Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology Ch 3. Importance of Sensation and Perception

sensation

passively receiving information through sensory inputs

perception

interpreting information

five senses

seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting

proprioception

your ability to be aware of your body's motions and position

transduction

transforming information from the eyes or ears (for example) into electrical impulses that the brain can understand

Gustav Fechner

• a psychologist in the nineteenth century

• he was interested in the point at which we become aware that we're sensing something

psychophysics

the study of how external stimuli affect us

absolute threshold

• also known as the detection threshold

• refers to the weakest possible stimulus that a person can still perceive

• defined as the lowest intensity at which people perceive the stimulus 50% of the time

signal detection analysis

test your ability to distinguish real sounds from background noise

sensitivity

your ability to hear real signals and correctly say when there aren't signals

subliminal advertising

images that flash by too quickly for us to notice can still influence what we think and feel

difference threshold

refers to our ability to detect a change in a stimulus' intensity

just noticeable difference

refers to the smallest amount two stimuli can differ so that a person can still tell them apart 50% of the time

Ernst Weber/ Weber’s Law

is proportional to the original intensity of the stimulus

sensory adaptation

when we're exposed for a long time to any given stimulus, we stop perceiving it

selective attention

choosing to focus on certain sensations over others

Which of the following is an example of transduction?

1. When your knee jerks after the doctor hits it with a reflex hammer.

2. Your heart rate quickening when you are nervous.

3. Your stomach digesting the food you just ate.

4. When you place your hand on a hot stove, and the nerves in your hand send a message to the brain where the brain registers the stove as ''hot.''

When you place your hand on a hot stove, and the nerves in your hand send a message to the brain where the brain registers the stove as ''hot.''

Lauren has lived near the airport for over three years. She used to be bothered by the sound of the airplanes landing and taking off, but now she does not even notice the noise.

1. Lauren is experiencing

2. Weber's Law.

3. subliminal advertising.

4. absolute threshold.

5. sensory adaptation.

sensory adaptation.

Gustav Fechner's work in psychophysics involved exploring

1. how subliminal advertising affects us

2. how we reach absolute threshold

3. how external stimuli affect us

4. how we affect other objects

how external stimuli affect us

Weber's Law states that the just noticeable difference of a stimulus is

1. inversely proportional to its original intensity

2. directly proportional to its original intensity

3. inversely proportional to its original intensity with sound perception

4. not proportional to its original intensity

directly proportional to its original intensity

Subliminal advertising is proven to have

1. positive side effects for consumers.

2. a minimal effect on one's thinking.

3. an enormous effect on one's thinking.

4. by-passed our decision making part of the brain.

a minimal effect on one's thinking.

electromagnetic spectrum

the full range of all types of electromagnetic radiation, which are forms of energy that travel in waves and are distinguished by their frequency or wavelength

visible spectrum

the narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be detected by the human eye

cornea

the outermost part of our eyeball, where it begins to be focused

pupil

• a small opening that lead to the lens

• the black part at the center of your eye

iris

• the colored part around your eye

• grows and shrinks to protect the pupil and make sure the right amount of light gets in

lens

a surface where it is further focused through a process called accommodation

retina

• a layer of tissue that lines the inner part of the eye

• begins the process of turning the light into an image

the two kinds of photoreceptor neurons in the retina

rods and cones

rods

are located more at the edge of the retina and process black and white

cones

are in the interior and process color and image details

Thomas Young and Hermann von Helmholtz

• 19th century scientists that developed the Young-Hemoltz theory of color perception which proposed that there are three different kinds of cones that process different colors of light--one for blue, one for green and one for red

color-blindness

people who are red-green colorblind, for example, would be missing those kinds of cones

opponent-process theory

holds that we don't process colors as a mix of three primary colors but instead as three sets of opponent colors: red-green, yellow-blue and white-black

after-image

example: if you stare for a long time at something red then look at a white surface, you'll see a green after-image.

optic nerve

signals from the rods and cones pass through a bundle of neurons on their way to the brain

phototransduction

the retina's process of converting electromagnetic light waves to electrical stimuli

feature detector neurons

can isolate things like lines and shapes in order to help us quickly interpret what we're seeing

In which order does light enter the eye?

1. Cornea, lens and then the pupil.

2. Iris, cornea and then the pupil.

3. Cornea, pupil and then the lens.

4. Pupil, cornea and then the iris.

Cornea, pupil and then the lens.

How can the retina be best described?

