PSYCH 101 - Quiz 6 Ch 6

retinal

the aldehyde form of vitamin A

cycle of sensation and perception

your experiences and knowledge come to anticipate stimuli. you see what you want to see and hear what you want to hear.

perception

The experience we have as we process and interpret information from sensory cells.

percept

The final interpretation of a stimulus

noise

The firing of a sensory cell without a stimulus or to an irrelevant stimulus.

lens

The flexible, transparent structure in the eye that helps focus an image on the back of the eye's interior.

duplex theory

The idea that both intensity differences and latency differences are used to localize sound

trichromatic theory

The idea that color vision is based on receptors for three different colors

absolute threshold

The lowest intensity of a stimulus that can be detected half the time.

Wilhem Wundt (1879)

father of psychology, simple tasks, less brain activity, less time and vise versa. introspection and self report, helps to understand how the mind works

stimulus

(Pl. stimuli) Any physical event that affects a sensory receptor cell.

sensory receptor cells

Also called receptors. Specialized sensory cells that detect stimuli.

gestalt psychology

A German school of psychology that emphasizes that the whole perception is more than just the sum of separate sensations

cochlea

A bony, fluid-filled, spiral- shaped tunnel of the inner ear that detects the vibrations transmitted from the tiny bones in the middle ear.

tastant

A chemical that encounters the taste receptor cell and excites it.

congenital intensity to pain

A genetic condition that prevents the feeling of pain.

signal detection theory

A way to measure how well a real stimulus (a signal) is detected in the midst of irrelevant stimuli (noise).

In which of the following scenarios would signal detection be most difficult because of ambient noise? A. Noticing the text-alert sound from the cell phone in your pocket while you walk throughout the supermarket B. Hearing the doorbell ring while waiting anxiously for guests to arrive C. Feeling a tap on your shoulder while moving through a noisy crowd D. Enjoying your favorite song on the train while using noise-canceling headphones

A. Noticing the text-alert sound from the cell phone in your pocket while you walk throughout the supermarket

Why would you feel pain when placing your hand on both a hot and a cold pipe at the same time? A. Touch receptors are reporting the sensations of heat and cold, but the brain combines the two and perceives pain. B. The juxtaposition of hot and cold metal scalds your skin. C. The free nerve endings in your hand cannot distinguish between hot and cold sensations. D. Any vibration of the pipes interferes with the normal functioning of your free nerve endings.

A. Touch receptors are reporting the sensations of heat and cold, but the brain combines the two and perceives pain.

The olfactory system routes information directly to the _______ of the brain. A. olfactory bulb B. primary visual cortex C. lateral geniculate nucleus D. parietal cortex

A. olfactory bulb

The _______ at one end of the cochlea is sensitive to the vibrations of the bones of the middle ear. A. oval window B. stapes C. pinna D. central canal

A. oval window

electromagnetic spectrum

All of the frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, small area is visible to human beings

long wavelength cones

Also called L cones. Cone photoreceptors that are best at detecting light of long wavelengths, such as red.

medium wavelength cones

Also called M cones. Cone photoreceptors that are best at detecting light of intermediate wavelengths, such as yellows and greens

short wavelength cones

Also called S cones. Cone photoreceptors that are best at detecting light of short wavelengths, such as violet.

color opponent theory

Also called opponent-process theory. The idea that color vision is based on a system of paired opposites of color.

outer ear

Also called pinna. The visible part of the ear and the canal leading to the eardrum.

ponzo illusion

An illusion of size in which two objects of equal size that are positioned between two converging lines appear to be different in size. Also called the railroad track illusion.

taste pore

An opening in a taste bud on the surface of the tongue, where chemicals in the mouth encounter the surface of taste receptor cells

Which of the following research questions is a psychophysicist likely to be most interested in asking? A. Which neurons relay information from the thalamus to the cerebral cortex? B. How much louder must a sound be before a person can detect that it is louder than the original sound? C. What kinds of neurons relay information from the spinal cord to the muscles? D. How is perceptual information encoded and stored for later use by the brain?

B. How much louder must a sound be before a person can detect that it is louder than the original sound?

Nociceptors are free nerve endings that are specialized to sense A. motion. B. pain. C. temperature changes. D. vibration.

