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Chapter 4
Sensation and Perception
Question | Answer | |
---|---|---|
Illusion | Perception in which the way we preceive a stimulus doesn't match it's physical reality | Pg 124 ; Perception in which the way we preceive a stimulus doesn't match it's physical reality |
Sensation | detection of physical energy by sense organs, which then send information to the brain | Pg 124 ; detection of physical energy by sense organs, which then send information to the brain |
perception | the brain's interpretation of raw sensory inputs | Pg 124 ; the brain's interpretation of raw sensory inputs |
Filling in | process to where our brains reconstruct the fancy pattern missing in an pattern and fills in the empty space | Pg 124 ; process to where our brains reconstruct the fancy pattern missing in an pattern and fills in the empty space |
transduction | the process of converting an extrenal energy or substance into electrical activity within neurons | pg 125 ; the process of converting an extrenal energy or substance into electrical activity within neurons |
just noticable difference (JND) | the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect | pg 125 ; the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect |
Weber's Law | there is a constant proportional relationship between the JND and original stimulus intensity | pg 125 ; there is a constant proportional relationship between the JND and original stimulus intensity |
signal detection theory | theory regarding how stimuli are detected under different conditions | pg 126 ; theory regarding how stimuli are detected under different conditions |
sense receptor | specialized cell responsible for converting extrenal stimuli into neural activity for a specific sensory system | pg 125 ; specialized cell responsible for converting external stimuli into neural activity for a specific sensory system |
absolute threshold | lowest level of a stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a change 50 percent of the time | pg 125 ; (absolute threshold) is lowest level of a stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a change 50 percent of the time |
just noticable difference (JND) | the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect | |
synesthesia | theory regarding how stimuli are detected under different conditions | pg 127 ; rare condition in which people experience cross-modal sensations. |
signal to noise ratio | becomes harder to detect a singal as background noise increases | pg 127 ; a number might always be a certain color to someone |
response baises | tendencies to make one type of guess over another when we're in doubt about whether a weak signal is present or absent under noisy considtions. | Pg 126 ; tendencies to make one type of guess over another when we're in doubt about whether a weak signal is present or absent under noisy considtions. |
specific nerve energies | States even though there are many distinct stimulus energies, the sensation we experience is determined by the nature of the sense receptor not the stimulus. | pg 126 ; States even though there are many distinct stimulus energies, the sensation we experience is determined by the nature of the sense receptor not the stimulus. |
phosphenes | vivid sensations of light caused by pressure on your eye's receptor cells. | pg 126 ; vivid sensations of light caused by pressure on your |
rubber hand illusion | how our sense of touch and sight interact to create a false perceptual experience. | pg 126 ; how our sense of touch and sight interact to create a false perceptual experience. |
psychopysics | the study of how we preceive sensory stimuli based on their physical characteristics | pg 125 ; sensory stimuli based on their physical characteristics |
lexical-taste syneshesia | words have associated teastes, and in still other synesthesias, letters take on "personality traits" | pg 127 ; words have associated teastes, and in still other synesthesias, letters take on "personality traits" |
McGurk Effect | one example of cross-modal processing that produce different perceptual expereinces than either modality provides by itself | pg 126 ; effect demonstrates that we integrate visual and auditory info when processing spoke language, and our brains automatically calculate the most probable sound given the info from the two sources. |
parallel processing | the ability to attend to many sense modalities simultaneously | pg 127 ; the ability to attend to many sense modalities simultaneously |
bottom-up processing | processing in which a whole is constructed from parts | pg 127; processing in which a whole is constructed from parts |
top-down processing | conceptually driven processing influenced by beliefs and expectancies | pg 127; conceptually driven processing influenced by beliefs and expectancies |
perceptual set | set formed when expectations influence perceptions | pg 128; set formed when expectations influence perceptions |
perceptual constancy | the process by which we perceive stimuli consistently across varied conditions | pg 128; perceive stimuli consistently across varied conditions |
selective attention | process of selecting one sensory channel and ignoring or minimizing others. | pg 128; process of selecting one sensory channel and ignoring or minimizing others. |
