Psyc 406: Chapter 1

Front 1

Sensation

Back 1

The ability to detect a stimulus and, perhaps, to turn that detection into a private experience

Front 2

Perception

Back 2

The act of giving meaning to a detected sensation

Front 3

Dualism

Back 3

The idea that the mind and body are separate, that the mind has a non-material existence independent of the material world of the body

Front 4

Materialism

Back 4

The idea that the only thing that exists in the universe is matter, and that both the mind and body are made of matter -- the mind is what the brain does

Front 5

Just Noticeable Difference (JND) or Difference Threshold

Back 5

The JND is the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, or the minimum change in a stimulus that can be correctly judge as different from a reference stimulus.

Front 6

Psychophysics

Back 6

The science of defining quantitative relationships between physical and psychological (subjective) events

Front 7

Explain Weber's Law

Back 7

The principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation that says the JND is a constant fraction of the comparison stimulus. The JND is proportional to the stimulus magnitude

Front 8

Explain Fechner's Law

Back 8

A principle describing the relationship between stimulus magnitude and resulting sensation magnitude such that the magnitude of subjective sensation increases proportionally to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity. As the stimulus grows larger, larger changes are required for the changes to be detected by a perceiver.

Front 9

Describe the Method of Constant Stimuli

Back 9

The method of constant stimuli involves the presentation of many stimuli ranging from rarely to almost always perceivable. They are presented one at a time and participants respond to each presentation: "yes/no," "same/different," and so on.

Front 10

What is the Method of Limits?

Back 10

The method of limits involves presenting stimuli that vary incrementally in one dimension until the participant responds differently

Front 11

What is the Method of Adjustment?

Back 11

A psychophysical method, which uses the method of limits idea, but in which the participant controls the change in the stimulus.

Front 12

What is Magnitude Estimation?

Back 12

A psychophysical method in which the participant assigns values according to perceived magnitudes of stimuli

Front 13

How does cross-modality matching work?

Back 13

The observer adjusts the intensity of one kind of stimulus until it matches the perceived intensity of another kind of stimulus. For instance, adjusting the brightness of a light to match the spiciness of some food.

Front 14

What is the central idea of Muller's doctrine of specific nerve energies?

Back 14

The central idea of Muller's doctrine of specific nerve energies is that we are aware only of the activity in our nerves, and we cannot be aware of the world itself. In addition, what is most important is which nerves are stimulated, and not how they are stimulated.

Front 15

What are cranial nerves?

Back 15

Cranial nerves are twelve pairs of nerves that originate in the brain stem and reach the periphery through openings in the skull. They are dedicated mainly to sensory and motor systems.

Front 16

Explain how neurons communicate with one another

Back 16

Neurons have axon terminals (presynaptic) as well as dendrites (postsynaptic). The axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron releases neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron, thus communication from the axon of the first neuron to the dendrite of the second neuron.

Front 17

What are neurotransmitters?

Back 17

Chemical substances used in neuronal communication at synapses.

Front 18

When is action potential created?

Back 18

An action potential, or firing of a neuron, is created when the membrane of the neuron permits sodium ions to rush into the cell, thus increasing the voltage. Very quickly afterward, potassium flows out of the cell, bringing the voltage back to a resting voltage.

Front 19

Which forms of non-invasive brain imaging have the highest temporal resolution?

Back 19

EEG and MEG both have very high temporal resolution but low spatial resolution. They are the best techniques for making fine observations of an observer's neural responses to a stimulus over time.

Front 20

Which forms of non-invasive brain imaging have the highest spatial resolution?

Back 20

CT and MRI both have extremely high spatial resolution. They are the best options for creating non-invasive structural images of the brain.

Front 21

Which forms of non-invasive brain imaging are good for investigating how the brain functions?

Back 21

fMRI and PET are both capable of visualizing the brain's metabolic activity over time. fMRI tracks the flow of oxygenated blood in the brain, while PET tracks the metabolism of safe radioactive isotopes

Front 22

Which 3 types of cranial nerves are dedicated to sensory information?

Back 22

(1) Olfactory - smell (2) Optic - vision

(3) Vestibulocochlear - equilibrium and hearing

Front 23

Which 3 types of cranial nerves are dedicated to muscles that move the eyes?

Back 23

(1) Oculomotor (2) Trochlear (3) Abducens

Front 24

Polysensory

Back 24

Referring to blending multiple sensory systems

Front 25

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Back 25

A technique that uses many electrodes on the scalp, measuring electrical activity from populations of many neurons in the brain.

Front 26

Event-Related Potential (ERP)

Back 26

A measure of electrical activity from a subpopulation of neurons in response to particular stimuli that requires averaging many EEG recordings

Front 27

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Back 27

A technique, similar to EEG, that measures changes in magnetic activity across populations of many neurons in the brain.

Front 28

Computed Tomography (CT)

Back 28

An imaging technology that uses X-rays to create images of slices through volumes of material (e.g., the human body)

Front 29

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Back 29

An imaging technology that uses the responses of atoms to strong magnetic fields to form images of structures like brain. The method can be adapted to measure activity in the brain, as well.

Front 30

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Back 30

Measures localized patterns of activity in the brain. Activated neurons provoke increased blood flow, which can be quantified by measuring changes in the response of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to strong magnetic fields.

Front 31

Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent (BOLD) signal

Back 31

The ratio of oxygenated to deoxygenated hemoglobin that permits the localization of brain neutrons that are most involved in a task

Front 32

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Back 32

An imaging technology that enables us to define locations in the brain where neurons are especially active by measuring the metabolism of brain cells using safe radioactive isotopes.