B. pain.

The fact that we have short-, medium-, and long-wavelength cones that each respond to lights of different colors is most supportive of the _______ theory of color vision. A. receptive field B. trichromatic C. binocular D. opponent-process

B. trichromatic

The cochlea relays information to the brain about sound when A. free nerve endings in the cochlea are stimulated. B. vibrations in the cochlea bend the hairs of the hair cells, producing an action potential in a neuron underneath the hair cells. C. Meissner's corpuscles are stimulated. D. sound molecules chemically interact with the hair cells.

B. vibrations in the cochlea bend the hairs of the hair cells, producing an action potential in a neuron underneath the hair cells.

The Gestalt rules of perception seek to explain the ways in which A. vision increases perceptual speed. B. vision organizes images. C. visual sensations differ across individuals. D. visual preferences are defined.

B. vision organizes images.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates size constancy? A. When riding in a car, you perceive close objects as remaining the same size but objects that are farther away as shrinking. B. You often misjudge how tall people are when you see them on television. C. As you approach a monument, you perceive that the monument remains the same size. D. In your mind, you generally remain the same size throughout your life.

C. As you approach a monument, you perceive that the monument remains the same size.

According to the trichromatic theory of color vision, which of the following people would be the most likely to suffer from colorblindness? A. Rod, who has all of his cones intact and functioning normally B. Steve, who has fewer rods than most people C. Cornell, whose long-wavelength cones lack sensitivity D. Angel, whose short-wavelength cones have exceptional sensitivity

C. Cornell, whose long-wavelength cones lack sensitivity

Refer to the figure below. What does this figure demonstrate? A. The right visual cortex receives information about what we see in the right half of the visual field. B. Objects on our right side are processed by the right eye only. C. The left visual cortex receives information about what we see in the right half of the visual field. D. Objects on our right side are processed by the left eye only.

C. The left visual cortex receives information about what we see in the right half of the visual field.

According to the duplex theory, we use both _______ differences and _______ differences to localize sounds. A. intensity; conflict resolution B. latency; convergence C. intensity; latency D. latency; frequency

C. intensity; latency

In a sense, phantom limb pain is a purely _______ phenomenon. A. modality-general B. sensory C. perceptual D. combat-specific

C. perceptual

In psychology, the word "noise" is defined as A. a factor that is always manipulated in controlled psychophysical experiments. B. the misclassification of a hit or miss in a signal detection experiment. C. the firing of a sensory cell without a stimulus or in response to an irrelevant stimulus. D. an unwanted sound.

C. the firing of a sensory cell without a stimulus or in response to an irrelevant stimulus.

taste receptor cells

Cells on the surface of the tongue that produce taste receptor proteins, which actually detect one of the five tastes.

taste buds

Collections of 50-150 cells, including taste receptor cells and support cells, on the surface of the tongue, back of the mouth, and roof of the mouth.

Refer to the figure below. How does the figure illustrate the concept of a sensory threshold? A. Stimulus strength is the only sensory modality that affects sensory thresholds. B. Sensory thresholds and sensory codes are essentially the same concept. C. A stimulus that is strong enough to cause a sensory receptor to fire will not cause the sensory receptor to reach threshold. D. If the stimulus is weak enough, the sensory receptor will not reach threshold and will not produce an action potential.

D. If the stimulus is weak enough, the sensory receptor will not reach threshold and will not produce an action potential.

Neuropathic pain is caused by A. regeneration of nociceptors in the stump of a missing limb. B. damage to the myelin sheath of spinal neurons. C. drugs that are designed to silence parts of the nervous system. D. a damaged or malfunctioning nervous system.

D. a damaged or malfunctioning nervous system.

The main difference between binocular and monocular depth cues is that A. monocular cues are generally more complex than binocular cues. B. monocular cues require information from both eyes, while binocular cues do not. C. binocular cues are used mostly for Gestalt perception, while monocular cues are used for motion. D. binocular cues require information from both eyes, while monocular cues do not.

D. binocular cues require information from both eyes, while monocular cues do not.

The depth cue of motion parallax accounts for the fact that while you are moving forward, you will perceive the A. largest objects as moving slowest and in the opposite direction. B. smallest objects as moving fastest and in the same direction. C. farthest objects as moving fastest and in the same direction. D. closest objects as moving fastest and in the opposite direction.