shape constancy | where we still see a door as a door whether it is completely shut, barely open, or more fully open, even though these shapes look almost nothing like each other | pg 128; where we still see a door as a door whether it is completely shut, barely open, or more fully open, even though these shapes look almost nothing like each other |
size constancy | our ability to perceive objects as the same size no matter how far away they are from us | pg 128; objects as the same size no matter how far away they are from us |
color constancy | our ability to perceive color consistently across different levels of lighting | pg 128; our ability to perceive color consistently across different levels of lighting |
filter theory of attention | Donald Broadbent's (1957); views attention on bottleneck through which information passes. | pg 129; Donald Broadbent's (1957); views attention on bottleneck through which information passes. |
dichotic listening | subjects hear 2 different messages, one delivered to the left ear and one to the right; when asked subjects ignore the messages delivered to one of their ears, they seemed to know little about the info to that ear | pg 129; subjects hear 2 different messages, one delivered to the left ear and one to the right; when asked subjects ignore the messages delivered to one of their ears, they seemed to know little about the info to that ear |
shadowing | Anne Trisman (1960) replicated; they'd sometimes add in parts of the message they were told to ignore. | pg 129; Anne Trisman (1960) replicated; they'd sometimes add in parts of the message they were told to ignore. |
cocktail party effect | our ability to pick out an important message, like our name, in a conversation that doesn't involve us. | pg 129; our ability to pick out an important message, like our name, in a conversation that doesn't involve us. |
inattentional blindness | failure to detect stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is focused elsewhere | pg 130; failure to detect stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is focused elsewhere |
subliminal perception | perception below the limen or threshold of conscious awareness | pg 130; perception below the limen or threshold of conscious awareness |
change blindness | failure to detect obvious changes in one's environment | pg 130; failure to detect obvious changes in one's environment |
binding problem | one of the great mysteries of psychology | pg 130; one of the great mysteries of psychology |
subliminal persuasion | subthreshold influences words related to thirst, such as "drink", may slightly influence how much ppl drink, but specific words related to brand names such as "coloa" don't influence beverage choice. | pg 130; subthreshold influences words related to thirst, such as "drink", may slightly influence how much ppl drink, but specific words related to brand names such as "coloa" don't influence beverage choice. |
extrasensory perception (ESP) | perception of events outside the known channels of sensation | pg 132; perception of events outside the known channels of sensation |
Parapsychologist | investigators who study ESP and related psychic phenomena | pg 132; investigators who study ESP and related psychic phenomena |
Precognition | predicting events before they occur through paranormal means, that is, mechanisms that lie outside of traditional science | pg 132; predicting events before they occur through paranormal means, that is, mechanisms that lie outside of traditional science |
Telepathy | reading other people's minds | pg 132; reading other people's minds |
Clairvoyance | detecting the presence of objects or people that are hidden from view. | pg 132; detecting the presence of objects or people that are hidden from view. |
psychokinesis | moving objects by mental power alone | pg 132; moving objects by mental power alone |
extrasensory perception | created by joseph B Rhine in 1930s | pg 132; created by joseph B Rhine in 1930s |
Zener cards | 5 standard symbols on cards helped rhine do experiment on precognition, telepathy, and clairvoyance | pg 132; 5 standard symbols on cards helped rhine do experiment on precognition, telepathy, and clairvoyance |
Ganzfeld technique | information detected by ESP "receivers" is an extremely weak signal that's typically obscured by irrelevant stimuli in the environment; decreases the amount of extraneous noise relative to ESP signal. | pg 133; information detected by ESP "receivers" is an extremely weak signal that's typically obscured by irrelevant stimuli in the environment; decreases the amount of extraneous noise relative to ESP signal. |
hue | color of light | pg 136; color of light |
pupil | circular hole through which light enters the eye | pg 136; circular hole through which light enters the eye |
cornea | part of the eye containing transparent cells that focus light on the retina | pg 136; part of the eye containing transparent cells that focus light on the retina |
lens | part of the eye that changes curvature to keep images in focus; completely transparent | pg 136;part of the eye that changes curvature to keep images in focus |
pupillary reflex | decreases the amount of light allowed in the eyes | pg 136; decreases the amount of light allowed in the eyes |
accommodation | changing the shape of the lens to focus on objects near or far | pg 138; changing the shape of the lens to focus on objects near or far |
retina | membrane at the back of the eye responsible for converting light to neural activity; movie screen onto which light from the world is projected | pg 138; membrane at the back of the eye responsible for converting light to neural activity |
