WK 6 - Sensation & perception Flashcards
the process of detecting a physical stimulus such as light, sound, heat, pressure
sensation
the process of intergrating organizing and interpreting sensations
perception
specialized cells unique to each sense organ that respond to a particular form of sensory stimulation
sensory receptors
the process by which a form of physical energy is converted into a coded neural signal that the nervous system can process
transduction
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
absolute threshold
minimum difference between any two stimuli that person can detect 50% of the time
difference threshold
principle that the just noticeable diffference of a stimulus is a constant proportion despite variations
weber’s law
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sensory adaptation
binocular input
stimulation from both eyes
Three aspects of sound waves
Amplitude
Frequency
Wavelength
Determines the pitch of the sound we perceive
frequency
Determined loudness of the sound wave we perceive
amplitude
Determined timbre (quality) of the sound we perceive
wavelength
Three main regions of the ear
inner, middle, outer
Conversion of sound waves into neural impulses in the air of the inner ear
acoustical transduction
Conversion of sound waves into neural impulses in the air through of the inner ear
acoustical transduction
Brenda smells coffee brewing, sees a mountain scene as she waits for it to be poured, and listens to the early morning call of a magpie. Though all of these sensations start as different forms of physical energy they all end up as patterns of neural impulses. This process of changing the physical energy into neural impulses is called:
transduction
I catch up with a friend I haven’t seen since we were kids and can still recognise her despite her different cut and colour, different style clothing, and piercings. I am displaying:
Perceptual constancy
I turn on my television and can’t hear the program. This causes me to turn up the volume so I can finally hear the show 50 percent of the time. I have:
crossed my absolute threshold
Lucas is fascinated by a book he was bought for his birthday which is full of coloured pictures designed to create interesting after-images on the book’s white pages. After-images provide evidence in support of the __________ theory of colour vision.
opponent-process
Which of the following is not a major perceptual rule by which the brain automatically and unconsciously organises sensory input into meaningful wholes, as proposed by Gestalt psychologists?
a. Simplicity
b. Proximity
c. Shading
d. Continuation
Shading
Specialised cells that respond to environmental stimuli and typically generate action potentials in adjacent sensory neurons
sensory receptors
The lowest level of stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred (a just noticeable difference)
The difference threshold
The tendency of sensory systems to respond less to stimuli that continue without change.
Sensory adaptation
The tendency to perceive information outside our conscious awareness.
Subliminal perception
Perceptual processing that starts with raw sensory data that feed ‘up’ to the brain.
Bottom-up processing
The tendency to perceive the colour of objects as stable despite changing illumination.
colour constancy
The organisation of perception in three dimensions.
Depth perception
A neuron that fires only when stimulation in its receptive field matches a particular pattern or orientation.
Feature detectors
The perception that an object’s shape remains constant despite the changing shape of the retinal image as the object is viewed from varying perspectives.
Shape constancy
Perceptual processing that starts with the observer’s expectations and knowledge.
Top-down processing
A theory of colour vision that proposes that the eye contains three types of receptors, each sensitive to wavelengths of light that produce sensations of blue, green and red.
Trichromatic theory / Young-Helmholtz theory
Which Gestalt principle explains why we perceive a square instead of four separate lines?
a) The principle of proximity
b) The principle of closure
c) The principle of similarity
a) The principle that states that objects that are similar in appearance are perceived as belonging together.
What is the Gestalt principle of similarity?
a) The principle that states that objects that are similar in appearance are perceived as belonging together.
b) The principle that states that objects that are close to each other are perceived as belonging together.
c) The principle that states that objects that are moving together are perceived as belonging together.
a) The principle that states that objects that are similar in appearance are perceived as belonging together.
Which Gestalt principle explains why we see a pattern of alternating light and dark squares on a checkerboard?
a) The principle of similarity
b) The principle of continuity
c) The principle of figure-ground
b) The principle of continuity.
What is the Gestalt principle of figure-ground?
a) The principle that states that we tend to organize visual elements into groups.
b) The principle that states that we tend to perceive objects as being in the foreground or the background.
c) The principle that states that we tend to perceive objects as being larger if they are closer to us.
b) The principle that states that we tend to perceive objects as being in the foreground or the background.
What is the Gestalt principle of figure-ground?
a) The principle that states that we tend to organize visual elements into groups.
b) The principle that states that we tend to perceive objects as being in the foreground or the background.
c) The principle that states that we tend to perceive objects as being larger if they are closer to us.
b) The principle that states that we tend to perceive objects as being in the foreground or the background.
Which cells in the retina are responsible for visual transduction?
a) Rod cells
b) Cone cells
c) Both a and b
Both A and B
What is a photopigment?
a) A molecule in photoreceptor cells that is responsible for detecting light
b) A type of protein in the eye that helps to focus light
c) A structure in the ear that vibrates in response to sound waves
a) A molecule in photoreceptor cells that is responsible for detecting light
What is the role of transducin in visual transduction?
a) It triggers a cascade of chemical reactions that lead to the generation of an electrical signal in the photoreceptor cell
b) It helps to focus light on the retina
c) It transmits electrical signals from the retina to the brain
a) It triggers a cascade of chemical reactions that lead to the generation of an electrical signal in the photoreceptor cell
What is dark adaptation?
a) The process by which the retina adjusts to low levels of light
b) The process by which the ear adjusts to high levels of sound
c) The process by which the tongue adjusts to different tastes
a) The process by which the retina adjusts to low levels of light
Which is the correct order of the path of light through the eye?
a) lens, cornea, pupil, retina
b) cornea, pupil, lens, retina
c) pupil, lens, retina, cornea
d) retina, lens, cornea, pupil
b) cornea, pupil, lens, retina