1. It is the outermost part of our eyeball.

2. It is a small opening that leads to the lens.

3. It is the black part at the center of your eye.

4. It is a layer of tissue that lines the inner part of the eye.

It is a layer of tissue that lines the inner part of the eye.

What is true about rods and cones?

1. Both rods and cones are located in the retina.

2. Cones are located more at the edge of the retina while rods are in the interior.

3. Rods can process image details while cones cannot.

4. Cones process black and white whereas rods process colors.

Both rods and cones are located in the retina.

In phototransduction,

1. the retina processes colors as three sets of opponent colors rather than primary colors.

2. the photoreceptor neurons absorb the light passing through the eye.

3. the retina converts the light waves into opponent colors.

4. the retina converts electromagnetic light waves into electronic stimuli.

the retina converts electromagnetic light waves into electronic stimuli.

According to the opponent-process theory, how are colors processed?

1. We process colors as three sets of opponent colors: red/green, yellow/blue, and white/black.

2. We process colors as three sets of opponent colors: red/yellow, blue/yellow, and white/black.

3. We process colors as three cones: yellow, blue, and red.

4. We process colors as three sets of opponent colors: red/yellow, blue/red, and blue/yellow.

We process colors as three sets of opponent colors: red/green, yellow/blue, and white/black.

waves

sound is made up of molecules vibrating in patterns

matter

the material sound waves need to travel

pitch

the relative highness or lowness of a given sound

amplitude

basically the size, or height, of the sound wave

decibel

that's a scale, rather like degrees for temperature, for saying how loud something is

logarithmic

means that if one sound is 10 decibels louder than another, it's actually ten times as loud

pinna

• where sound first enters the ear and reverberates

• folds of cartilage in the outermost part of the ear

eardrum

amplifies sound

ossicles

• tiny bones

• there are three of them, and they help transform the sound from vibrations in the air to vibrations in the fluid inside the nearby cochlea

cochlea

looks kind of like a twisty seashell; it's filled with fluid and with small hair cells that support bundles of cilia

cilia

• small fibers that can sense vibrations in the fluid

• these hair cells send nerve impulses to nearby neurons

Saying to Remember the Parts of the Ear

• Please Exit Our Cool Crowd

• Pinna, eardrum, ossicles, cochlea, cilia

Frequency theory of hearing

says that the neurons attached to the cilia will fire off at the same rate as the frequency of the sound entering the ear; so they fire off more quickly for a higher pitch sound with a short wavelength and more slowly for a lower pitch sound with a longer wavelength

place theory of hearing

takes care of this problem by proposing that different parts of the cochlea react to different frequencies of sound

What is the weakness found in the frequency theory of hearing?

1. Neurons fire too often for certain low-pitched sounds

2. Neurons fire too fast for certain low-pitched sounds

3. Neurons can't fire as fast as certain high-pitched sounds

4. Neurons can't fire as fast as certain low-pitched sounds

Neurons can't fire as fast as certain high-pitched sounds

According to the place theory of hearing, our ears transmit information by firing neurons from different parts of the _____.

1. eardrum

2. cilia

3. cochlea

4. pinna

cochlea

Short sound waves are characterized by _____.

1. being too high to hear

2. being louder than long sound waves

3. a high frequency and a high pitch

4. a low frequency and a low pitch

How is a conversation at 60 decibels different from an 80 decibel vacuum cleaner?

1. The vacuum cleaner is 10 times louder than the conversation.

2. The vacuum cleaner is 20 times louder than the conversation.

3. The vacuum cleaner is 100 times louder than the conversation.

4. The vacuum cleaner is 1,000 times louder than the conversation.

The vacuum cleaner is 100 times louder than the conversation.

Which of the following routes shows how sound waves enter the ear and are processed?

1. From cochlea to eardrum to pinna to cilia to ossicles

2. From pinna to ossicles to eardrum to pinna to cilia to cochlea

3. From pinna to eardrum to ossicles to cochlea to cilia

4. From eardrum to cochlea to cilia to pinna to ossicles

From pinna to eardrum to ossicles to cochlea to cilia

The five main taste sensations that our tongues can detect

sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami (savory)

taste bud

• receptor on the tongue that tells neurons to fire off signals when certain substances touch them

• people have anywhere between 2,000 and 8,000 taste buds on their tongues; taste buds die off and regrow quickly, living on average for only about five days

odor receptor neurons

• what your nose has

• responds to tons of different substances that can be floating in the air

• can tell apart almost 1 trillion odors, but fewer than other mammals

somatosensory system

reports sensations of pressure, body position and pain

skin

• considered the body's largest organ

• has four different kinds of receptors that respond to different things: pressure, hot, cold and pain

vestibular system

helps you keep track of where your body is; this is controlled by the fluid inside your ears

The senses that are part of the somatosensory system are _____.

