Psych Test 4

Pitch

The perceived frequency of a sound, determined by the wavelength of the sound wave.

Wavelength of sound

The distance between consecutive peaks of a sound wave, determining its pitch.

Loudness

The perceived intensity of a sound, determined by the amplitude of the sound wave.

Amplitude of sound

The height of the sound wave, which affects how loud the sound is perceived to be.

Place Theory

A theory of hearing where pitch perception is determined by which place on the cochlea's basilar membrane is activated by sound waves.

Frequency Theory

The theory that pitch perception is determined by the rate at which nerve impulses travel up the auditory nerve.

Sound Localization

The ability to determine the location of a sound source based on time and intensity differences at both ears.

Conduction Deafness

Hearing loss resulting from problems in the outer or middle ear, often treatable with hearing aids.

Sensorineural Deafness

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve, often treated with cochlear implants.

Chemical Senses

Senses, including olfaction (smell) and gustation (taste), responsible for detecting chemicals in the environment.

Thalamus - Smell is Not Processed Here

Smell is processed directly by the olfactory bulb, not through the thalamus, unlike other senses.

Pheromones

Chemical signals that affect the behavior or physiology of other individuals of the same species.

Gustatory Cells

Specialized cells on taste buds responsible for detecting different taste stimuli.

Taste Receptors

Receptors on taste buds that respond to specific chemicals in food, influencing taste sensitivity.

Supertasters

Individuals with a higher density of taste buds, more sensitive to certain tastes, especially bitterness.

Nontasters

Individuals with fewer taste buds, less sensitive to tastes, especially bitterness.

Touch

The sense that detects pressure, temperature, and pain through skin receptors.

Hot = Warm and Cold Receptor Activation

The sensation of 'hot' arises from simultaneous activation of warm and cold receptors.

Pain (Gate Control Theory)

The theory that the spinal cord contains a 'gate' that regulates pain signals to the brain.

Phantom Limb Syndrome

A condition where amputees still feel sensations, including pain, in the absent limb.

Gustation/Olfaction = Strong Sensory Interaction

Taste and smell strongly interact, with smell significantly influencing taste perception.

Vestibular Sense

The sense of balance and spatial orientation maintained by the vestibular system in the inner ear.

Kinesthesis

The sense of body position and movement detected by receptors in muscles and joints.

Bottom-up Processing

Perception that begins with sensory input, where raw data builds up to a higher-level understanding.

Top-down Processing

Perception influenced by cognitive frameworks, expectations, and prior knowledge.

Schemas

Cognitive structures that help organize and interpret information based on past experiences.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another, influenced by expectations and context.

Context

The surrounding environment or conditions in which a stimulus occurs, influencing perception.

Gestalt Principles

Principles that describe how we organize visual elements into groups or unified wholes.

Attention

The cognitive process of focusing on specific information while ignoring distractions.

Selective Attention

Focusing on a particular object while ignoring irrelevant stimuli.

Cocktail Party Effect

The ability to focus on one conversation in a noisy environment and still notice relevant information.

Change Blindness

The failure to notice significant changes in a visual scene during visual disruption.

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to notice something right in front of us because our attention is focused elsewhere.

Habituation

Decreasing response to a repeated stimulus over time.

Sensory Adaptation

Decreased sensitivity to a constant or unchanging stimulus.

Visual Cliff

An experimental apparatus used to study depth perception in infants and animals.

Binocular Depth Cues

Cues for depth perception that require both eyes, such as retinal disparity and convergence.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues that require only one eye, including relative clarity and linear perspective.

Perceptual Constancy

The perception that object characteristics remain constant despite changes in sensory input.

Apparent Motion

The illusion of movement when stationary objects are shown in rapid succession.

Concepts

Mental categories used to organize objects, events, or ideas based on shared characteristics.

Prototypes

The most typical or ideal example of a concept.

Metacognition

Thinking about one's own thinking processes, including self-awareness and strategy adjustments.

Schemas (Assimilation and Accommodation)

Frameworks that help organize information, with assimilation incorporating new information and accommodation creating new frameworks.

Algorithms

Step-by-step procedures that guarantee a solution to a problem.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making and problem-solving.

Representativeness Heuristic

Judging the likelihood of an event based on how closely it resembles a prototype.

Availability Heuristic

Making judgments based on how easily examples come to mind.

Mental Set

A tendency to use past strategies for problem-solving, which can hinder creativity.

Functional Fixedness

The cognitive bias that limits the use of objects to their traditional functions.

Priming

Exposure to a stimulus that influences a response to a later stimulus.

Framing

The way information is presented can influence decisions and judgments.

Gambler’s Fallacy

The belief that past independent events can influence future outcomes.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy

The tendency to continue an endeavor due to prior investment, despite current losses.

Executive Functions

High-level cognitive processes involved in planning, decision-making, and self-control.

Creativity

The ability to produce novel and valuable ideas or solutions.

Convergent Thinking

The ability to find a single, best solution to a problem.

Divergent Thinking

The ability to generate many different ideas or solutions to an open-ended problem.