Chapter 5; Sensation and Perception
good continuation
(also, continuity) we are more likely to perceive continuous, smooth flowing lines rather than jagged, broken lines
peak
(also, crest) highest point of a wave
Why don't all sensations result in perception?
Although our perceptions are built from sensations, not all sensations result in perception.
afterimage
continuation of a visual sensation after removal of the stimulus
vestibular sense
contributes to our ability to maintain balance and body posture
transduction
conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential
binocular cue
cue that relies on the use of both eyes
monocular cue
cue that requires only one eye
lens
curved, transparent structure that provides additional focus for light entering the eye
hertz (Hz)
cycles per second; measure of frequency
congenital deafness
deafness from birth
Ruffini corpuscles
deep pressure and stretch
just noticeable difference
difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli
place theory of pitch perception
different portions of the basilar membrane are sensitive to sounds of different frequencies
tympanic membrane
eardrum
perceptual hypothesis
educated guess used to interpret sensory information
cochlear implant
electronic device that consists of a microphone, a speech processor, and an electrode array to directly stimulate the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain
Taste (gustation) and smell (olfaction) are chemical senses that
employ receptors on the tongue and in the nose that bind directly with taste and odor molecules in order to transmit information to the brain for processing. Our ability to perceive touch, temperature, and pain is mediated by a number of receptors and free nerve endings that are distributed throughout the skin and various tissues of the body.
conductive hearing loss
failure in the vibration of the eardrum and/or movement of the ossicles
inattentional blindness
failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention
sensorineural hearing loss
failure to transmit neural signals from the cochlea to the brain
Gestalt psychology
field of psychology based on the idea that the whole is different from the sum of its parts
cochlea
fluid-filled, snail-shaped structure that contains the sensory receptor cells of the auditory system
The eye's lens focuses this light so that the image is focused on a region of the retina known as the
fovea. The fovea contains cones that possess high levels of visual acuity and operate best in bright light conditions. Rods
congenital insensitivity to pain (congenital analgesia)
genetic disorder that results in the inability to experience pain
taste bud
grouping of taste receptor cells with hair-like extensions that protrude into the central pore of the taste bud
amplitude
height of a wave
top-down processing
interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts
wavelength
length of a wave from one peak to the next peak
In general, how does light wavelength affect sensation?
light wavelength is associated with perception of color
photoreceptor
light-detecting cell
retina
light-sensitive lining of the eye
decibel (dB)
logarithmic unit of sound intensity
trough
lowest point of a wave
Meissner's corpuscles
m
subliminal message
message presented below the threshold of conscious awareness
incus
middle ear ossicle; also known as the anvil
malleus
middle ear ossicle; also known as the hammer
stapes
middle ear ossicle; also known as the stirrup
absolute threshold
minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time
sensory adaptation
not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time
frequency
number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period
monaural cue
one-eared cue to localize sound
principle of closure
organize perceptions into complete objects rather than as a series of parts
closure
organizing our perceptions into complete objects rather than as a series of parts
neuropathic pain
pain from damage to neurons of either the peripheral or central nervous system
deafness
partial or complete inability to hear
linear perspective
perceive depth in an image when two parallel lines seem to converge
pitch
perception of a sound's frequency
proprioception
perception of body position
kinesthesia
perception of the body's movement through space
optic chiasm
point at which optic nerve fibers cross in the brain
blind spot
point where we cannot respond to visual information in that portion of the visual field
visible spectrum
portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see
Ménière's disease
results in a degeneration of inner ear structures that can lead to hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and an increase in pressure within the inner ear
figure-ground relationship
segmenting our visual world into figure and ground
olfactory receptor
sensory cell for the olfactory system
Sensation occurs when
sensory receptors detect sensory stimuli. Perception involves the organization, interpretation, and conscious experience of those sensations.
