psychology chapter 5

Vestibular Senses

Balance and Movement, Motion Sickness Inner ear

Kinesthetic Senses

Body position, Muscles

Which of the following statements best describes trichromatic theory and opponent-process theory?

Both theories are equally accurate, but they apply to different levels of the nervous system.

iris

Colored portion of the eye

Microsaccades

Constant movement of the eyes; tiny little vibrations that people do not notice consciously Prevents sensory adaptation to visual stimuli

Transduction

Conversion from sensory stimulus energy to the action potential

Vision Anatomy

Cornea, pupil, iris, lens, fovea, retina, optic nerve

Opponent-Process Theory

--Color is coded in opponent pairs (black-white, yellow-blue, green-red) --Some cells in visual system are excited by one of the opponent colors and inhibited by the other --We don't experience green-ish reds, or yellowish-blues as colors --Afterimages: Continuation of a visual senstatin after the removal of stimulus

Rods and Cones

--Cones - sensitive to detail and work best in well lit conditions --Rods - work best in low light, allow us to see in dimly lit areas and aid perception of movement in periphery of our visual field --Information that comes into the eye and is picked up by these photoreceptor cells travels to the back of the brain (occipital lobe) --Information taken from the right side of visual field goes to left side of the brain

Cochlea

--Contains sensory receptor cells (hair cells) of auditory system --Basilar membrane: thin strip of tissue

lens

--Curved transparent structure --Focus

place theory

--Different portion sof th ebasilar membrane are sensitive to sounds of different frequencies --Base responds best to high freq. Tip responds best to low

Sound Location: Monaural (one-eared)

--Each pinna interacts with incoming sound waves differently, depending on source relative to our bodies --Interaction provides monaural cue

Light Waves

--Electromagnetic spectrum: encompasses all of the electromagnetic radiation that occurs in our environment --Visible spectrum: portion of the electromagnetic spectrum we can see --380 to 740 nm

Myopia (Nearsighted)

--Focal point falls short of the retina --Poor distance vision

Hyperopia (Farsighted)

--Focal point is behind the retina --Poor close vision

Temporal Theory

--Frequency is coded by the activity of a sensory neuron --A given hair cell would fire ation potentials related to the frequency of the sound wave

Difference Threshold

--Just noticeable difference (JND) or Difference Threshold o Smallest difference between 2 stimuli that is detectable 50 percent of the time o Changes depending on stimulus intensity --Weber's Law: difference threshold is a constant fraction of the original stimulus

retina

--Light-sensitive lining of the eye --Rods o Lack color function o Vision for barely lit enviornments

depth perception: Monocular cues (one eye)

--Linear perspective: perceive depth w parallel lines that converge --Interposition: partial overlap of objects --Relative size and closeness of images to the horizon

Color Blindness

--Monochrome colorblindness:A condition in which a person's eyes either have no cones of having cones that are not working at all --Protanopia: lack of functioning red cones --Deuteranopia: lack of functioning green cones --Tritanopia: lack of functioning blue cones

Middle ear

--Ossicles o Malleus (hammer) o Incus (anvil) o Stapes (stirrup) For test, know both of these names

Outer ear

--Pinna: the visible part of the ear that protrudes from our heads --Auditory canal --Tympanic membrane (eardrum)

Sound Location: Binaural (two-eared)

--Provide information on location along horizontal axis --Interaural level difference --Interaural timing difference

Inner ear

--Semi-circular canals --Involved in balance and movement (vestibular sense)

fovea

--Small indentation at the back of the eye --Cones: light detecting cells o Sensitive to acute details and provide good spacious resolutions o Work best in bright enviornments

pupil

--Small opening in the eye thru which light passes --Size of pupil changes with light levels and emotional arousal

Absolute threshold

--Smallest amount of energy needed for a person to consciously detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time it is present o How light or soft a sound can be and still be detected half the time --Other animals have different sensory thresholds o A dog can hear a siren before you do

Taste (Gustation)

--Taste Buds: groupings of taste receptor cells with hair-like extensions that protrude into the central pore of the taste bud o Sweet o Sour o Salty o Bitter o Umami (taste for fatty content and msg)

Cornea

--Transparent covering th eye --Barrier and focuses light entering eye

Trichromatic theory

--all colors in the spectrum can be produced by combining red, green, and blue --Each cone receptive to each color

sound waves: amplitude

--loudness --Higher amplitude is perceived as louder --Measured in decibels (dB) --Logarithmic (it goes up, not an equal distance w each unit)

Frequency

--number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period --Hertz (Hz): cycles per second --Longer wave lengths = lower frequencies

Sound Waves: Frequency

--pitch --Higher frequency is perceived as higher pitched

sound waves: timbre

-number of waves -complex

Muller - Lyer Illusion

1963 , he realized different cultures perceive these differently, Western cultures it is more likely to work because we have buildings with more straight lines

What does the place theory of pitch perception suggest?

Different portions of the basilar membrane are sensitive to sounds of different frequencies.

Similarity

Things that are alike tend to be grouped together

Proximity

Things that are close together tend to be grouped together

Pain Perception

Unpleasant but adaptive Inflammatory pain: tissue damage Neuropathic pain: damage to neurons Congenital insensitivity to pain (Congenital analgesia): rate genetic disorder where a person is born without ability to feel pain Perception of pain is made worse by: Anxiety, fear, catastrophizing Perception of pain is made better by: Mindfulness, non-judgement, sense of control

Read the following two sentences. (1) Gre eng rass gr ow son themoun tain. (2) Green grass grows on the mountain. How does the principle of proximity explain why the second sentence makes sense immediately, but the first sentence does not?

