Unit 4: Sensation and Perception
Audition
the sense or act of hearing
Psychophysis
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
Opponent Process Theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red and inhibited by green
Trichromatic Theory
(Young-Helmholtz) (three-color) - the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors-one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color
Papillae
taste buds
Explain how stimulus intensity is related to absolute thresholds
Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.
Feature Analysis
According to this theory, the sensory system breaks down the incoming stimuli into its features and processes the information. Some features may be more important for recognition than others. All stimuli have a set of distinctive features. Feature analysis proceeds through 4 stages. 1. detection 2. pattern dissection 3. feature comparison in memory 4. recognition
Afterimage
Afterimage, visual illusion in which retinal impressions persist after the removal of a stimulus, believed to be caused by the continued activation of the visual system.
List the three properties of sounds and the aspects of auditory perception that they influence
Audition - the sense or act of hearing Amplitude - loudness Frequency - the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (i.e. per second) - pitch
Auditory Localization
Auditory localization or Sound localization is a listener's ability to identify the location or origin of a detected sound. There are two general methods for sound localization, binaural cues and monaural cues.
Color Blindness
Color-blindness is the inability to distinguish the differences between certain colors.
Ganglion Cells
Ganglion cells are a type of neuron located near the inner surface of the retina and are the final output neurons of the vertebrate retina. Ganglion cells collect visual information in their dendrites from bipolar cells and amacrine cells and transmit it to the brain through out their axon to the brain.
Hair Cells
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in the ears of all vertebrates.
Identify the cues used in auditory localization
Intensity and timing - your brain compares these differences and tells you where the sound is coming from
Interposition
Interposition occurs in instances where one object overlaps the other, which causes us to perceive depth.
Relative Height
Relative Height is a concept used in visual and artistic perspective where distant objects are seen or portrayed as being smaller and higher in relation to items that are closer.
Relative Size
Relative size is a perceptual clue which allows you to determine how close objects are to an object of known size.
Supertasters/Nontasters
Supertasters often report that foods like broccoli, cabbage, spinach, grapefruit and coffee taste very bitter. The opposite of supertasters are non-tasters. Non-tasters have very few taste buds and, to them, most food may seem bland and unexciting. The people in the middle are average tasters.
Review research on individual differences in taste sensitivity and explain what is meant by the perception of flavor
Taste sensitivity refers to the intensity with which you perceive different tastes and flavors. Tastants, chemicals in foods, are detected by taste buds, which consist of special sensory cells. When stimulated, these cells send signals to specific areas of the brain, which make us conscious of the perception of taste.
Texture Gradients
Texture gradient is the distortion in size which closer objects have compared to objects farther away.
Cornea
The cornea is the eye's outermost layer. It is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye. It plays an important role in focusing your vision.
Gustatory Sytem
The gustatory system uses a form of chemoreception that allows the human body to interpret chemical compounds in ingested substances as specific tastes. There are five main types of taste sensations: bitter, salty, sweet, sour, and umami (savory).
Olfactory Bulb, Nerve, & Cilia
The olfactory bulb (bulbus olfactorius) is a neural structure of the vertebrate forebrain involved in olfaction, or the sense of smell.
Olfactory System
The olfactory system, or sense of smell, is the part of the sensory system used for smelling (olfaction).
Auditory Cortex
The primary auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and other vertebrates. It is a part of the auditory system, performing basic and higher functions in hearing.
Taste Buds
Those are called papillae (say: puh-PILL-ee), and most of them contain taste buds. Taste buds have very sensitive microscopic hairs called microvilli (say: mye-kro-VILL-eye). Those tiny hairs send messages to the brain about how something tastes, so you know if it's sweet, sour, bitter, or salty.
List the three properties of light and the aspects of visual perception that they influence
Wavelength - the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of comic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission Hue - the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth Intensity - the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude
Cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear, sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses
Visual Agnosia
a condition in which a person can see but cannot recognize or interpret visual information, due to a disorder in the parietal lobes
Basilar Membrane
a membrane in the cochlea that bears the organ of Corti. The basilar membrane within the cochlea of the inner ear is a stiff structural element that separates two liquid-filled tubes that run along the coil of the cochlea
Iris
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
Signal Detection Theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes that there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness
Articulate the basic thrust of 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
Linear Perspective
a type of perspective used by artists in which the relative size, shape, and position of objects are determined by drawn or imagined lines converging at a point on the horizon.
Gestalt
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
State the basic premise of Gestalt psychology, and describe the Gestalt principles of visual perception
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Bottom-up Processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
Endorphins
any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and having a number of physiological functions. They are peptides that activate the body's opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect.
Ossicles
are three bones in either middle ear that are among the smallest bones in the human body. They serve to transmit sounds from the air to the fluid-filled labyrinth (cochlea).
Subliminal Perception
below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Monocular Cues
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
Binocular Cues
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
Clarify the meaning and significance of sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Sensory Adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Fast & Slow pain pathways
examples - surgical incision/labor pain
Inattentional Blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Flavor
flavor
External/Middle/Inner Ear
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Top-down Processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
Describe the role of the lens and pupil in the function of the eye
lens - the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus the images on the retina pupil - the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which lights enters
Describe stimulus and receptors for smell and discuss odor identification and explain how odors influence behavior
like taste, smell is a chemical sense. chemical stimuli activate receptors called olfactory cilia, that line the nasal passages. Most of these receptors respond to more than one odor. smell is the only sense that is not routed through the thalamus. sensory adaptation occurs in smell. when compared to other mammals, humans may have a better sense of smell than previously thought
Amplitude/Brightness
loudness
Describe the monocular and binocular cues used in depth perception and discuss the influence
monocular - depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone binocular - depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
Feature Detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
Trace the two pathways along which pain signals travel and discuss evidence that the perception of pain is subjective
refer to fast and slow pathways
Primary Tastes
refer to taste buds
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, which cones don't respond
Summarize information on hearing capacities and describe how sensory processing occurs in the ear
sound varied in the terms of wavelength (frequency), amplitude, and purity. wavelength mainly affects perceptions of pitch, amplitude mainly influences perceptions of loudness, and purity is the key determinant of timbre. the human ear can detect sounds, but it is most sensitive to sounds. brief exposure to sounds over 120 decibels can be painful and damaging
Describe the stimulus and receptors for taste and discuss some determinants of taste preferences
taste buds innate factors, environmental influences, learning - interactions among these
Depth Perception
the ability to see objects in their three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance
Pupil
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Fovea
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
Wavelength/Color
the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission color - (hue) the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light, what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
Explain how the retina contributes to visual information processing
the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
Retina
the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
Absolute Threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
Optic Nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
Trace the routing of signals from the eye to the brain, and explain the brain's role in visual information processing
the optic nerves from the inside half of each eye cross at the optic chiasm and then project to the opposite half of the brain. two visual pathways send signals to different areas of the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe. the main pathway is routed through the LGN in the thalamus. after processing in the primary visual cortex, visual information is shuttled along the what and where pathways to other cortical areas. research suggests that the visual cortex contains cells that function as feature detectors. the what pathway has neurons inside it that are especially sensitive to faces.
Visual Cortex
the part of the cerebral cortex that receives and processes sensory nerve impulses from the eyes
Optic disc/Blind Spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Parallel Processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously, the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (seria) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving
Explain the gate control theory of pain perception and recent findings related to it
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is close by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain
Gate Control Theory
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals travelling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain
Lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Distinguish two types of color mixing and compare the trichromatic and opponent process theories of color vision
trichromatic - the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue - which, when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color opponent - the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green