Psych Exam 2 - Martin Bright

Transducers

Devices that convert one kind of energy into another.

Sensation

Conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system; also, a sensory impression.

Absolute Threshold

Minimum amount of physical energy that can be detected 50 percent of the time.

Difference Thresholds

Minimum difference in physical energy between two stimuli that can be detected 50 percent of the time.

Sensory Adaptation

A decrease over time in sensory response to an unchanging stimulus.

Jumping in a Cold Swimming Pool

What is an example of a Sensory Adaptation?

inattentional blindness

We selectively attend to some input and tune out others, which may lead to ________________________

Inattentional Blindness

Failure to notice a stimuli because our attention is focused elsewhere

Cornea

Curved, transparent, protective layer through which light enters the eye.

Lens

Clear structure behind the pupil that bends light toward the retina.

accommodation

Changes in the shape of the lens of the eye to enable the seeing of close and far objects.

hyperopia

Having difficulty focusing on nearby objects (farsightedness).

myopia

Having difficulty on distant objects (nearsightedness).

astigmatism

Defects in the cornea, lens, or eye that cause some areas of vision to be out of focus.

retina

Surface at the back of the eye onto which the lens focuses light rays.

Cones

Photoreceptors that are sensitive to color.

Rods

Photoreceptors for dim light that produce only black and white sensations.

visual acuity

The sharpness of visual perception

blind spot

Area in the retina where the optic nerve exits that contains no photoreceptor cells.

Optic Nerve

Structure that conveys visual information away from the retina to the brain.

Fovea

Tiny spot in the center of the retina, containing only cones, where visual acuity is greatest.

color blindness

A total inability to perceive color.

color weakness

An inability to distinguish some colors.

peripheral (side) vision

Vision at the edges of the visual field.

Dark adaptation

Increased light sensitivity of the eye under low-light conditions.

Pupil

The black opening inside the iris that allows light to enter the eye.

White males, red-green

Color blindness/weakness is more common in (white) ________ males, _____ - ________ colorblindness.

Retina

Transduction takes place in ______________

Eardrum

Membrane that vibrates in response to sound waves and transmits them inward.

Cochlea

Snail-shaped organ in the inner ear that contains sensory receptors for hearing.

basilar membrane

Structure in the cochlea containing hair cells that convert sound waves into action potentials.

Conductive hearing loss

Poor transfer of sounds from the eardrum to the inner ear.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Loss of hearing caused by damage to the inner-ear hair cells or auditory nerve.

noise-induced hearing loss

Damage caused by exposing the hair cells to excessively loud sounds.

Taste Buds

Transduction takes place in the

Taste Buds

Receptor cells for taste.

hair cells and stimulate auditory nerves directly.

Cochlear Implants bypass...

Smell

Receptors in upper nasal cavity recognize specific (airborne molecules) and combinations; loss = anosmia.

1. Salt

2. Sweet

3. Sour

4. Bitter

5. Umami

What are the 4 tastes?

skin senses

The senses of touch, pressure, pain, heat, and cold.

kinesthetic senses

The senses of body movement and positioning.

vestibular senses

Perception of balance, gravity, and acceleration.

lock-and-key theory of olfaction

A theory holding that odors are related to the shapes of chemical molecules.

gate control theory

A theory proposing that pain messages pass through neural "gates" in the spinal cord.

emotion/mood

Pain is affected by __________/______ and fast/long vs. slow/short nerve fibers.

Selective Attention

Giving priority to a particular incoming sensory message.

Perception

Selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input. Attending to/focusing on one object and ignoring others leads to figure-ground organization

Illusion

A misleading or mis-constructed perception.

hallucination

Perception with no basis in reality.

synesthesia

a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory system creates perceptual experiences in another sensory system.

perceptual constructions

A mental model of external events.

bottom-up processing

Organizing perceptions by beginning with low-level features.

top-down processing

Perception guided by prior knowledge or expectations.

figure-ground organization

Organizing a perception so that part of a stimulus appears to stand out as an object (figure) against a less prominent background (ground).

