Psych Chapter 6

Different Types of Taste-

sweet, sour, savory (umami), bitter, salty

Factors that Decrease Sensitivity to Taste-

as you grow older, the number of taste buds decrease and so does the sensitivity. Smoking and alcohol usage accelerates desensitivity.

Optic Nerve-

the nerve that will vary the information to your brain from the eye

Transduction-

- conversion of one form of energy to another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells into neural impulses our brain can interpret. • Receive sensory information • Transform into neural impulses • Deliver the neural information to the brain

Retinal Disparity-

a binocular clue- depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes- for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes the distance- the greater the disparity between the two images, the closer the object.

Human Factor Psychology-

a branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.

Cochlea-

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear. Sound waves traveling through the fluids trigger nerve impulses—causes ripples in the basilar membrane.

Nearsightedness-

a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina.

Perceptual Set-

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another. A set of mental tendencies and assumptions that greatly affects (top down) what we can perceive. Can influence what we taste, hear, feel, see.

Volley Principle-

a modified or refined frequency theory; suggests that the auditory neurons fire in the sequence increasing to a rapid series of impulses; he complete pattern corresponds to the frequency of a sound wave. The principle that relates the experience of pitch to the alternating firing of groups of neurons along the basilar membrane.

Linear Perspective-

a monoculural (one eye) cue, depth cue. The more parallel lines converge, the greater the linear perceived distance.

Retina-

a multilayered tissue on the eyeball's sensitive inner surface. It focuses the rays by changing its curvature in a process called accommodation. 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.

Accommodation-

a process in which the lens focuses the rays of incoming light by changing its curvature. The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.

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.

Farsightedness

abnormal condition in which vision for distant objects is better than for near objects

Farsightedness-

abnormal condition in which vision for distant objects is better than for near objects

Lens-

behind the pupil. Focuses incoming light rays into an image on the retina. The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.

Subliminal Stimulation-

below your absolute threshold (below 50%). Below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Cones-

cluster around the fovea. Retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or well-lit conditions. Detect final detail and give rise to color sensations.

Basilar Membrane-

cochlear fluids trigger ripples in this structure. Hair cells bend and trigger nerve impulses in adjacent nerve cells. One of the membranes that separate the two tubes of the cochlea and on which the organ of Corti rests.

Schema-

concepts that organize and interpret unfamiliar information. Our preexisting schemas exist through experience.

Perceptual Schema-

concepts that organize and interpret unfamiliar information. Our preexisting schemas exist through experience. A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another. A set of mental tendencies and assumptions that greatly affects (top down) what we can perceive. Can influence what we taste, hear, feel, see.

Top Down Processing-

constructs perceptions from the sensory input by drawing on our experience and expectations. Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations. • Interpret what our senses detect

Iris-

controls the size of the pupil. It is a colored muscle that dilates or constricts in response to light intensity and even to our inner emotions. A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.

Sensory Adaptation-

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation. Because the stimulus does not change, we do not become constantly aware of it and the stimulus fades away into the background. We become less aware of it because our nerve cells fire less frequently. Allows us to focus on informative changes.

Nerve Hearing Loss-

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's hair receptor cells or to the auditory nerves- nerve deafness.

Conductive Hearing Loss-

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea. Less common than nerve hearing loss.

Place Theory-

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.

Location of Taste Receptors-

inside each little bump on the top and sides of your tongue contain over 200 taste buds. Inside each taste bud pore, 50-100 taste receptor cells project antenna like hairs that sense food molecules.

Kant-

knowledge comes from our inborn ways of organizing sensory experiences

Pupil-

light enters through the cornea which protects the eye and bends light to provide focus. Then it passes through the _________, a small adjustable opening. The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

Broader Principle-

nature's sensory gifts enable each animal to obtain sensory information • Frog has fly detector motion cells • Male silkworms have odor detectors • Human ears are most sensitive to sound frequencies that include human voices, especially a baby's cry

Feature Detection Theory-

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle or movement. Brain's detector cells respond to specific features- edges, lines and angles.

Parallel Processing-

processing many things at once. The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously ; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving. Brain cell teams process combined information about color, movement, form and depth.

Context Effects-

putting yourself back in the context where you experienced something so that it can prime your memory retrieval

Rods-

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and grey. Necessary for peripheral and twilight vision when cones don't respond.

Bottom Up Processing-

starts at the sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing. Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information. • Enables our sensory systems to detect the lines, angles, and colors that form the flower and leaves.

Clairvoyance-

telepathy, a sixth sense, ESP

Lightness Constancy-

tendency to see an object. Color constancy- perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelength reflected by the object. Ex- blue under fluorescent lights is still perceived as blue.

Depth Perception

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional. It allows us to judge distance.

Priming-

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.

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.

Fovea-

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster. Transmits to a single bipolar cell that helps relay the cone's individual message to the visual cortex, which devotes a large area of input from the fovea.

Middle Ear-

the chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea containing the tree tiny bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window. Concentrate vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window.

Hue-

the dimension of the color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green and so forth. The color we experience

Wavelength-

the distance from the peak of one light or sound to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.

Selective Attention-

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect.

Prosopagnosia-

the inability to perceive different faces

Difference Threshold-

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% if the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (JND). The minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time.

Absolute Threshold-

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time. Ex: a hearing specialist would expose each of your ears to various sound levels. For each tone, the test would define where half the time you could detect the sound and the other half you would not be able to detect the sound. That 50-50 point would define your absolute threshold.

Blindspot (and why it occurs)-

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

Sensory Interaction-

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences taste.

Weber's Law-

the principle that, to be perceived as different, the two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount). For a person to perceive a difference, two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion. The exact proportion varies, depending on the stimulus.

Sensation-

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Receiving stimuli

Perception-

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.Interpreting Stimuli.

Psychokinesis-

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

Psychophysics-

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

Kinesthesis-

the system for sensing the position and movement of an individual body part.

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, others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.

Trichomatic Theory (Young and Healthy)-

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- red, green and blue- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color.

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 traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in lager fibers or by information coming from the brain.

Locke-

through our experiences we also learn to perceive the world

Location of Olfactory Cortex-

underside of the temporal lobe

Sense of Touch's 4 Sensations-

warmth, cold, pressure, pain

Role of Olfactory Receptors-

wave like sea anemones on a reef, respond selectively. Instantly, they alert the brain through their axon fibers