Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
sense
|
a system that translates info from outside the nervous system into neural activity
must detect, encode, and transfer info |
|
sensation
|
message received from the senses
|
|
accessory structures
|
first step in sensation
modifies energy ex. outer part of ear, lens of eye |
|
transduction
|
-converts incoming energy into neural activity
-takes place at sensory receptors -detect certain forms of energy and respond by firing action potential -ex. change light waves to color |
|
coding
|
allows neural impulses to be changed into certain properties
|
|
doctrine of specific nerve endings
|
stimulation of a particular sensory nerve provides codes for that sense no matter how stimulation takes place (ex. pressure on eye)
|
|
temporal code
|
changes in the timing of firing
|
|
spatial code
|
location of firing neurons relative to others
|
|
absolute threshold
|
the minimum amount of stimulus energy that can be detected 50% of the time
|
|
subliminal stimuli
|
stimuli too weak or brief to be perceived
|
|
supraliminal stimuli
|
stimuli that fall about the absolute threshold and are consistently perceived
|
|
signal-detection theory
|
predicts how and when a signal will be detected amid background noise
|
|
sensitivity
|
-the ability to detect a stimulus from background noise
-influenced by intensity of signal, capacity of sensory system, amount of background noise |
|
response criterion
|
-internal rule used to decide whether or not to report a stimulus
-affected by motivation, wants, needs, and expectancies (ex. airport security) |
|
just-noticeable difference
|
-the smallest detectable difference in stimulus energy that can be detected 50% of the time
-the weaker the stimuli, easier to detect small differences |
|
Weber's Law
|
-the more intense the stimulus, the greater the increase in stimulus intensity required for the increase to be perceived
-two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage, rather than a constant amount |
|
Light-electromagnetic radiation
|
-visable light
-electromagnetic radiation of a wavelenght between 400 and 750 nanometers -does not need a medium to pass through |
|
sensation of light
|
-light intensity (how much energy the light contains, determines brightness of light)
-light wavelenght (provides color, defferent wavelenghts produce different colors) |
|
Eye
|
-cornea (light enters the curved, transparent, protective layer)
-pupil (light passes through an opening in the eye) -iris (adjusts the amount of light allowed into the eye) -lens (lies behind the pupil and bends light rays, focusing them on the retina) - retina (surface at the back of the eye where light rays are focused) |
|
photoreceptors
|
-specialized cells in the retina that convert light energy into neural activity
-contain photopigments (chemicals that respond to light) -two types, rods and cones |
|
rods
|
-has only one pigment
-distributed throughtout the retina, except at the fovea -faciliatate peripheral vision -mediate nighttime vision -receive all colors as shades of gray |
|
cones
|
-concentrated in center of the retina at the fovea
-mediate daytime vision -mediate color vision -provide a sharper image than rods |
|
interactions in the retina
|
-rods and cones synapse with bipolar cells
-following this, it synapses with ganglion cells -axons of the ganglion cells gather together to form the optic nerve (carries visual impulses from the retina to the brain) |
|
trichromatic theory
|
-3 types of color receptors that are each receptive to a different primary color (red, blue, green)
-the ration of the activites of the 3 types of cones indicate what color will be sensed -color vision is coded by the pattern of activity of the different cones |
|
opponent-process theory
|
-3 distinct receptors (red green, yellow blue, white black)
-each element signals one color or the other, but never both -gray results when lights of the 2 colors are mixed together -supported byt he phenomenon of negative afterimages |
|
trichromats
|
-people with normal color vision
-have 3 distinct visual pigments |
|
dichromats
|
-lack one of the 3 pigments
-most are red green blind |
|
monochromats
|
-have no color vision
-receive visual info through rods only |
|
sex linked recessive trait
|
-associated with a gene on the X chromosome
-males are more prone to color blindness than females |
|
sound
|
-repetitive fluctuation in the pressure of a medium like air
-vibrations produce the fluctuations in pressure that constitute sound -Speech (vocal cords produce vibration into the air, creates waves) |
|
Optic nerve
|
blind spot
|
|
optic chiasm
|
-half the fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain
-info from the inner (nasal) half of the retina cross to the opposite side of the brain -info from the outer (temporal) half of the retina remain on same side -info from both eyes reaches both sides of the brain -visual info transmitted to thalamus and then to primary visual receiving area in occipital lobe |
|
loudness
|
-determined by amplitude of the sound wave
-waves with greater amplitude produce louder sounds -measured in decibels (dB) |
|
pitch
|
-depends on frequency of sound waves
-high frequency = high pitch -humans can hear between 20-20,000 Hz |
|
timbre
|
-quality of sound
-determined by complex wave patterns |
|
wavelength
|
distance from one peak to the next
|
|
frequency
|
-number of complete waveforms that pass by a given point in space every second
-measured in hertz (Hz) |
|
amplitude
|
-intensity
-difference between peak and baseline of a waveform |
|
pinna
|
-the crumpled part
-funnels down through the ear canal -sound waves collect in outer ear |
|
tympanic membrane
|
-eardrum
-sound waves cause eardrum to vibrate |
|
ossicles
|
-hammer, anvil, stirrup
-amplify changes in pressure |
|
oval window
|
-membrane that seperates middle and inner ear
-vibration is up to 90 times greater at this point |
|
cochlea
|
-amplified vibration transmitted to fluid in the cochlea
-movement of fluid in the cochlea bend the auditory receptor cells (hair cells) -results in neural impulses in the adjacent auditory nerve -nerve transmits signals through the medulla and thalamus to the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe |
