Gre Psych (Sensation)

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sensation

Back 1

feeling that results from physical stimulation. Invloves 3 steps: reception, sensory transduction, and neural pathways

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reception

Back 2

takes place when receptors for a particular sense detect a stimulus.

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receptive field

Back 3

part of the world that triggers a particular neuron

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sensory transduction

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process in which physical sensation is changed into electrical messages that the brain can understand.

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neural pathways

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electrical info travels down these to the brain, where the info is understood.

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vision

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we see objects because of the light that they reflect

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light

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composed of photons and waves

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photons

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measured by brightness

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waves

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measured by wavelengths

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hue

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aka color. Dominant wavelength of light

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brightness

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physical intensity

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cornea

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clear protective coating on the outside of the eye

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lens

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located behind the cornea. contains ciliary muscles

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ciliary muscles

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contained in the lens, allowing it to bend (accomodate) in order to focus an image of the outside world onto the retina

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retina

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located on the back of the eye, receives light images from the lens. Composed of about 132 million photoreceptor cells and of other cell layers that process information.

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receptor cells for vision

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(rods and cones) on the retina. Responsible for sensory transduction (converting the image into an electrical message the brain can understand). This happens through the chemical alteration of photopigments

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rods

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particularly sensitive to dim light and night vision and they are concentrated along the edges of the retina. Explains why you can see dimly lit objects better with side vision than with forward vision.

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cones

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concentrated in the center of the retina (in the area called the fovea). Cones are particularly sensitive to color and daylight vision. See better than rods because there are fewer cones per ganglion cells than rods per ganglion cells.

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fovea

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area of the retina with the greates visual acuity.

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horizontal cells

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light passes through here after passing through the receptors. Some info processing probably takes place along the way

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bipolar cells

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light passes through here after passing through the receptors and then the horizontal cells. Some info processing probably takes place along the way

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amacrine cells

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light passes through here after passing through the receptors and then the horizontal cells and then the bipolar cells. Some info processing probably occurs along the way

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ganglion cells

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make up the optic nerves. Where light goes ends up after it has passed through the receptors, horizontal cells, and bipolar cells.

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cerebral cortex

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eyes connected to it by a visual pathway, which consists of one optic nerve connecting each eye to the brain

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optic chiasm

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where half of the fibers from the opric nerve of each eye cross over and join the optic nerve from the other eye. Thus, the pathways are 50% crossed, ensuring that input from each eye will come together for a full picture in the brain. Because of this layout, a stimulus in the left visual field is processed in the right side of the brain and vice versa.

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striate cortex

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visual input travels through here after the optic chiasm

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visual association areas

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part of the cortex where visual input travels after the striate cortex

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opponent-color theory

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aka opponent process theory. Theory of color vision suggesting that 2 types of color-sensitive cells exist: cones that respong to blue-yellow colors and cones that respond to red-green. When one color of the pair on a cone is stimulated, the other is inhibited. This is why we don't see reddish-green colors. If an object seems red to us, then our ability to see green in that object is inhibited. This is also why if you look at something red for a long time, and then focus on a white image, you'll see a green afterimage.

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Ewald Hering

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proposed Opponent-color theory of color vision

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tri-color theory

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theory of color vision that suggests that there are 3 types of receptors in the retina: cones that respond to red, blue, and green.

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Thomas Young and Herman bon Helmholtz

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proposed the tri-color theory of color vision. von Helholtz is famous also for a theory of "color blindness" as well as his "Place-Resonance theory" of sound perception

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lateral inhibition

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allows the eye to see contrast and prevents repetitive information from being sent to the brain. Once one receptor cell is stimulated the other nearby are inhibited.

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David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel

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discovered that cells in the visual cortex are so complex and specialized that they respond only to certain types of stimuli. e.g. some respond to vertical lines only while others respond only to right angles, etc.

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hearing

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humans are sensitive to loudness and pitch in sound

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amplitude

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physical intensity of a sound wave, largely determining loudness

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loudness

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largely determined by amplitude of sound wave

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frequency

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pace of vibrations or sound waves per second for a particular sound, determines pitch. Low frequency is perceived as low pitch or low tone and vice versa

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pitch

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frequency of vibrations of a wave

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hertz (Hz)

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measure of frequency. Humans hear freqs around 1000Hz

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tombre

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complexity of sound wave

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outer ear

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consists of the parts you call called the pinna and the auditory canal. vibrations from sound move down this canal to the middle ear

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middle ear

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begins with the tympanic membrane, which is stretched across the auditory canal. Also contains the ossicles. Sound vibrations bump against the tympanic membrane, causing the ossicles to vibrate

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tympanic membrane

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eardrum

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ossicles

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three small bones in the middle ear behind the tympanic membrane, the malleus, the incus and the stapes.

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inner ear

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responsible for hearing and balance. Contains the oval window, which is tapped upon by the stapes. The vibrations activate the fluid-filled, snail-shell-like cochlea, which contain the ear parts for hearing (the basilar membrane and the organ of corti). The movement of the cochlear fluid activates the hair-like receptors on the basiliar membrane and the organ of corti.

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oval window

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begins the inner ear and is tapped upon by the stapes

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cochlea

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fliud-filled, snail-shell-like structure that contains the basiliar membrane and the organ of corti. The movement of fluid activates the hair-cell receptors on the basiliar membrane and this movement is called the traveling wave.

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vestibular sacs

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structures in the inner ear. Sensitive to tilt and provide our sense of balance.

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receptor cells in the inner ear

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activate nerve cells that change the info into an electrical message the brain can process. The auditory system that leads to the auditory cortex consists of the olivary nucleus, the inferior colliculus and the medial geniculate body

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Place-Resonance theory

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theory of sound perception in which diff parts of the basilar membrane respond to diff frequencies

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sound localization

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achieved in diff ways. Degree to which one of our ears heara a sound prior to and more intensely than the other can give us info about the origin of the sound. Specifically, high-freq sounds are localized by intensity diffs, whereas low-freq sounds are localized by phase diffs.

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olfaction

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sense of smell. extremely primitive sense. Strongly connected to memory and the perception of taste

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olfactory bulb

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Lies at the base of the brain. Hair receptors in nostrils send their messages here.

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gustation

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humans distinguish 4 basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salt. most taste receptors lie on the tongue. Saliva mixes with food, so that the flavor can flow easily into the tongue's taste receptors.

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taste buds

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aka papillae. aka taste receptors

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cutaneous

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aka tactual. aka skin senses. include touch, pain, cold, and warmth

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free nerve endings

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in the skin. Detect pain and temperature changes

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Meissner's corpuscles

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receptors in the skin that detect touch or contact

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two-point threshold for touch

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largely determined by the density and layout of nerves in the skin

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physiological zero

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temperature that is sensed as neither warm not cold

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Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall

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developed Gate Control Theory of Pain

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Gate Control Theory of Pain

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looks at pain as a process rather than just a simple sensation governed in one center in the brain. Pain perception is related to the interaction of large and small nerve fibers that run to and from the spine. Pain may or may not be perceived depending on diff factors, including cognition.

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endorphins

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neuromodulators that kick in to reduce or eliminate the perception of pain

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orienting reflex

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tendency to turn toward an object that has touched you

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kinesthetic sense

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aka proprioception. Info from receptors in joints and muscles that tells us about the positioning of our own body

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osmoreceptors

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deal with thirst