Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception

Gate control theory

________ explains that some pain messages have a higher priority than others.

Amplitude

________ is the height of the wave and determines the loudness of the sound, which is measured in decibels.

Binocular disparity

________ is the difference in the images seen by each eye.

Rods

________ outnumber cones (the ratio is approximately twenty to one) and are distributed throughout the retina.

Autokinetic effect

________- If a spot of light is projected steadily onto the same place on a wall of an otherwise dark room and people are asked to stare at it, they will report seeing it move.

analysis

Bottom- up processing, also called feature ________, is the opposite of top- down processing.

Convergence

________ in binocular cues is the process of both eyes turning inward to focus on an object that is close to the viewer.

David Hubel

Perception researchers ________ (1926- 2013) and Torsten Wiesel (1924- present) discovered that groups of neurons in the visual cortex respond to different types of visual images.

Receptors

________ in our muscles and joints send information to our brain about our limbs.

Frequency

________ refers to the length of the waves and determines pitch, measured in megahertz.

Humans

________ sense five different types of tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory or meaty taste)

Proximity

________- Objects that are close together are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group.

Brightness constancy

________- Despite changing light reflection, we see objects as a constant color.

Signal detection theory

________ investigates the effects of the distractions and interference we experience while perceiving the world.

sensory receptors

The opponent- process theory states that the ________ arranged in the retina come in pairs: red /green pairs, yellow /blue pairs, and black /white pairs.

Phi phenomenon

________- A series of lightbulbs turned on and off at a particular rate will appear to be one moving light.

Extrasensory Perception

________- Psychologists are skeptical of ESP claims primarily because our senses are well understood, and researchers do not find reliable evidence that we can perceive sensations other than through our sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and vestibular /balance systems.

Taste buds

________ are located on papillae, which are the bumps you can see on your tongue.

UV

________ and X- rays are shorter than visible light.

transduction

In vision, ________ occurs when light activates the neurons in the retina.

light source

Shadowing- By shading part of your picture, you can imply where the ________ is and thus imply depth and position of objects.

Schemata

________ can create a perceptual set, which is a predisposition to perceiving something in a certain way.

Vision

________ is the dominant sense in human beings.

Lower tones

________ are sensed by the rate at which the cells fire.

false negative

A(n) ________ is not perceiving a stimulus that is present.

Researcher Eleanor Gibson

________ used the visual cliff experiment to determine when human infants can perceive depth.

Place Theory

________- ________ holds that the hair cells in the cochlea respond to different frequencies of sound based on where they are located in the cochlea.

Pain

________ is a useful response because it warns us of potential dangers.

Binocular cues

________ are visual cues that are used by the brain to determine depth and distance.

Gestalt psychologists

The ________ pointed out that we normally perceive images as groups, not as isolated elements.

cornea

The reflected light first enters the eye through the ________, a protective covering.

false positive

A(n) ________ is when we think we perceive a stimulus that is not there.

recognizable image

Objects that make up a(n) ________ are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group even if the image contains gaps that the mind needs to fill in.

spot

The ________ where the nerves cross each other is called the optic chiasm.

optic nerve

The spot where the ________ leaves the retina has no rods or cones, so it is referred to as the blind spot.

auditory canal

The waves travel down the ear canal (also called the ________) until they reach the eardrum or tympanic membrane.

**Vision**

is the dominant sense in human beings.

**Light intensity**

It indicates light energy.

**cornea**

The reflected light first enters the eye through the **_** a protective covering.

Gestalt psychologists

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a group of researchers called the ________ described the principles that govern how we perceive groups of objects.

**pupil**

Then the light goes through the

Light intensity

It indicates light energy.This affects brightness

This theory hypothesizes that we have three types of cones in the retina

cones that detect the different colors blue, red, and green (the primary colors of light)

The opponent-process theory states that the sensory receptors arranged in the retina come in pairs

red/green pairs, yellow/blue pairs, and black/white pairs

Place Theory

Place theory holds that the hair cells in the cochlea respond to different frequencies of sound based on where they are located in the cochlea

Humans sense five different types of tastes

sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory or meaty taste)

Proximity

Objects that are close together are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group

Similarity

Objects that are similar in appearance are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group

Continuity

Objects that are arranged in a continuous line or curve (such as a trail or a geometric figure) are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group