|
Place theory
|
-describes a spatial code for frequency
-proposed that pitch is determined by the part of the basilar membrane stimulated -explains the ability to perceive high frequency tones, but does not explain the ability to perceive lower ones |
|
frequency matching theory
|
-for low frequency sounds, the frequency of nerve impulses matches the frequency of the stimulus
-temporal code |
|
volley theory
|
-differnt sets of fibers within the auditory nerve fire in successive rounds, with the pattern determining the pitch
-explains the perception of frequencies between 1000-4000Hz |
|
touch
|
-energy detected from deformation of tissue, ususally the skin
-receptors in or below the skin transduce this info into neural activity -changes in touch constitute the most important sensory info |
|
coding of touch
|
-intensity (heaviness) coded by the firing rate and number of neurons stimulated
-location: coded by the spatial organization of the info -topographical map of brain: differentially sensitive |
|
skin senses
|
-pressure (only one with identifiable receptors)
-warmth -cold -pain -not clear how receptors work together (wetness develops from touching adjacent cold and pressure spots, cold and warm spots produce a feeling of hot) |
|
pain
|
-receptors are free nerve endings
-A-delta fibers carry sharp pain (myelinated to carry messages quickly) -C fibers carry chronic, dull aches and burning sensations |
|
gate control theory
|
-nervous system can process only a limited amount of sensory info at any one time
-when too much info is being received, cell sin the spinal cord act as a gate, blocking some pain signals -ex. massaging area, distracting activity, hot or cold, can reduce pain |
|
referred pain
|
-pain sensation in one part of the body is perceived as coming from another part
|
|
phantom pain
|
-pain sensation felt in missing limb
|
|
taste
|
-taste buds are the receptors, grouped together in stuctures called papillae
-10,000 taste buds in mouth -discriminates between sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami (enhances other tastes), and astringent (produced by tannins, tea) -each taste bud responds best to 1-2 of these categories |
|
sweet and bitter
|
signaled when chemicals fit into specific receptor sites
|
|
sour and salty
|
more direct effects on the ion channels in membranes of taste buds
|
|
flavor
|
-smell and taste converge to produce flavor
-food tastes good due to olfactory system more so than the taste system -olfactory and taste pathways converge in the orbitofrontal cortex, where they also respond to sight and texture of food |
|
olfaction
|
-sense odor in upper part of nose
-odor molecules readch olfactory receptors by either passing directly through the nostrils or rising through an opening in the palate -molecules bind to dendrites in the nose, which leads to action potentials |
|
proprioception
|
allow us to know the position of body and what each part is doing
|
|
vestibular sense
|
-provides info about the position of the head in space and its movements
-sense of balance -vertigo |
|
vestibular sacs
|
-organs in the inner ear that connect the semicircular canals and the cochlea
-contribute to the body's sense of balance |
|
semicircular canals
|
tubes in the inner ear whose fluid, when shifted by head movements, stimulates nerve cells
|
|
vestibular system has neural connections:
|
-cerebellum (helps coordinate body movement
-digestive part of ANS (responsible for nausea) -muscles of the eye (create vestibular-ocular reflexes (when head moves in one direction eyes more in opposite direction, allows us to fixate on one point)) |
|
perception
|
the process through which sensations are interpreted, using knowledge experience, and understanding of the world, to create meaningful experiences
|
|
bottom up processing
|
-aspects of recognition that depend of the info about the stimulus that comes up to the brain from the sensory receptors
-certain cells respond to certain stimuli -the brain then recombines this data to create the perceptual experience -certain features are more important than others (rely on large scale features, such as hair and head shape) |
|
top down processing
|
-use knowledge in making inferences to recognize objects, especially when sensory info is vague
-experiences creat schemas, which then can bias our perception -can create a perceptual set, a predisposition to perceive a stimulus in a certain way -makes educated guesses (can lead to wrong conclusions) |
|
network processing
|
-utilize both top down and bottom up processing
-parallel distributed processing models (various elements of the object are believed to be simultaneously analyzed by a number of widely distributed, but connected, neural units in the brain. Units work in parallel) |
|
attention
|
-the process of directing and focusing certain psychological resources to enhance perception, performance, and mental experience
-used to direct our sensory and perceptual systems, select specific info for further processing, ignore unwanted stimuli |
|
directing attention
|
-Voluntary control (purposely focus attention in order to perform a task, reflects top down processing, overt orienting)
-Involuntary attention (bottom up process, abrupt changes in lighting or movement, covert orienting) |
|
ignoring information
|
inattentional blindness: dont pay attention to certain stimuli in the environment
|
|
divided attention
|
-easy if one task is automatic
-more difficult if both require attention (but if tap different kinds of attentional resources, it is possible) -if 2 tasks require same kind of attention, performance on both tasks will be poor |
|
parallel processing
|
-the ability to search for targets rapidly and automatically
-filter out irrelevant info -stroop test |
|
stroop test
|
-a measure to assess the ingibition of automatic responses
-it is automatic for us to read words, compared to naming colors, need to inhibit automatic response |
|
gestalt laws
|
-proximity
-similarity -continuity -closure (fill in missing contours of shape) -common fate -texture -simplicity |
|
synchrony
|
stimuli that occur at the same time are likely to be perceived as belonging together
|