoreceptors form synapses with bipolar cells.
Bipolar cells form synapses with ganglion cells whose axons travel through the optic nerves (second cranial nerves)