Closure

Similar to top-down processing

Size constancy

We estimate size based on distance, but closer objects produce larger retinal images

Shape constancy

Objects seen from different angles appear different on our retinas, but their shape is constant

Brightness constancy

Despite changing light reflection, we see objects as a constant color

Phi phenomenon

A series of lightbulbs turned on and off at a particular rate will appear to be one moving light

Autokinetic effect

If a spot of light is projected steadily onto the same place on a wall of an otherwise dark room and people are asked to stare at it, they will report seeing it move

Shadowing

By shading part of your picture, you can imply where the light source is and thus imply depth and position of objects

Extrasensory Perception

Psychologists are skeptical of ESP claims primarily because our senses are well understood, and researchers do not find reliable evidence that we can perceive sensations other than through our sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and vestibular/balance systems

iris

The muscles that control the pupil

**accommodation**

light that enters the pupil is focused by the *lens*

lens

is curved and flexible in order to focus the light.

**retina**

which is like a screen on the back of your eye.

**Transduction**

refers to the translation of incoming stimuli into neural signals.

Cones

are concentrated toward the center of the retina.

**fovea**

At the very center of the retina is an indentation called the_ that contains the highest concentration of cones.

**ganglion cells**

If enough bipolar cells fire, the next layer of cells **__** is activated.

**lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)**

The axons of the ganglion cells make up the optic nerve that sends these impulses to a specific region in the thalamus called the

**blind spot**

The spot where the optic nerve leaves the retina has no rods or cones, so it is referred to as the

**optic chiasm**

The spot where the nerves cross each other is called the

**David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel**

discovered that groups of neurons in the visual cortex respond to different types of visual images.

**Trichromatic Theory**

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This theory hypothesizes that we have three types of cones in the retina: cones that detect the different colors blue, red, and green (the primary colors of light).

**Opponent-Process Theory**

states that the sensory receptors arranged in the retina come in pairs: red/green pairs, yellow/blue pairs, and black/white pairs.

**Amplitude**

is the height of the wave and determines the loudness of the sound, which is measured in decibels.

**Frequency**

refers to the length of the waves and determines pitch, measured in megahertz.

**ear canal**

auditory canal

**eardrum**

or tympanic membrane.

**hammer**

malleus

**anvil**

incus

stirrup

stapes

**cochlea**

a structure shaped like a snail’s shell filled with fluid.

**organ of Corti**

which are neurons activated by movement of the hair cells.

**Place Theory**

holds that the hair cells in the cochlea respond to different frequencies of sound based on where they are located in the cochlea.

**Frequency Theory**

Research demonstrates that place theory accurately describes how hair cells sense the upper range of pitches but not the lower tones.

**Conduction deafness**

occurs when something goes wrong with the system of conducting the sound to the cochlea (in the ear canal, eardrum, hammer/anvil/stirrup, or oval window).

**Nerve** (or **sensorineural**) **deafness**

occurs when the hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, usually by loud noise.

Touch

If touch or temperature receptors are stimulated sharply, a different kind of nerve ending called pain receptors will also fire.

**Gate-control theory**

Helps explain how we experience pain the way we do.

**Taste (or Gustation)**

Taste buds are located all over the tongue and some parts of the inside of the cheeks and roof of the mouth.

**Smell (or Olfaction)**

also depends on chemicals emitted by substances.

**Vestibular Sense**

tells us about how our body is oriented in space.

**Kinesthetic Sense**

gives us feedback about the position and orientation of specific body parts.

**absolute threshold**

is the smallest amount of stimulus we can detect.

**difference threshold**

sometimes called **just-noticeable difference**, is the smallest amount of change needed in a stimulus before we detect a change.

**Perceptual Theories**

are theories that explain how people perceive and interpret the world around them.

**Signal Detection Theory**

investigates the effects of the distractions and interference we experience while perceiving the world.

**false positive**

is when we think we perceive a stimulus that is not there.

**false negative**

is not perceiving a stimulus that is present.

Top-down processing

occurs when you use your background knowledge to fill in gaps in what you perceive.

**schemata**

mental representations of how we expect the world to be.

**perceptual set**

which is a predisposition to perceiving something in a certain way.

**Bottom-Up Processing**

also called **feature analysis**, is the opposite of top-down processing.