Psychology: Conciousness and Perception/Sensation

Define Consciousness

Awareness of yourself and your environment

• Thoughts and experiences you are currently aware of

Define Circadium Rhythm

24-hour biological clock regulating sleep, hunger, and body temp

What hormone regulates sleep/wake cylce

Melatonin

When do vivid dreams occur

REM sleep

What happens to the body during REM sleep?

• Rapid eye movement

• Body paralysis

• Vivid dreams

• Brain very active

What sleep disorder causes random sleep attacks

Narcolepsy

What happens during sleep apnea

Temporary pauses in breathing during sleep

What sleep disorder is common in children

Night terrors

What did Freud believe about dreams

They are expressions of unconscious desires

Which altered state of consciousness involved a heightened state of suggestibility 

Hypnosis

Which practice involves focusing attention while also reducing awareness 

Meditation

What substance alters perception

Psychoactive drugs

What is alcohol or barbiturates classified as

Depressants 

Which class of drugs increases neural activity

Stimulants

What are LSD and marijuana considered

Hallucinogens

Which term best describes a body’s adaption to a drug 

Tolerance

What does REM rebound refer to

The body's way of recovering REM sleep lost due to sleep deprivation or stress

• Sleep debt

Define sensation

The process by which our sensory organs detect stimuli from the environment and send it to the brain 

Define Perception

The process of organizing, interpreting, and making meaning of sensory info in brain

Define transduction

The process of converting physical energy into electrical signals that the brain can process 

Define Absolute Threshold 

The minimum amount of stimulus energy needed to detect a stimulus at least 50% of the time

Define Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

The minimum change in stimulus intensity needed to detect a difference

What part of eye controls how much light enters

Iris

What are the 2 types of receptors in Retina

• Rods

• Cones

What do Rods do

• sensitive to light/dark

• Important for night vision

What do Cones do

• Sensitive to color/detail

• work best in bright light

Where is the cochlea located?

Inner ear

Which sense is most linked to memory

Smell (olfaction)

Define sensory adaption

A gradual decline in sensitivity due to prolonged stimulation 

What do Gestalt principles say about perception

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts 

• Believed that is perceived is a sum of its parts that we have collected in our brains

What makes depth perception possible

Binocular vision

Define Bottom-up theory

Building perception from raw sensory input

Define Top-Down theory

Using prior knowledge, experience, and expectations to interpret sensory input

What are the major senses 

• Vision

• Hearing

• Taste

• Smell

• Touch

• Vestibular (balance)