nociception
sensory signal indicating potential harm and maybe pain
inflammatory pain
signal that some type of tissue damage has occurred
binocular disparity
slightly different view of the world that each eye receives
interaural timing difference
small difference in the time at which a given sound wave arrives at each ear
fovea
small indentation in the retina that contains cones
pupil
small opening in the eye through which light passes
interaural level difference
sound coming from one side of the body is more intense at the closest ear because of the attenuation of the sound wave as it passes through the head
temporal theory of pitch perception
sound's frequency is coded by the activity level of a sensory neuron
timbre
sound's purity
cone
specialized photoreceptor that works best in bright light conditions and detects color
rod
specialized photoreceptor that works well in low light conditions
vertigo
spinning sensation
bottom-up processing
system in which perceptions are built from sensory input
umami
taste for monosodium glutamate
thermoception
temperature perception
basilar membrane
thin strip of tissue within the cochlea that contains the hair cells which serve as the sensory receptors for the auditory system
similarity
things that are alike tend to be grouped together
proximity
things that are close to one another tend to be grouped together
Ruffini corpuscle
touch receptor that detects stretch
Pacinian corpuscle
touch receptor that detects transient pressure and higher frequency vibrations
Merkel's disk
touch receptor that responds to light touch
Meissner's corpuscle
touch receptor that responds to pressure and lower frequency vibrations
cornea
transparent covering over the eye
binaural cue
two-eared cue to localize sound
pinna
visible part of the ear that protrudes from the head
perception
way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced
sensation
what happens when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor
signal detection theory
change in stimulus detection as a function of current mental state
pheromone
chemical message sent by another individual
opponent-process theory of color perception
color is coded in opponent pairs: black-white, yellow-blue, and red-green
trichromatic theory of color perception
color vision is mediated by the activity across the three groups of cones
iris
colored portion of the eye
Why are taste and smell considered chemical senses? When we describe a flavor of a food, what we are really describing?
Taste (gustation) and smell (olfaction) are called chemical senses because both have sensory receptors that respond to molecules in the food we eat or in the air we breathe. There is a pronounced interaction between our chemical senses. For example, when we describe the flavor of a given food, we are really referring to both gustatory and olfactory properties of the food working in combination.
Using the anatomical terms, explain how the physical sound is transformed into a signal in our brains.
The activation of hair cells is a mechanical process: the stimulation of the hair cell ultimately leads to activation of the cell. As hair cells become activated, they generate neural impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. Auditory information is shuttled to the inferior colliculus, the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, and finally to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe of the brain for processing.
How does wave frequency impact our perceptual experience of sound?
The frequency of a sound wave is associated with our perception of that sound's pitch. High-frequency sound waves are perceived as high-pitched sounds, while low-frequency sound waves are perceived as low-pitched sounds.
How does the amplitude of a sound wave impact our perceptual experience with respect to loudness?
The loudness of a given sound is closely associated with the amplitude of the sound wave.
Can you compare and contrast the theories of pitch perception?
The place theory of pitch perception suggests that different portions of the basilar membrane are sensitive to sounds of different frequencies.
What is the difference between top-down and bottom-up processes?
Top-down process; expectations are used to recognize stimuli Bottom-up process; sense basic features of the stimuli
What are the differences between rods and cones?
While cones are concentrated in the fovea, where images tend to be focused, rods, another type of photoreceptor, are located throughout the remainder of the retina.
optic chiasm
X-shaped structure that sits just below the brain's ventral surface; represents the merging of the optic nerves from the two eyes and the separation of information from the two sides of the visual field to the opposite side of the brain
pattern perception
ability to discriminate among different figures and shapes
depth perception
ability to perceive depth
electromagnetic spectrum
all the electromagnetic radiation that occurs in our environment
hair cell
auditory receptor cell of the inner ear
olfactory bulb
bulb-like structure at the tip of the frontal lobe, where the olfactory nerves begin
optic nerve
carries visual information from the retina to the brain