Cognitive Neuroscience Exam 2 Review: Sensation and Perception

These flashcards cover key concepts in sensation and perception as discussed in the lecture notes.

Sensation

The physiological capacity to receive input from the environment through sensory receptors.

Transduction

The process of converting physical energy from the environment into neural signals.

Perception

The organization and interpretation of sensory information to understand the physical world.

Thalamus

A sensory gateway in the brain that processes and filters sensory information before it reaches the primary sensory cortex.

Sensory receptors

Specialized neurons that detect and transduce information from the environment into neural signals.

Adaptation

The process by which sensory receptors decrease their sensitivity to a constant stimulus over time.

Acuity

The sharpness or clarity of sensory perception, often determined by the density of sensory receptors.

Olfaction

The sense of smell, which processes odorant chemicals and is closely tied to emotions.

Gustation

The sense of taste, which is heavily reliant on olfactory input and involves the detection of chemicals in food.

Visual Cortex

The area in the occipital lobe that processes visual information, organized in a topographical manner.

Fusiform Face Area (FFA)

A brain region in the ventral pathway that is specialized for face recognition.

Selective Attention

The cognitive process of focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others, essential for processing information in our environment.

Top-down processing

Cognitive processing guided by prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences that influences perception.

Bottom-up processing

Cognitive processing that starts with sensory input and builds up to a final perception.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections, often in response to learning or injury.

Dorsal stream

The pathway in the brain that processes spatial information and guides actions based on visual input.

Ventral stream

The pathway in the brain that is responsible for object recognition and the identification of objects.

Neural pathway

The specific route that sensory information travels through the nervous system to be processed.

Blindspot

The area in the visual field where the optic nerve exits the eye, resulting in a lack of photoreceptors.