psychology ch. 4: Sensation & Perception
T/F: Sensory receptors are specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit it to sensory (afferent) nerves and the brain
True
T/F: top-down processing starts out with cognitive processing, while bottom-up processing is initiated by stimulus input
True
the purpose of the pupil is to
adjust the amount of light that enters the eye
you have been sitting in a darkened movie theater and step outside into the bright sunshine. Which of the following is an example of sensory adaptation in this situation?
after a minute of two, your eyes readjust to the glare
synesthesia
an experience in which one sense induces an experience in another sense
________ _________ is the perception that a stationary object is moving
apparent movement
what is the process of focusing awareness on a narrowed aspect of the environment called?
attention
sensory receptors adjust their response rates on the basis if the _______ amount of stimuli received, resulting in sensory adaptation
average
________ is a binocular cue to depth and distance
convergence
_________ is a binocular cue to depth and distance
convergence
there are two structure of the eye that bring an image into focus; the lens and the
cornea
signal detection theory has two main components: information acquisition and _________.
criterion
the principle by which individuals organize the perceptual field into stimuli that stand out and those that are left over is called the
figure-ground relationship
signal detection theory
focuses on decision making about stimuli under conditions of uncertainty
the school of psychology that emphasizes that people naturally organize their perceptions according to certain patterns is called:
gestalt psychology
which of the following is the most common type of color blindness?
inability to perceive some colors
in the Simons and Chabris (1999) study, participants failed to notice a woman dressed in a gorilla suit because they were paying attention to a series of basketball passes. This is because participants were experiencing
inattention blindness
retina
light-sensitive surface that records electromagnetic energy and converts it into neural impulses for processing in the brain
the absolute threshold is the ________ amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect.
minimum
_________ cues are images available from either eye that help determine the depth of an object
monocular
due to ______ constancy, you know that an image project on your retina by a moving object is not actually changing shape
motion
house lights interfering with the ability to see a candle flame in the distance is a type of ___________.
noise
what is an effect of "noise" on the perception of stimuli?
noise interferes with the perception off stimuli
gestalt psychology
school of thought interested in how people naturally organize their perceptions according to certain patterns
the ______, the iris, and the pupil are the three parts of the eye that can be seen in the mirror
sclera
focusing on a specific aspect of experience while ignoring others is known as
selective attention
_____________ is the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment
sensation
________ receptor neurons take information from the environment, creating local electrical currents. The receptors trigger action potentials neurons, which carry information to the central nervous system
sensory
the specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit if to afferent nerves and the brain are called ________ __________.
sensory receptors
bottom-up processing
sensory receptors register information about the external environment and send it up to the brain for interpretation -taking in information and trying to make sense of it
the recognition that an object retains the same shape even though its orientation to you changes is known as
shape constancy
which of the following statements regarding the characteristics of light waves are correct?
-colors that are very pure have no white light in them -light travels in waves -light waves can be described in terms of amplitude
which of the following statements about the pupil are accurate?
-it can be compared to a cameras aperture -it adjusts to let more or less light enter
which of the following statements regarding the opponent-process theory are correct?
-it explains afterimages -it states that a given cell might be excited by yellow and inhibited by blue -it states that a given cell might be excited by red and inhibited by green
which of the following statements regarding light are correct?
-it travels in waves -it is a form of electromagnetic energy
what are the main categories of sense organs and sensory receptors based on the type of energy that is detected?
-photoreception -mechanoreception -chemoreception
how can an animal distinguish among sight, sound, odor, taste, and touch considering that all communicate with he nervous system through action potentials?
-receptors are specialized to absorb a particular type of energy and transform it into an action potential -sensory receptors are selective and have different neural pathways -there are different types of action potentials for each sense, so the central nervous system can interpret each correctly
cones
-receptors that we use for color perception
what are the two kinds of visual receptor cells?
-rods -cones
after the optic chasm, approximately ____% of the nerve fibers cross over the midline of the brain
50
_______________ processing involved sensory receptors registering environmental information and sending it to the brain for analysis and interpretation.
