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