fovea | central portion of the retina | pg 138; central portion of the retina |
acuity | sharpness of vision | pg 138; sharpness of vision |
rods | receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in low levels of light | pg 138; allowing us to see in low levels of light |
dark adaptation | time in dark before rods regain maximum light sensitivity | pg 138; time in dark before rods regain maximum light sensitivity |
cones | receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in color | pg 138;receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in color |
optic nerve | nerve that travels from the retina to the brain | pg 138; nerve that travels from the retina to the brain |
hyperopia | farsightedness; results when our cornea is too flat or our eyes too short | pg 138; farsightedness; results when our cornea is too flat or our eyes too short |
photopigments | chemicals that change following exposure to light | pg 138; chemicals that change following exposure to light |
rhodopsin | photopignment in rods; vitamin A makes it | pg 138; photopignment in rods; vitamin A makes it |
ganglion cells | cells in the retinal circuit that contain axons, bundle all their axons together and depart the eye to reach the brain | pg 138; cells in the retinal circuit that contain axons, bundle all their axons together and depart the eye to reach the brain |
blind spot | part of the visual field we can't see because of an absence of rods and cones | pg 139; part of the visual field we can't see because of an absence of rods and cones |
feature detector cell | cell that detects lines and edges | pg 140; cell that detects lines and edges |
simple cells | display distinctive responses to slits of a specific orientation, but these slits need to be in a specific location | pg 140; display distinctive responses to slits of a specific orientation, but these slits need to be in a specific location |
subjective contours | a phenomenon where our brain often provides missing information about outlines | pg 140; a phenomenon where our brain often provides missing information about outlines |
Gestalt principles | rules governing how we perceive objects as wholes within their overall context | pg 140; rules governing how we perceive objects as wholes within their overall context |
Proximity | objects physically close to each other tend to be perceived as unified wholes | pg 140; objects physically close to each other tend to be perceived as unified wholes |
Similarity | All things bieng equal, we see similar objects as comprising a whole, much more so than dissimilar objects | pg 140; explains how if we pattern red and yellow circles randomly , we perceive nothing special. If we line them up horizontally, we preceive seperate rows of circles. |
Continuity | we still perceive objects as wholes, even if other objects block part of them. | pg 140; we still perceive objects as wholes, even if other objects block part of them. |
Closure | When partial visual info is present, our brains fill in what's missing. When the missing info is a contour, this principle is essentially the same as subjective contours. | pg 140; closure |
symmetry | we perceive objects that are symmetrically arranged as wholes more often than those that aren't. | pg 141; we perceive objects that are symmetrically arranged as wholes more often than those that aren't. |
figure-ground | we make an instantaneous decision to focus attention on what we belive to be the central figure, and largely ignore what we believe the background to be. | pg 141; we make an instantaneous decision to focus attention on what we belive to be the central figure, and largely ignore what we believe the background to be. |
bistable image; aka fair ground | ; aka fair ground | pg 141; ; aka fair ground |
emergence | a perceptual gestalt that almost jumps out from the page and hits us all at once. | pg 141; a perceptual gestalt that almost jumps out from the page and hits us all at once. |
trichromatic theory | idea that color vision is bases on our sensitivity to three primary colors | pg 142; idea that color vision is bases on our sensitivity to three primary colors |
color blindness | inability to see some or all colors | pg 142; inability to see some or all colors |
phi penomenon | discovered by Max Wertheimer; the illusory perception of movement produced by the successive flashing of images, like the flashing lights that seem to circle around a movie marquee | pg 142; like the flashing lights that seem to circle around a movie marquee |
monochromats | who have only one type of cone and therby lose all color vision | pg 142; who have only one type of cone and therby lose all color vision |
dichromats | have two cones and are missing only one | pg 142; have two cones and are missing only one |
trichromats | we and our close primate relative possess three kinds of cones | pg 143; we and our close primate relative possess three kinds of cones |
opponent process theory | theory that we perceive colors in terms of three pairs of opponent colors; either red or green, blue or yellow, or black or white | pg 143; theory that we perceive colors in terms of three pairs of opponent colors; either red or green, blue or yellow, or black or white |
depth perception | ability to judge distance and three-dimensional relations | pg 144; ability to judge distance and three-dimensional relations |
monocular depth cues | stimuli that enable us to judge depth using only one eye | pg 144; stimuli that enable us to judge depth using only one eye |
binocular depth cues | stimuli that enable us to judge depth using both eyes. | pg 144; stimuli that enable us to judge depth using both eyes. |
relative size | all things being equal, more distant objects look smaller than closer objects | pg 144; all things being equal, more distant objects look smaller than closer objects |
texture gradient | the texture of objects becomes less apparent as objects move farther away | pg 144; the texture of objects becomes less apparent as objects move farther away |
interpostion | one object that's closer blocks our view of an object behind it. From this fact, we know which object is closer and which is farther away. | pg 144; one object that's closer blocks our view of an object behind it. From this fact, we know which object is closer and which is farther away. |
linear perspective | the outlines of rooms or builds converge as distance increases, a fact exploited by artists. We can trace most lines in a scene to a point where they meet- vanishing point | pg 144; the outlines of rooms or builds converge as distance increases, a fact exploited by artists. We can trace most lines in a scene to a point where they meet- vanishing point |
vanishing point | point where a line meets in a scene when traced | pg 144; point where a line meets in a scene when traced |
impossible figures | figures that break physical laws | pg 144; figures that break physical laws |
Height in plane | in a scene, distant objects tend to appear higher, and nearer objects lower | pg 144; in a scene, distant objects tend to appear higher, and nearer objects lower |
Light and shadow | objects cast shadows that gives us a sense of their three dimensional form | pg 144; objects cast shadows that gives us a sense of their three dimensional form |
convergence | a phenomenon where we use our eye muscles to turn our eyes inward | pg 145; a phenomenon where we use our eye muscles to turn our eyes inward |
visual cliff | phenomenon established by Gibson; consists of a table and a floor several feet below, both covered by a checkered cloth. A clear glass | pg 145; phenomenon established by Gibson; consists of a table and a floor several feet below, both covered by a checkered cloth. A clear glass |
moon illusion | causes us to perceive the moon as larger near the horizon than high in the sky. | pg 145; causes us to perceive the moon as larger near the horizon |
Ames room illusion | Developed by Adelbert Ames Jr (1946); viewed through a small peephole, makes small ppl look impossibly large and large ppl look impossibly small. | pg 145; Developed by Adelbert Ames Jr (1946); viewed through a small peephole, makes small ppl look impossibly large and large ppl look impossibly small. |
Muller-Lyer illusion | arrows out vs. arrows in | pg 146; arrows out vs. arrows in |
Ponzo illusion | converging lines enclose 2 objects of identical size, leading us to perceive the object closer to coonverging lines as larger. | pg 146; the railroad tracks illusion |
Horizontal-vertical illusion | causes us to perceive the vertical part of an upside-down "T" as longer than the horizontal part, because the horizontal part is divide in half by the vertical part. | pg 146;causes us to perceive the vertical part of an upside-down "T" as longer than the horizontal part, because the horizontal part is divide in half by the vertical part. |
Ebbinghaus-Titchener illusion | leads us to perceive a circle as larger when surrounded by smaller circles and smaller when surrounded by larger circles | pg 146; leads us to perceive a circle as larger when surrounded by smaller circles and smaller when surrounded by larger circles |
blindness | inability to see; presence of vision is less than or equal to 20/200 | pg 146; inability to see; presence of vision is less than or equal to 20/200 |
motion blindness | patients can't semlessly string sill images processed by their brains into the perception of ongoing motion | pg 147; patients can't semlessly string sill images processed by their brains into the perception of ongoing motion |
visual agnosia | deficit in perveiving objects; person can tell us the shape and color of an object, but can't recognize or name it. | pg 147; deficit in perveiving objects; person can tell us the shape and color of an object, but can't recognize or name it. |
blindsight | blind ppl who've experienced damage to a specific area of their cortex can still make correct guesses about the visual appearance of things around them. | pg 147; blind ppl who've experienced damage to a specific area of their cortex can still make correct guesses about the visual appearance of things around them. |
audition | our sense of hearing | pg 148; our sense of hearing |
pitch | frequency of sound wave in hertz | pg 148; frequency of wave |
timbre | complexity or quality of sound that makes musical instruments, human voices, or other sources sound unique | pg 149;complexity or quality of sound that makes musical instruments, human voices, or other sources sound unique |
cochlea | bony, spiral-shaped sense organ used for hearing; lies in the inner ear and converts vibration into neural activity | pg 149;bony, spiral-shaped sense organ used for hearing |
organ of corti | tissue containing the hair cells necessary for hearing | pg 149; tissue containing the hair cells necessary for hearing |
basilar membrane | membrane supporting the organ of Corti and hair cells in the cochlea | pg 149; membrane supporting the organ of Corti and hair cells in the cochlea |
