Psych 2e Chapter 5

Define sensation.

The process of detecting environmental stimuli through sensory receptors.

Define perception.

The process of organizing, interpreting, and consciously experiencing sensory information.

What is transduction in sensation?

The conversion of sensory stimuli into neural signals.

What is the absolute threshold?

The minimum stimulus intensity detected 50% of the time.

What is the difference threshold (just noticeable difference)?

The smallest detectable difference between two stimuli.

What is sensory adaptation?

Reduced sensitivity to a constant or unchanging stimulus over time.

What is inattentional blindness?

Failure to notice visible objects due to focus on something else.

What does signal detection theory explain?

How detection of stimuli depends on internal and external factors.

What is bottom-up processing?

Perception built from incoming sensory information.

What is top-down processing?

Perception influenced by prior knowledge, experience, and expectations.

What does amplitude determine?

Brightness in light and loudness in sound.

What does wavelength determine?

Color in light and pitch in sound.

How are wavelength and frequency related?

They are inversely related.

What is the visible spectrum range?

400 to 700 nanometers.

What is the human range of hearing?

20 to 20,000 Hz.

What is timbre?

The quality or tone of a sound.

What are rods?

Photoreceptors that detect dim light and are not color sensitive.

What are cones?

Photoreceptors that detect color and detail in bright light.

What is the fovea?

The central part of the retina with the highest cone concentration.

What is the optic nerve?

The nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.

What happens at the optic chiasm?

Visual information crosses to the opposite side of the brain.

What is a negative afterimage?

A visual image that appears in complementary colors after the original is removed.

What does the trichromatic theory propose?

Color vision comes from three types of cones: red, green, and blue.

What does the opponent-process theory propose?

Color vision is based on opposing color pairs like red-green.

What are the ossicles?

Three small bones in the middle ear: malleus, incus, and stapes.

What is the cochlea?

A fluid-filled inner ear structure that detects sound via hair cells.

What is the basilar membrane?

The part of the cochlea that holds hair cells and responds to sound vibrations.

What are hair cells in the ear?

Sensory receptors for sound located on the basilar membrane.

What is place theory of pitch perception?

Pitch is determined by the location of hair cell activation on the basilar membrane.

What are binaural cues?

Sound localization cues that require both ears.

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Hearing loss caused by damage to inner ear hair cells or auditory nerve.

What is gustation?

The sense of taste.

What is olfaction?

The sense of smell.

What are the five basic tastes?

Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.

What are taste buds?

Groups of