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