Shape Constancy

The principle that the perceived shape of an object is unaffected by changes in its retinal image

size constancy

The principle that the perceived size of an object remains constant, despite changes in its retinal image.

Brightness constancy

The principle that the apparent (or relative) brightness of objects remains the same so long as they are illuminated by the same amount of light.

Müller-Lyer illusion

Two equal-length lines tipped with inward or outward pointing Vs appear to be of different lengths.

Depth perception

The ability to see three-dimensional (3-D) space and to judge distances accurately.

Depth cues

Features of the environment and messages from the body that supply information about distance and space.

Binocular depth cues

Perceptual features that impart information about distance and three-dimensional (3-D) space that require two eyes.

retinal disparity

Difference between the images projected onto each eye.

stereoscopic vision

Perception of space and depth as a result of each eye receiving different images.

convergence

Degree to which the eyes turn in to focus on a close object.

monocular depth cues

Perceptual features that impart information about distance and three-dimensional (3-D) space that require just one eye.

pictorial depth cues

Monocular depth cues found in paintings, drawings, and photographs that impart information about space, depth, and distance.

Motives

Sex, Anxiety, and Hunger are all

Habituation

Tendency to disregard familiar/unchanging stimuli (ex. Grizzley bears appearing in yellowstone when people are around)

Consciousness

An organism's awareness of its external environment and internal mental processes.

waking consciousness

A state of clear, organized alertness.

disorder of consciousness

A condition of awareness that is atypical (e.g., coma; persistent vegetative state).

altered state of consciousness (ASC)

A condition of awareness distinctly different in quality or pattern from waking consciousness.

Hyponotism

State of consciousness characterized by focused attention, reduced peripheral awareness, and heightened suggestibility.

Hidden Observer

A detached part of the hypnotized person's awareness that silently watches events.

(1)

focus attention on what is being said,

(2)

relax and feel tired,

(3)

"let go" and accept suggestions easily, and

(4)

use a vivid imagination

What are the steps of Hypnosis?

Basic Suggestion Affect

The tendency of hypnotized persons to carry out suggested actions as if they were involuntary.

Meditation

Mental exercise for producing relaxation or heightened awareness.

Mindfulness meditation

Mental exercise based on widening attention to become aware of everything experienced at any given moment.

concentrative meditation

Mental exercise based on attending to a single object or thought.

relaxation response

The pattern of internal bodily changes that occurs at times of relaxation.

Beta Waves

Small, fast brain waves associated with being awake and alert.

alpha waves

Large, slow brain waves associated with relaxation and falling asleep.

rapid eye movements (REMs)

Swift eye movements during sleep.

REM sleep

Stage of sleep marked by rapid eye movements, high-frequency brain waves, and dreaming.

non-REM (NREM) sleep

Non-rapid eye movement sleep characteristic of sleep Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4.

light sleep (stage 1 sleep)

Marked by small, irregular brain waves and some alpha waves.

sleep spindles (stage 2)

Distinctive bursts of brain-wave activity that indicate a person is asleep.

delta waves (stage 3)

Large, slow brain waves that occur in deeper sleep

deep sleep (Stage 4 sleep)

The deepest form of normal sleep.

REM rebound

The occurrence of extra rapid eye movement sleep following REM sleep deprivation.

90

The first sleep cycle takes about ________ mins. In each subsequent cycle there is decreasing deep sleep and increasing REM sleep.

Dreams

Usually occur during REM sleep and reflecting waking events (neurocognitive theory).

repair/restorative theories of sleep

Proposals that lowering body and brain activity and metabolism during sleep may help conserve energy and lengthen life.

Sleep Deprivations

Being prevented from getting desired or needed amounts of sleep.

sleep-deprivation psychosis

A major disruption of mental and emotional functioning brought about by sleep loss.

Psychodynamic theories

Any theory of behavior that emphasizes internal conflicts, motives, and unconscious forces.

activation-synthesis hypothesis

Proposition that dreams are how brains process the random electrical discharges of REM sleep.

neurocognitive dream theory

Proposal that dreams reflect everyday waking thoughts and emotions.

Insomnia

Difficulty in getting to sleep or staying asleep.

Night Terror

A state of panic during NREM sleep.