We group letters of a given word together because there are no spaces between the letters, and we perceive words because there are spaces between each word.

incus

anvil

Top-down processing

available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts influence how we interpret sensations

optic nerves

carries visual information from retina to the brain

Neuropathic pain

damage to neurons

Inattentional blindness

failure to notice something visible because of lack of attention

________ is another term for the malleus.

hammer

malleus

hammer

Amplitude

height of the wave

Which of the following describes the difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli? a.subliminal b.just noticeable c.absolute threshold d.signal detection

just noticeable

Wavelength

length from one peak to the next

In a normal-sighted individual, the ________ will focus images perfectly on a small indentation in the back of the eye known as the ________.

lens; fovea

Olfactory receptors

located in mucous membrane at the top of the nose Small hair-like extensions from these receptors serve as sites for odor molecules

Our vestibular sense contributes to our ability to ________.

maintain balance and body posture

Derek wants to win the student of the year award so badly that when the name of the award winner is announced, he is convinced that he hears his name. He stands up and begins to leave the aisle when his friend grabs his hand. Someone else won the award. This illustrates how ________can affect perception.

motivation

Which nerve carries visual information from the retina to the brain? a.photoreceptor b.linear c.cornea d.optic

optic

________ refers to the way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced; ________ refers to what happens when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor.

perception; sensation

Bottom-up processing

perceptions are built from sensory input

Sensory adaptation

sensory receptor cells become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging Your brain prefers new/novel/high intensity stimuli

Catherine is at a crowded baseball game when she loses track of her son, Nick. Despite the loud cheering and noise of the crowd, she can pinpoint his location when he calls for her because she can distinguish the sound of his voice from the all the other voices. This illustrates ________ theory.

signal detection

Other senses

skin senses, kinesthetic, vestibular, nociception

stapes

stirrup

Which of the following exemplifies gustation?

tasting chocolate ice cream

Pitch theories

temporal theory and place theory

Olfactory pathway goes to

the amygdala/limbic system

What is amplitude?

the height of a wave

Olfactory bulb

tip of the frontal lobe, sends signal to brain

Inflammatory pain

tissue damage

What kind of processing is exemplified by the following scenario? Shimon offers Mouin some salmon. Mouin thinks, "How nice. My friend is offering me fish. I wonder where he got it." This thought leads Mouin to feel happy, appreciative, and curious; he responds with a smile and an extended hand.

top-down

Which type of processing involves the interpretation of sensations and is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts? a.absolute threshold b.top-down c.subliminal d.signal detection

top-down

What is a binaural cue?

two-eared cue to localize sound

Perception

way sensory information is organized, interpreted, and consciously experienced

Congenital insensitivity to pain

(Congenital analgesia): rate genetic disorder where a person is born without ability to feel pain

Smell

(Olfaction)

sound waves: audible

--20 to 20000 Hz --Greatest sensitivities to frequencies in the middle

color vision

--3 types of cones --Theories are not mutually exclusive - apply to different levels --Trichromatic - visual processing on the retina --Opponent-Process - once signal moves past the retina on the way to the brain

Sound Waves

--Auditory canal (outer ear) > tympanic membrane (eardrum) > ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) > cochlea > stimulate hair cells > generate neural impulses along auditory nerve to brain > inferior colliculus > medial geniculate nucleus > auditory cortex in temporal lobe --Recognition and localization are processed in parallel streams (just like vision)

Senses

--Basic 5: vision, hearing (audition), smell (olfaction), taste (gustation), touch (somatosensation) --Balance (vestibular), proprioception and kinesthesia, pain (nociception), temperature (thermoception)

depth perception: Binocular cues (both eyes)

--Binocular disparity: slightly different view of the world that each of our eyes receives --3-D movies

Sensation

Activation of receptors in sense organs

Perception of pain is made worse by:

Anxiety, fear, catastrophizing

Attention

Attention plays a significant role in determining what is sensed versus perceived If you're talking to people at a party, and someone asks what song was playing, probably don't remember

Which field of psychology includes the following concepts: figure-ground relationship, law of continuity, and principle of closure? a.somatosensory b.biometric c.Pacinian d.Gestalt

Gestalt

What has research shown about processing subliminal messages? a.Outside of laboratory settings, people have a lower absolute threshold. b.In laboratory settings, people can process and respond to information outside of their awareness. c.In laboratory settings, people do not perceive information outside of their awareness. d.In real life, people obey subliminal messages like zombies.

In laboratory settings, people can process and respond to information outside of their awareness.

What term describes the continuation of a visual sensation after removal of the stimulus?

afterimage

Perception of pain is made better by:

Mindfulness, non-judgement, sense of control

Continuity (Good Continuation)

More likely to perceive continuous, smooth flowing lines, rather than jagged, broken lines

Two lines appear to be a different length, though in reality they are the same length. This is known as the ________ illusion.

Müller-Lyer

Beliefs, values, prejudices

Perception is also affected by beliefs, values, prejudices, expectations, and life experiences

Skin Senses

Pressure, Touch, Temperature, Pain

Body Sense

Somesthetic

Sensory Receptors

Specialized forms of neurons

Closure

We organize our perceptions into complete objects rather than a series of parts

Ground-Figure relationships

We tend to segment our visual world into figure and ground Figure: object or person that is the focus of the visual field Ground: Background

Signal detection theory

ability to identify a stimulus when it is embedded in a distracting background

depth perception

ability to perceive spatial relationships in 3D space