D. closest objects as moving fastest and in the opposite direction.

Your friend Tom lacks the ability to feel pain. Tom's condition is called A. sensory pain deficiency. B. congenital adrenal hyperplasia. C. sensory adaptation. D. congenital insensitivity to pain.

D. congenital insensitivity to pain.

If you were an artist drawing a cityscape, you would apply the linear perspective depth cue by A. ensuring that foreground buildings occlude background objects. B. making sure background objects are much larger than foreground objects. C. preserving the actual shape of each object while drawing it. D. drawing the streets converging with the edges of buildings at the horizon.

D. drawing the streets converging with the edges of buildings at the horizon.

When you eat a slice of pizza, your blissful experience, called _______, is the combined stimulation provided to taste receptors in the mouth and olfactory receptors in the nose. A. gustation B. taste C. smell D. flavor

D. flavor

Weber's fraction expresses the _______ as a proportion of the original stimulus. A. stimulus intensity B. response magnitude C. absolute threshold D. just noticeable difference (JND)

D. just noticeable difference (JND)

An absolute threshold is the A. ability to detect stimuli of all intensities. B. lowest intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect 100 percent of the time. C. degree to which a stimulus is mapped to a given response. D. lowest intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time.

D. lowest intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time.

Occlusion is a _______ depth cue. A. proprioceptive B. binocular C. vestibular D. monocular

D. monocular

central focus

Depression at the fovea where photoreceptors are packed most densely and where vision is clearest

monocular cues

Depth cues that are available even to one eye

Nociceptors

Free nerve endings that are specialized pain receptors

binocular cues

Information about distance provided by using two eyes.

binaural cues

Information about the location of sound found by comparing input to the two ears.

heuristics

Mental shortcuts or "rules of thumb" that often lead to a solution (but not always).

adorants

Molecules that can be smelled

sour

One of the five different tastes, detected by taste receptor proteins that allow positively charged hydrogen ions to enter the cell.

salty

One of the five different tastes, detected by taste receptor proteins that allow positively charged sodium ions to enter the cell.

bitter

One of the five different tastes, detected by taste receptor proteins that respond to a wide range of chemicals

umami

One of the five different tastes, detected by taste receptor proteins that respond to amino acid

sweet

One of the five different tastes, detected by taste receptor proteins that respond to sugar molecules.

neuropathic pain

Pain caused by a damaged or malfunctioning nervous system.

olfactory receptor neurons

Sensory neurons that detect odors and are found embedded in a sheet of cells lining the nose.

hair cells

Specialized receptor cells inside the cochlea.

photoreceptor adaptation

The ability of rods and cones to change their sensitivity.

depth perception

The ability to perceive distance

sound localization

The ability to perceive the source of a sound.

accomodation

The automatic adjustment of the eye for seeing at different distances affected chiefly by changes in the convexity of the crystalline lens.

convergence

The binocular cue from the coming together of the two eyes to focus on really close objects.

iris

The colored disc sitting just in front of the lens of the eye and that controls the amount of light entering the eye.

flavor

The combined stimulation provided to taste receptors in the mouth and olfactory receptors in the nose while eating something.

labeled lines

The concept that specific nerves are dedicated to relaying specific types of sensory information to the brain

linear perspective

The depth cue from parallel straight lines that converge with distance.

binocular disparity

The difference in the views from two eyes; this provides one important visual clue for depth perception

sensory modalities

The different types of senses. For example, vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.

Wavelength

The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave, the hue of a color

middle ear

The eardrum and the three tiny bones for conducting sound

pupil

The opening at the center of the iris

oval window

The opening from the middle ear to the cochlea of the inner ear

olfactory bulb

The part of the brain that receives impulses from the axons of the olfactory receptor neurons.

phantom limb pain

The perception of pain in a missing appendage.

sensation

The process by which the nervous system detects the physical events around or inside us

coding

The process in which neural impulses travel by different routes to different parts of the brain; it allows us to detect various physical stimuli as distinct sensations.

transduction

The process of converting outside stimuli, such as light, into neural activity

audition

The process of hearing.

sensory adaptation

The progressive loss of responsiveness in sensory cells exposed to a constant stimulus.

