Psychology Exam 2

Sensation

Physical sensory experiences

perception

mental interpretations of sensory expereiences

Process of Sensation and Perception

Stimulation > Transduction > Sensation > Perception

Synesthesia

perceptual experience of one sense that is evoked by another sense

Psychophysics

Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observer’s sensitivity to that stimulus

Psychophysicists

often measure the minimum amount of stimulus needed for detection

Just Noticeable Difference

smallest detectable difference between 2 stimuli

Absolute threshold

lowest detectable experience of 1 stimulus

Signal Detection Theory

humans select the particular signals we pay attention to

Sensory Adaptation

sensory receptors become less responsive

Audition (Hearing)

detection of sound waves or changes in air pressure unfolding over time

Sound Waves involve qualities of…

frequency (pitch), amplitude (loudness), timbre (complexity)

The human ear has three distinct parts…

outer (collects sound waves), middle (transmits vibrations), inner ear (transduction into neural impulses)

Cochlea

fluid-filled tube that is the organ of auditory transduction

Basilar Membrane

structure in the inner ear that undulates when vibrations from the ossicles reach the cochlear fluid

ossicles

tiny inner ear bones

hair cells

specialized auditory receptor neurons embedded in the basilar membrane

Haptic perception

active exploration of the environment by touching and grasping objects with our hands

types of touch receptors

texture and pattern, pain, pressure, vibration

Types of pain

a delta fibers (quick and sharp) and C fibers (long and dull)

two pain pathways

sensory/discriminative (what and where); emotional/motivational

proprioception

sense of body position

vestibular system

used with visual feedback to gaining balance

Chemical senses

smell and taste receptors respond to chemical molecules inhaled or dissolved in saliva

odorant molecules

travel through the nose to the olfactory epithelium, where they bind to receptorsp

pheromones

biochemical odorants emitted by other members of its species that can affect an animal’s behavior physiologyo

ORNs

olfactory receptor neurons

olfactory bulb

main structure located above the nasal cavity

object-centered approach

information about the identity of an odor object is quickly accessed from memory and then triggers an emotional response

valence centered approach

emotional response comes first and provides basis for determining the identity of the odor

papillae

bumps on the tongue that contain taste buds

taste receptor cells

collect chemical molecules to be transduced

tastants

chemical components of foods

5 types of taste receptor cells

salt, sour, bitter, sweet, umami

flavor

the combination of smell and taste expereiences

visual acuity

ability to see find detail

visible light

portion of electromagnetic spectrum humans can see

cornea

transparent part of the eye that covers the iris and the pupil and allows light to enter the insidep

pupil

hole

iris

muscle that changes the size of the pupil to let in more/less light

lens

focuses the light

retina

light sensitive area at the back of the eye where transduction occurs

fovea

the center of our visual field where retinal cones are particularly concentrated

accomodation

process by which the eye maintains a clear image on the retina

myopia

nearsightedness

hyperopia

farsightedness

cones

detect color

rods

detect shades

blind spot

where the optic nerve leaves the eye

3 cone lengths

short (blue), medium (green), red (long)

trichromatic color representation

each color we see is a unique combinations of the 3 cones

color-opponent system

the 4 primary colors are neurologically represented in 2 pairs and only 1 color in a pair can be working at a one time

color vision deficiency

color blindness

monochromacy

can only see in shades

dichromacy

one of the cone pigments is missing (red-green or blue-yellow)

attention

the glue that binds individual features into a whole percept

binding problem

how features are linked together so that we see unified objects

illusory conjunction

perceptual mistake where features from multiple objects are incorrectly combined

perceptual constancy

even as aspects of sensory signals change, perception remains consistent

gestalt perceptual grouping rules

seeing a whole based on parts (simplicity, closure, continuity, similarity, proximity, common fate)

grouping

separating a figure from its background

monocular depth cues

depth perception when viewed with only one eye (relative size, familiar size, linear perspective, texture gradient, interposition, relative height

binocular disparity

difference in the retinal images of the two eyes that provides information about depth

change blindness

when people fail to detect changes to the visual details of a scene

inattention blindness

failure to perceive objects that are not the focus of attention

consciousness

the subjective experience of the world and the mind

phenomenology

how things seem to the conscious person

four basic properties of consciousness

intentionality, unity, selectivity, transience

levels of consciousness

minimal, full, self

minimal consciousness

low-level kind of sensory awareness and responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behavior

full consciousness

consciousness in which you know and are able to report your mental state

self consciousness

one’s attention is drawn to the self as an object

mental control

attempt to change conscious states of minds

ironic processes of mental control

deliberate attempts to suppress certain thoughts make them more likely to surface

thought suppression

conscious avoidance of a thought

rebound effect of thought suppression

tendency of a thought to return to consciousness with greater frequency following suppression

dynamic unconscious

our deepest instincts and desires and our inner struggle to control these forces

repression

mental process that removes unacceptable thoughts and memories from

cognitive unconscious

mental processes > thoughts, choices, emotions, and behavior even though they are not experienced by the person

subliminal perception

a thought or behavior that is influenced by stimuli that a person cannot consciously report perceiving; controversial

circadian rhythm

naturally occurring 24-hour cycle

altered state of consciousness

forms of experience that depart from the normal subjective experience of the world and the mind

pre sleep stage

beta waves (wide awake and mentally active), alpha waves (relaxed or lightly sleeping)

non REM sleep stage

stage 1 (theta waves; light sleep, hyping jerk, hypnagogic images), stage 2 (temperature, breathing and heart rate decrease, sleep spindles), stage 3 and 4 (delta waves; growth hormones released, hard to wake up)

REM

rapid eye movement

insomnia

difficulty in falling asleep or staying a sleep

sleep apnea

person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep

somnabulism

occurs when the person arises and walks around during sleep

narcolepsy

sudden sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activities

sleep paralysis

experience of waking up unable to move

night terrors

abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal

Five major characteristics of dreaming

intense emotion, illogical thought, meaningful sensation, uncritical acceptance, difficulty remembering

levels of dreams

manifest content (dream’s apparent topic or superficial meaning) and latent content (dream’s true underlying meaning)

activation-synthesis model

dreams are produced when the brain attempts to make sense of activations that occur randomly during sleep

psychoactive drug

chemical that influences consciousness or behavior by altering the brain’s chemical message system

drug tolerance

tendency for larger doses of a drug to be required over time to achieve the same effect

drug withdrawal symptoms

include physical dependence and psychological dependence

types of drugs

depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, marijuana

depressants

substances that reduce the activity of the CNS

examples of depressants

alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and toxic inhalants