Unit 4: Sensation & Perception (Test)

Front 1

Transduction

Back 1

transform; conversion of 1 form of energy into another

(In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret)

Front 2

Selective Attention

Back 2

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, like the cocktail effect

Front 3

Thresholds

Back 3

Absolute Threshold, Signal Detection, Just-noticeable Difference

Front 4

Absolute Threshold

Back 4

assumes there are limits to what we can and cannot perceive - 50% of the time

(below or above a certain frequency is inaudible to us)

minimal amount of energy required to produce any sensation

Front 5

Signal Detection

Back 5

assumes there is no absolute threshold;

states that circumstances, experiences, expectations affect our thresholds

*(If you know it's there & are listening for it, you can hear it)*

Front 6

Just-noticeable Difference

Back 6

the smallest change in stimulation that you can detect 50% of the time;

Enables you to notice a difference

Front 7

Difference between Absolute Threshold and Signal Detection

Back 7

A.T.= assumes there are limits to what we can and cannot perceive

S.D.= there are no limits to our perception

Front 8

How does JND apply to Weber's Law?

Back 8

If you had 100 pennies split into 2 bag, you'd have to take out 10 out if 1 bag (10%) to even notice the weight difference

Front 9

Cochlea

Back 9

sound waves travel and trigger nerve impulses through it

Front 10

Basilar Membrane

Back 10

runs the length of the cochlea (inside the ear) and contains those tiny hairs that act as sound receptors

Front 11

Bones of the Ear

Back 11

Outer: Auditory Canal, eardrum

Middle: hammer, anvil, stirrup

Inner: cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Front 12

How do we locate sound?

Back 12

Using both ears

Front 13

Parts of the Eye

Back 13

Cornea : outer covering of eye

Pupil: allows light to enter

Iris: constrict and dilate the pupil to regulate the amount of light that gets into the back portions of the eye; (colored part)

Lens: changes shape (called accomodation) and then focuses the incoming light onto the back of the eye (the retina)

Retina: back of the eye; send the information on to be processed by the brain

Fovea: your focal point on the retina

Optic Nerve: carries the impulses formed by the retina

Blind Spot: point where the optic nerve leaves your eye

Bipolar cells: a type of nerve cells that combine the impulses from many of the visual receptor cells in the retina and then transmits those impulses to the ganglion cells.

Ganglion cells:

Front 14

Opponent Process Theory of Color

Back 14

The cone photo-receptors are linked together to form 3 opposing color pairs: blue/yellow, red/green, & black/white

Front 15

Trichromatic theory of color

Back 15

There are 3 receptors in the retina that are responsible for the perception of color:

1 receptor= sensitive to green

Another receptor= sensitive to blue

3rd receptor= sensitive to red

Front 16

Amplitude

Back 16

can describe the magnitude or strength of a reaction or of a stimulus;

How loud sound waves are

Front 17

Wavelength

Back 17

How long sound waves are

Front 18

Color and Sound

Back 18

chart in book

Front 19

What are feature detectors?

Where are they located?

Back 19

respond to specific features of the stimulus such as: edges, lines, and angles

(shape, angle or movement)

in the brain

(occipital allows us to see things)

Front 20

What are the 5 basic taste qualities?

Back 20

-Sweetness: energy source

-Saltiness: sodium essential to psychological processes

-Sourness: potentially toxic acid

-Bitterness: potential poisons

-Umami: proteins to grow & repair tissue (savory sense - meat)

Front 21

Gate Control Theory of Pain

Back 21

have small fibers on spinal column that open the gate & send a pain signal to the brain

(also have fibers that close the pain gate)

Front 22

Kinesthetic Sense

Back 22

sense of position & movement; knowing where you are in relation to other things

Front 23

Vestibular Sense

Back 23

sense of balance

(semicircular canals: where balance is located)

Front 24

Difference between top-down & bottom-up processing? Give example of each

Back 24

Top-down: already have mental image of; have reference point; experience & expectation

(Ex.- title)

Bottom-up: have no original reference; to to conclude by analyzing from bottom up; sensations

(Ex.- angles, color)

Front 25

Gestalt Psychology

Back 25

our tendency to integrate pieces of info into meaningful wholes;

mind assembles pieces into a whole

Front 26

Rules of Gestalt

Back 26

Proximity: objects that're near to each other tend to be grouped together

Similarity: similar things we group together

Continuity: tend to see pattern/ continuing things grouped together

Connectedness: if things are connected, we group them together

Closure: describes an individual's desire for a firm answer to a question & an aversion toward ambiguity

Figure-ground: the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Front 27

Visual Cliff Experiment with Baby

Back 27

Depth Perception:

Shows we are born with depth perception

Baby will not go to their mother if a cliff is before them

Front 28

Different Types of Selective Inattention (Blindness)

Back 28

Inattentional blindness: so focused on 1 thing that you miss another

Choice blindness: people are not always aware of their own choices and preferences

(don't notice change in front of us)

Front 29

Monocular Cues

Back 29

Relative Height: smaller and higher=farther away;bigger and lower=closer

Relative Size: If we assume that 2 objects are similar in size, we perceive the one that casts the smaller retinal image as farther away

Interposition: what's in front of what;if 1 object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer(image in foreground= appear closer)gives idea of depth

Linear Perspective: the geometric illusion of 3-D on a 2-D surface; has vanishing point;the more lines appear to converge, the greater their perceived distance

Relative Motion: as we move, stable objects appear to move(objects closer than the fixation point appear to move backwards, those beyond the point move with you, and the farther away objects are, the faster they'll move)close up= will pass quicker

Light & Shadow: light on top, shadow on bottom = appears convexshadow on top, light on bottom= appears concave

Front 30

Binocular Cue: Retinal Disparity

Back 30

for perceiving depth:by comparing images from the retinas in the 2 eyes, the brain computes distance - the greater the difference (disparity) between the 2 images, the closer the object

Front 31

Color Constancy

Back 31

ensures that the perceived color of objects remains relatively constant under varying illumination conditions

Front 32

Parapsychology

Back 32

concerned with the investigation of paranormal and psychic phenomena which include telepathy, empathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, reincarnation, apparitional experiences, and other paranormal claim

Front 33

Phi phenomenon

Back 33

creates illusion of movement

Front 34

Importance of Olfactory receptor cells

Back 34

gives humans their sense of smell

Front 35

Sensory Adaptation

Back 35

the diminished sensitivity to a stimulus as a consequence of constant exposure to that stimulus

reality vs. usefulness

Front 36

Pain circuit

Back 36

scene

retinal processing: receptor rods & cones - bipolar cells -ganglion cells

feature detection: brain's detector cells respond to specific features- edges, lines, & angles

Parallel Processing: Brain cell teams process Recognition