size cue

The property that objects appear smaller when they are farther away

receptive field

The region of space where stimuli affect the activity of a cell in a sensory system.

primary visual cortex

The region of the occipital cortex where most visual information first arrives

sensory code

The relationship between stimuli and the action potentials they produce in sensory cells

cornea

The round, transparent front of the eye.

olfactory epithelium

The sheet of cells lining the inside of the nose, in which the olfactory receptor neurons are embedded

photon

The smallest particle of light.

psychophysics

The study of how physical events, such as lights and sounds, affect our senses.

retina

The surface at the back of the eye where the image from the lens and cornea is focused. contains receptor cell for vision, rods and cones

place theory for hearing

The theory that pitch perception is linked to the particular spot on the cochlea's basilar membrane that is most stimulated; pitch is coded by the place at which activation occurs.

frequency theory for hearing

The theory that pitch perception occurs when a tone produces a rate of vibration in the basilar membrane equal to its frequency, with the result that pitch can be coded by the frequency of the neural response.

ossicles

The three tiny bones in the middle ear that amplify sounds.

inner ear

The tiny snail-shaped cochlea, and some similar organs that are important for balance

adequate stimulus

The type of stimulus for which a given sensory receptor organ is particularly adapted.

size constancy

The visual perception that an object does not change size, regardless of its distance away.

color constancy

The visual perception that an object retains the same color, no matter what color light is shining on it.

shape constancy

The visual perception that an object retains the same shape, no matter what angle we happen to see it from.

threshold

The weakest possible stimulus that still affects a sensory cell's firing.

sensory receptor organ

a clump of receptor cells, all detecting a particular kind of stimulus

motion parallax

a monocular depth cue in which we view objects that are closer to us as moving faster than objects that are further away from us

signal detection theory

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

optic nerve

all the axons from receptors in eyes and ganglion cells. sed info to optic nerve and goes to thalamus and helps you see. no rods and cones where this exits the back of the eye

dermatomes

an area of the skin supplied by nerves from a single spinal root

bottom-up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information, less information flow

amplitude

brightness and loudness

Fovea

good for details, back fo retina, all our cones are highly cncentrated here

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations, more information flow

light

is a wave and a particle, the eye responds to both chracteristics A form of electromagnetic energy that moves in waves

JND

just noticeable difference, smallest amount for someone to notice a difference

transmitted light

light passing through the object or medium

reflected light

mixing colored lights

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

one of over 400 species of mantis shrimp, known for their incredible color vision and powerful claws. They have 16 color-receptive cones in their eyes (as opposed to our three) and can accelerate their attacking claws at 23 m/s.

absorbed light

paints

plasticity

perceptions can and will change through this

cones

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.

Rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond

Photoreceptors

rods and cones

high frequency means

short wavelength

Gestalt Psychology

strict empiricism is incorrect, gestalt principles apply to many of our sensations not just vision proximity: close figures are grouped as and object similarity: similar figures are grouped in an object continuity: intersecting lines are interpreted as continuous closure: figures with gaps get interpreted as complete illusory contours: contours are perceived even when they do not exist.

Gestalt rules of perception

tenets to explain many instances where vision organizes images

thalamus

the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla. all senses pass through except smell.

fovea

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster. where our vision is the sharpest

weber's law

the just noticeable difference of a stimulus is a constant proportion despite variations in intensity

volley theory of hearing

the neurons work together in a sort of volley system in which different neurons fire in sequence, allowing us to detect sounds up to about 4,000 hertz

frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

visual field

the part of space that we can see at any one time

blind spots

the parts of the visual fields that are missing because of the optic discs

blind spot

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there

olfaction

the process of smelling odors

optic disc

the round area on the retina, lacking rods and cones, where axons exit the eye

vestibular sense

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance, located in inner ear, semicircular canals and vestibular sacs

kinesthesis sense

the sense that keeps us informed about movements of the parts of the body their position in relation to each other. located throughout the muscles, joint and tendons of the body

just noticeable difference (JND)

the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect

weber's fraction

the smallest change in the magnitude of a stimulus that can be detected, expressed as a proportion of the original stimulus

Psychophysics

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

Empiricism

the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation

waveforms are additive

they add to create more complex wave forms

algorithms

very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems