Bio Psyc Exam 3

Receptor

A cell or specialized neuron that responds to a particular form of energy

Sensation

Acquisition of information

Perception

Interpretation of information

Hearing structure

Hearing receptor

Hair cells on the cochlea

Pitch

Increased frequency corresponds to higher pitch

Frequency

• Hz

• Waves per second

Loudness

Decibel (dB)

Human hearing

15–20,000 Hz

Ossicles

Hammer, anvil, stirrup

Cochlea

Organ of Corti with hair cells

Basilar and tectorial membranes

Hair cells

Affected by pitch and loudness

Retinotopy

The mapping of visual input from the retina to neurons, particularly those neurons within the visual stream.

Tonotopy

The brain’s spatial arrangement for processing sounds of different frequencies, with nearby frequencies represented in nearby brain regions.

Somstotopy

The topographic association of positional relationships of receptors in the body through respective nerve fibers to their terminal distribution in specific functional areas of the cerebral cortex.

Focusing light

A point where light rays originating from a point on an object converge.

Cones

Most concentrated in the fovea.

Rods

Most concentrated at 20 degrees from the fovea.

Fovea

A 1.5-mm-wide area in the middle of the retina in which cones are most concentrated and visual acuity and color discrimination are greatest.

Receptive fields

The areas on the retina that, when stimulated by light, produce a change in the activity of a single cell.

Blind spot

A small area in the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye, and there are no photoreceptor cells.

Opponent process theory

A color vision theory that attempts to explain color vision in terms of opposing neural processes.

Proprioception

Your body’s ability to sense its own position and movements in space.

Pain receptor

Free nerve endings (warmth, cold, pain), Encapsulated receptors (touch, pressure, stretch).

Pain neurotransmitters

Glutamate and substance P.

Vestibular sense

The sense that helps us maintain balance and that provides information about head position and movement.

Dermatome

A segment of the body served by a spinal nerve.

Body integrity identity disorder

The desire, in individuals with no apparent brain damage or mental illness, to have a healthy limb amputated.

Gate control theory

Pressure triggers inhibitory message, closing a neural “gate” in pain pathway.

Opiates

Substances used to treat pain or cause sleep.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitter and hormone and act at opiate receptors.

Naloxone

An opioid antagonist, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids.

Placebo in pain

A person’s experience of pain through expectations and the brain’s pain-regulating systems.

Phantom pain

Pain that seems to be in a missing limb.