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Sensory Receptor Cells
specialized cells to convert (sensory transduction) specific stimuli into neural impulses
Sensation
the act of using our sensory systems to detect environmental stimuli
Transduction
transformation of physical energy into electrical signals
Psychophysics
the study of physical stimuli on sensory perceptions and mental states
Gustav Fechner
studied the strength of a stimulus and a person’s ability to detect it
Absolute Threshold
smallest amount of a stimulus that one can detect
Signal Detection Analysis
technique to determine the ability to separate true signals from background noise
Sensitivity
true ability to detect a presence or absence of signal
Response Bias
behavioural bias to respond yes
Difference Threshold or Just Noticeable Difference
minimal difference between two stimuli necessary for detection of a difference between the two
Weber’s Law
JND is constant proportion of original intensity
Perception
the conscious recognition and identification of a sensory stimulus
Bottom-up Processing
outside-in
sensory information from environment driving the process of understanding
unconscious (hard to resist)
Top-down Processing
inside-out
knowledge and expectancy driving the process of understanding
conscious (effortful)
Sensory Adaptation
a process whereby repeated stimulation of a sensory cell leads to a reduced response
Inattention Blindness
failure to notice something obvious because you were focused on something
Simons and Chabris (Gorilla crossing into video)
Segall, Cambell, & Herskovits
Individual differences in perception
thrill seekers are more likely to like sour flavours
personality may impact perceptions
Frequency
associated with the sound’s pitch
Loudness
associated with the sound’s amplitude
Timbre
is a sounds purity and is affected by frequency, amplitude, and timing
Light Waves
electromagnetic radiation produces light which is made up of particles called photons
different wavelengths appear to us as different colours
objects reflect and absorb light
Cornea
transparent covering over the eye, focuses light
Pupil
opening in eye through which light passes through
varies based on light levels and arousal
dilated = bigger, constricted = smaller
Iris
coloured portion of the eye, a muscle that controls pupil size
Lens
curved, transparent and provides additional focus
attached to muscles
focus on light from far objects
Accommodation
change in curvature of lens to focus light on retina, specifically the fovea (indentation in the back of the eye containing photoreceptors)
Retina
light sensitive lining of the eye (sheet of nerve cells containing receptors for vision)
retina/fovea contains all receptor cells (rods and cones)
Cones
used for central and colour vision, fovea (centre of retina) is all cones
light detection, acute detail, and spatial resolution
Rods
used for periphery and night vision, many more rods than cones, more responsive to dark and light
movement in periphery
Ganglion Cells
send visual input yo the brain via the optic nerve (carries visual information to the brain)
Optic Chiasm
X-shaped structure, the point where the optic nerve from each eye met
visual information is processed in parallel pathways (ie. right visual field is processed in the left hemisphere of the brain)
Trichromatic Theory
three different receptors for colour each respond to different wavelengths of light (blue, red, green)
not likely as we can see many more than three colors
Opponent Process Theory
colour pairs work to inhibit one another
green-red; blue-yellow; and black-white cannot be mixed
Afterimage
continuation of sensation once stimuli is removed
Depth Perception
perception of spatial relations in 3-D space
front, below, beside, above, behind
Binocular Cues
cues that rely on both eyes
binocular disparity - slightly different stimuli recorded by the retina of each eye, provides us with a binocular cue of depth
Monocular Cues
cues that rely on one eye
position, relative size, linear perspective, light and shadow, interposition, aerial perspective
Pinna (ear)
where sound waves are sourced
Tympanic Membrane
where sound waves enter the ear and deflect
Maleus, Incus, Stapes
vibrations set in motion these three ossicles (bones)
Oval Window
where the stapes hits, creating waves to form
Cochlea
fluid-filled part of the inner ear
Basilar Membrane/Hair Cells
communicate with nerves in the cochlea and send neural impulses to the brain
Temporal Theory
different frequencies are converted into different rates of action potentials (high frequency sounds = more rapid firing)
Place Theory
different frequencies activate different regions of the basilar membrane
brain equates the place activity occurred on the basilar membrane with a particular frequency
Monaural
sound’s source relative to body position
Binaural
relies on a horizontal axis by delivering different patterns of vibration between eardrums in each ear
Conductive Hearing Loss
problems delivering sound to cochlea
infection, wax buildup, eardrum damage
failure of vibration from eardrum to ossicles
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
transmission failure from cochlea to brain
most common hearing loss
aging, trauma, infection, noise exposure
Meniere’s Disease
degeneration of inner ear structures
require cochlear implant to directly stimulate auditory nerve
Olfactory Sense + Gustatory Sense
together are called the chemical senses because they involve responses to particular chemicals
important for smelling or tasting rotten food, noxious gases, smoke
5 Taste Receptors
sweet
sour
bitter
salt
umami (MSG)
Fatty?
Papillae
bumps that cover the surface of the tongue
Taste Bud
clusters of sensory receptor cells (in the papillae) that bind the food molecules that dissolve in our saliva and turn this into a neural impulse (transduction)
Olfactory Receptor Neurons
the receptor cells bind odourant molecules into a neural impulse (transduction) and send that impulse to the brain
Pheromones
Chemical messages - often to signal
the only reason Neave could have been attracted to Lucas
Olfactory Bulb
tip of frontal lobe
sends information to amygdala and indirectly to the hippocampus
smell can evoke memories
Ageusia
inability to taste
Anosmia
inability to smell, can still taste but not ‘flavours’
Tactile or Somatosensory System
combination of skin sense:
pressure, touch, temperature, vibration, and pain
Pain Perception
physical and psychological components
inflammatory pain: tissue damage
neuropathic pain: exaggerated signal of damage to neurons in PNS or CNS
generally well developed at birth
variability in detection and response
Fast Pathway (Pain Perception)
sharp, localized pain is felt quicker because it travels along myelinated neurons to the brain
Slow Pathway (Pain Perception)
nagging, burning pain is slower to be felt because it travels along unmyelinated pathways
Vestibular
ability to maintain balance and body posture
located in semicircular canals of our inner ears
Proprioception
perception of body position
Kinaestesia
perception of body movement in space
Kinesthetic
receptor cells in your muscles tell the brain where we are moving and where our body parts are in space
Gestalt Psychology
Vertheimer, Kohler, and Koffka
perception helps us to add meaning to visual information by helping to organize it
form patterns
the whole is different from the sum of it’s parts
Figure Ground
something the main object or background
Similarity
stimuli resembling one another tend to be grouped together
Proximity
visual stimuli near to one another tend to be grouped together
Continuity
objects that continue a pattern are grouped together
Closure
we tend to fill in small gaps so they are perceived as wholes
Pattern Perception
ability to discriminate different figures and shapes
Perceptual Hypothesis
educated guesses that we make while interpreting sensory information
Perceptual Sets
readiness to interpret a certain stimulus in a certain way
perception requires both bottom-up and top-down processes
Ames Room
we expect the room to be square, but it’s irregularly shaped, we also believe people in the room are the same distance from us