1. touch and proprioception

2. taste and touch

3. touch and smell

4. smell and taste

touch and proprioception

James has the flu and he is experiencing a runny nose as well as some respiratory congestion. In addition to having a difficulty breathing, it is likely that James will experience _____.

1. difficulty hearing

2. severe stomach aches

3. loss of taste

4. decreased proprioception

loss of taste

The skin has receptors that respond to _____.

1. pressure, hot and cold

2. pressure, hot, cold and pain

3. hot, cold and pain

4. hot, cold, dry and wet

pressure, hot, cold and pain

You order the entrée 'umami chicken' at a restaurant. Therefore, the taste sensation you are expecting is _____.

1. sour

2. salty

3. spicy

4. savory

savory

When walking, what sense (by way of specialized neurons) is responsible for knowing where your feet are in comparison to your trunk?

1. Sense of paresthesia

2. Sense of proprioception

3. Sense of smell

4. Sense of touch

Sense of proprioception

The human nose can differentiate among as much as _____.

1. 10,000 odors, which is fewer than other mammals

2. 100,000 odors, which is more than other mammals

3. 1 trillion odors, but fewer than other mammals

4. 1,000 odors, which is fewer than other mammals

1 trillion odors, but fewer than other mammals

epithelial

also known as skin, is the largest organ of the body and does indeed contain touch receptors

somatosensory system

• the sensory system that interprets all signals from the body

• detects tactile touch through the skin (anything that touches our body or anything that we touch)

• detects temperature

• detects pain (felt through the skin and throughout our internal organs)

Proprioception

knowing where your limbs are in the world around you

kinesthesis

the awareness of our own movement and where we are in relation to other parts of the environment

Which function of somatosensation is being investigated as a possible sixth sense?

1. Tactile touch

2. None of these.

3. Temperature

4. Pain

Pain

What does somatosensation interpret?

1. Tactile touch, temperature, pain, proprioception, and kinesthesis.

2. Tactile touch, sound, pain, and proprioception.

3. Proprioception, kinesthesis, olfaction, and auditory sensations.

4. None of these is correct.

Tactile touch, temperature, pain, proprioception, and kinesthesis.

Which function of somatosensation involves knowing where your limbs are in the world around you?

1. Temperature

2. Proprioception

3. Tactile Touch

4. Pain

Proprioception

What is somatosensation?

1. The sensory system of the body that interprets tactile touch only.

2. The sensory system of the body that interprets sound.

3. The sensory system of the body that interprets all signals from touch.

4. The sensory system of the body that interprets visual stimuli.

The sensory system of the body that interprets all signals from touch.

Why is the somatosensory system so important?

1. Without it, a person would not be able to feel a hug or a loved one holding their hand.

2. All of these are reasons why the somatosensory system is important.

3. Without it, a person can accidentally burn themselves.

4. Without it, a person would not feel a potentially deadly insect on them.

All of these are reasons why the somatosensory system is important.

20/120 to 20/400

• the newborn vision range

• to see an object that an adult with normal 20/20 vision can see, the newborn would need the object to be 6-20 times closer or more magnified

fovea

the part of the eye that deals with details

The Baby-Friendly Initiative from the World Health Organization encourages hospitals to provide babies with skin-to-skin contact with their mothers after birth. Researchers have found that this helps babies to _____.

1. learn their mother's voice early on

2. sleep better and cry less

3. stay awake longer and feed better

4. distinguish between the scent of their mother and other individuals

5. develop stronger vision at a younger age

sleep better and cry less

Most babies don't develop 20/20 vision until _____.

1. 18 months old

2. 6 months old

3. three years old

4. two years old

5. one year old

two years old

With regards to taste, infants _____.

1. prefer sweet tastes, but can taste everything

2. can only taste sweet things

3. prefer sweet tastes, but can also taste salty things

4. prefer salty tastes, but can taste everything

5. prefer salty tastes, but can also taste sweet things

prefer sweet tastes, but can taste everything

Eyesight in newborns is poor because of a lack of development in the _____.

1. fovea

2. iris

3. pupil

4. cornea

5. retina

fovea

Infants recognize their mothers most directly through _____.

1. hearing and smell

2. sight and touch

3. taste and touch

4. hearing and touch

5. smell and taste

hearing and smell