Ap psych- sensation

What is the process by which our sensory receptors receive & interpret stimuli?

Sensation!

What is perception?

The process of organizing & make sense of sensory information

What is transduction?

The conversion of sensory stimuli into neural impulse the brain can interpret

What is the absolute threshold?

The minimum amount of stimulation required for a stimulus to be detected for at least 50% of the time

What is just noticeable difference?

The smallest change in stimulus needed for an individual to detect it

What does Weber’s law state?

That the perceived difference in a stimulus must be proportional to the original intensity of the stimulus

What is sensory adaptation?

When sensory receptors become less responsive to a stimuli due to constant exposure over time

What is synesthesia?

When the stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to an automatic experience in another sensory pathway

What is the retina?

The light sensitive inner surface of the eyeball that converts light into neural signals

What is the pupil?

The hole in the eye covered by the cornea that allows light to be projected onto the retina

What is the only pigmented muscle in the body?

The iris! It helps open and close the pupil

What is the lens?

The clear curved part between the pupil that focuses the light on the back of the eye

What are rods?

Receptors on the retina which control vision in low light condition, motion detection, and black & white vision

What are cones?

Sensory receptors on the retina which perceive color & detail

What is the area on the retina responsible for sharp central vision?

The fovea

What do ganglion cells do?

Receive information from bipolar cells (which help w/transduction) and transmit it to the brain

What is accommodation?

When the lens changes shape depending on what’s being focused on

What causes nearsightedness?

When the eyeball is too long

What causes farsightedness?

When the eyeball is too short

What does trichromatic theory state?

That color vision is based on three types of cone receptors: red, green, and blue

What does opponent process theory state?

That color vision & perception in based on pairs of opposing colors

What is dichromatism?

When someone has two types of cone receptors instead three

What is monochromatism?

When someone has one (or no) types of cone receptors instead of three

What is the phenomenon of blindsight?

When Individuals with damage to their visual cortex respond to stimuli without perceiving it

What is the medical term for face blindness?

Prosopagnosia

What is pitch perception?

The brains interpretation of sound wave frequency

What does place theory state?

That different parts of the inner ear detect different frequencies

What does frequency theory state?

That the frequency of a sound wave directly corresponds to the rate auditory neurons fire

What does volley theory state?

That groups of auditory neurons fire in rapid succession to encode the pitch of higher frequency sounds

What is sound localization?

The brains ability to determine the location of a sound’s source

What causes conduction hearing loss?

Problems/damage to the outer or middle ear

What causes sensorineural hearing loss?

Problems/damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve

What are the bones in the middle ear?

The hammer, anvil, and stirrup

What is the fluid filled, hair covered, spiral structure that helps with auditory transduction?

The cochlea

What is the important part of the ear for the vestibular sense?

The semicircular canals (where mama got calcium crystals that one time)

What is the principle of sensory interaction?

That one sense can influence another

What is the olfactory system?

The system responsible for our sense of smell

Oooo pheromones?

The chemical substances released by animals that trigger responses in other members of the species

What is gustation?

Our sense of taste

What are supertasters?

People with more taste buds who experience flavors more intensely

What are nontasters?

People who have less sensitivity to flavors

What are the four types of touch we can sense?

Warm, cold, pain, and pressure

What are the six main flavors we can taste?

Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami, and oleogustus

Is pain just a sense?

No, its subjective. Biopsychosocial.

What are warm/cold receptors?

Specialized sensory neurons that detect temperature changes

What is the vestibular sense?

Our sense of orientation and movement

What does gate control theory state?

That the spinal cord can block transmission of pain signals to the brain if necessary

What is kinesthesis?

Our sense of movement and position

What does kinesthesis allow us to do?

Perceive and control our bodily movement