auditory nerve | recieves information; travles to the brain, through the thalamus. | pg 149; recieves information; travles to the brain, through the thalamus. |
loudness | measure of decimals; height of a sound wave | pg 149; measure of decimals |
pinna | part of the ear we see | pg 149;part of the ear we see |
cochlea | "snail" or "screw"; it's a spiral in shape. | pg 149; "snail" or "screw"; it's a spiral in shape. |
place theory | specific place along the basilar membrane matches a tone with a specific pitch | pg 150; basilar membrane matches a tone with a specific pitch |
frequencey theory | rate at which neurons fire the action potential reproduces the pitch | pg 150; rate at which neurons fire the action potential reproduces the pitch |
Volley theory | variation of frequency theory that works for tones b/t 100 and 5000hz. ; sets of neurons fire at their highest rates, say 100 hz, slightly out of sync with each other to reach overall rates up to 5000hz | pg 150;variation of frequency theory that works for tones b/t 100 and 5000hz. ; sets of neurons fire at their highest rates, say 100 hz, slightly out of sync with each other to reach overall rates up to 5000hz |
binaural cue | b/t our ears | pg 151; where brains compare the difference of sound |
monaural cues | heard by ones ear only | Pg 151; helps us distinguish sounds that are clear form those that are muffled due to obstruction by the ear, head, and shoulders to see where it's coming from. |
sound shadow | created by our head | pg 151; created by our head; ear away from the direct path of the sound wave. |
echolocation | phenomenon where certain animals emit sounds and listen to their echoes to determine their distance from a wall or barrier. | pg 151; phenomenon where certain animals emit sounds and listen to their echoes to determine their distance from a wall or barrier. |
conductive deafness | due to malfunctioning of the ear; deafness | pg 151; due to malfunctioning of the ear; deafness |
nerve deafness | deafness due to damage to the auditory nerve | pg 151; deafness due to damage to the auditory nerve |
noise-induced hearing loss | caused by loud sounds, especially those that last a long time or are repeated that damage our hair cells | pg 151; caused by loud sounds, especially those that last a long time or are repeated that damage our hair cells |
olfaction | our sense of smell | pg 152; our sense of smell |
gustation | our sense of taste | pg 152; our sense of taste |
taste bud | sense receptor in the tongue that responds to sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, and perhaps fat | pg 152; sense receptor in the tongue that responds to sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, and perhaps fat |
papillae | numerous taste buds | pg 152; numerous taste buds |
pheromone | odorless chemical that serves as a social signal to members of one's species | pg 154; odorless chemical that serves as a social signal to members of one's species |
somatosensory | our sense of touch, temperature, and pain | pg 154; our sense of touch, temperature, and pain |
vomeronasal organ | located in the bone between the nose and the mouth, to detect pheromones | pg 154; located in the bone between the nose and the mouth, to detect pheromones |
proprioception | body postion sense | pg 155; Kinesthetic sense |
vestibular sense | sense of equilibrium or balance | pg 155; "balance" |
mechanoreceptors | what we use to sense light touch and deep pressure; specialized nerve endings located on the ends of sensory nerves in the skin | pg 155; what we use to sense light touch and deep pressure |
gate control model | idea that pain is blocked or gated from consciousness by neural mechanisms in spinal cord | pg 156; idea that pain is blocked or gated from consciousness by neural mechanisms in spinal cord |
phantom pain | pain or discomfort felt in an amputated limb | pg 157; pain or discomfort felt in an amputated limb |
proprioception | our sense of body position | pg 158; our sense of body position |
semicircular canals | three fluid-filled canals in the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance | pg 158; three fluid-filled canals in the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance |
proprioceptors | sense muscle stretch and force | pg 158; sense muscle stretch and force |
ergonomic | worker friendly gadgets and tools of the trade; ranging from our body position sense to vison to build more of this | pg 159; worker friendly gadgets and tools of the trade; ranging from our body position sense to vison to build more of this |
Brightness | intensity of reflected light that reaches our eyes | Pg 136; intesisty of light |
localize | we use various brain centers to localize sounds with respect of our bodies. | pg 150; localization of sound. |
odors | Airborne chemicals that interact with receptors in the lining of our nasal passages | Page 152; airborne chemicals |
a region of the frontal cortex s a site of convergence for smell and taste | a region of the frontal cortex s a site of convergence for smell and taste | a region of the frontal cortex s a site of convergence for smell and taste |
gustatory cortex | Activated by both tasting discusting food and viewing facial expressions of disgust | pg 154; also in study guid under smell & Taste |
sensory adaption | activation is greatest when a stimulus is first detected | pg 125 ; activation is greatest when a stimulus is first detected |