Bottom-up
T/F: Perception is the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and transforming those energies into neutral energy
False
sensory adaptation
a change in the responsiveness of the sensory system based on the average level of surrounding stimulation
sensory adaptation is
a change in the responsiveness of the sensory system based on the average level of surrounding stimulation
light
a form of electromagnetic energy that can be described in terms of wavelengths
we perceive an object that partially conceals or overlaps another object as close. This is an example of
a monocular cue
perceptual set
a predisposition or readiness to perceive something in a particular way
depth perception
ability to perceive objects as three-dimensionally
the purpose of the lens is
bending light
depth cues depend on the combination of the images in the left and right eyes and on the way the two eyes work together are known as
binocular cues
the place on the retina that contains neither rods nor cones is known as the
blind spot
according to the Stroop effect. If an individual sees the word blue printed in yellow ink and is then asked to name the color of the in used to print the word, what color will the person be most likely to say?
blue
processing that is initiated by sensory information about the external environment is called...
bottom-up processing
ulike rods, ______ process information about color
cones
optic nerve
carries the visual information to the brain for further processing
opponent-process theory
cells in the visual system respond the red-green and blue-yellow colors; and a given cell might be excited by red and inhibited by green, whereas another cell might be excited by yellow and inhibited by blue
chemoreception
detection of chemical stimuli, perceived as smell and taste
photoreception
detection of light, perceived as sight
mechanoreception
detection of pressure, vibration, and movement, perceived as touch, hearing, and equilibrium
the failure to recognize a stimulus that is presented immediately after an encounter with an emotionally charged stimulus, (e.g., driving by the scene of automobile fatality), is called
emotion-induced blindness
neurons in the brain's vital system that respond to particular features of stimulus are called
feature detectors
the primary mechanism of sight is the
retina
_________ processing is the simultaneous distribution of information across different neural pathways
parallel
pupil
part which appears black, is the opening in the center of the iris
Bobby has recently had his left arm amputated due to a tragic accident. Even though his arm is no longer there, he still reports feeling pain and tingling in charm. Bobby is experiencing
phantom limb pain
extrasensory perception, or ESP, is
reading another person's mind or knowing future events in the absence of concrete sensory input
rods
receptors in the retina that are sensitive to light, but they are not very useful for color vision
figure-ground __________ is the principle by which individuals organize the perceptual field into stimuli that stand out and those that are left over
relationship
the part of the eye that contains rods and cones is the
retina
top-down processing
starts with cognitive processing in the brain -we begin with some sense of what is happening and apply that framework to incoming information from the world
trichromatic theory
states that color perception is produced by three types of concerts receptors in the retina that are particularly sensitive to different, but overlapping ranges of wavelengths
___________ ___________ is the detection of the information below the level of conscious awareness
subliminal perception
My sister claims that she can taste colors. This is an example of
synesthesia
depth perception is
the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally
binding
the bringing together and integration of what is processed by different pathways or cells
iris
the colored part of the eye
Weber's Law
the principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion to be perceived as different
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information so that it makes sense
sensation
the process of receiving stimulus energies from the external environment and transforming those energies into neural energy
perceptual constancy
the recognition that objects are constant and unchanging even though sensory input about them is changing
parallel processing
the simultaneous disruption of information across different neural pathways
the difference threshold is
the smallest change in stimulation needed in order to discriminate one stimulus from another
the absolute threshold is
the smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected half of the time
________ ___________ processing is the operation in sensation and perception that allows the organism to sense what is happening and apply that framework to information from the world
top-down
the operation in sensation and perception that allows the organism to sense what is happening and to apply that framework to information from the world is known as
top-down processing
the _____ theory of color vision outline three types of cones that work together to form color vision
trichromatic
the ______ cortex processes sensory information from the yes in the occipital lobe of the brain.
visual
light is measured by
wavelengths
one disadvantage of our tendency to pay attention to emotional stimuli is that
we may not perceive other non-emotional stimuli
sclera
white outer part of the eye that helps maintain the shape of the eye and to protect is from injury
which of the following is NOT an example of perceptual constancy?
your eye i dawn away to the way a tablespoon of olive oil moves and changes shape on the surface of a bowl of water
