Sensation & Perception TASTE, SMELL, TOUCH, HEARING (Psychology)

Frequency: 

wavelength of sound wave (we can detect from 20 - 20,000 Hz)

Pitch

perceived frequency of a sound (higher frequency = higher pitch)

Amplitude:

height of sound wave

Loudness:

degree of sound volume (larger waves = louder)

Decibel:

unit of relative loudness (human can comfortably hear up to 80dB ~ prolonged exposure to above that = hearing loss)

Possible hearing damage:

Place theory of hearing:

different areas of cochlea respond to different frequencies (higher tones excite areas near opening/oval window; lower tones excite areas near tip of cochlea)

Frequency theory of hearing:

whatever pitch of the sound wave, nerve impulses of a corresponding frequency are sent to the auditory nerve

Conductive hearing loss:

caused by physical damage to the ear, reducing ability of the ear to transfer vibrations from the outer to the inner ear

Sensorineural hearing loss:

caused by damage to the cilia, the auditory nerve, or the auditory cortex 

• increases with age; may be from prolonged exposure 

Taste & smell are ___________ senses

chemical

5 basic tastes:

• sweet

• sour

• bitter

• salty

• umami savory

Anosmia:

inability to smell

4 basic touch sensations:

• temp

• touch

• pain

• body movement 

(skin is LARGEST organ in body ~ the sensory organ a for touch) 

Proprioception:

ability to sense the position and movement of our body parts

• (accomplished by specialized neurons in the skin, joints, bones, ears, and tendons ~ w/out it we couldn’t stand/walk) 

Vestibular system:

set of liquid-filled areas in the inner ear that monitors our head’s position and movement

• semicircular canals: rotational movements 

• vestibular sacs: linear accelerations 

Gate control theory of pain:

Pain is determined by two types of nerve fibers in the spinal cord.

• small fibers carry pain from body to brain.

• larger fibers can open or shut (like a gate) the flow of pain to the brain (activated by massaging painful area)

Olfaction (smelling) process:

transduction occurs when receptors in olfactory membrane detect airborne chemicals that are inhaled through the nostrils (diff chemical molecules fit into different receptor cells = diff smells) 

Sensory adaptation: 

decreased sensitivity to stimuli after constant & prolonged exposure 

Selective attention:

allows us to focus on some sensory experiences while tuning out others

Perceptual constancy:

ability to perceive stimuli as unchanging despite changes in sensation 

• (car is the same size, even tho it’s getting smaller in the distance)

Synesthesia:

mixing of senses in such a way that experiencing one sensation triggers an experience from a different sense

• ex. (seeing colors when u hear music) 

Illusions:

occur when the perceptual processes that normally help us correctly perceive the world are fooled by a particular situation so that we see something that does not exist or that is not correct

(our perception of the world may be influenced by our prior knowledge) 

Mueller-Lyer illusion: 

Moon illusion: 

moon always looks larger on the horizon than when it is high above

Ponzo illusion:

caused by the monocular depth cue of linear perspective.

Perception is influenced by:

• expectation

• culture

• context

• desires

• emotions

• motivations