Sensation and Perception Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of sensation, perception, the five senses, biological pathways, and psychological theories from the lecture transcript.

What is the difference between sensation and perception?

Sensation is the act of using sensory systems to detect environmental stimuli, while perception is the conscious recognition and identification of those stimuli.

What is the primary function of sensory receptor cells?

They are specialized cells that convert specific forms of environmental stimuli into neural impulses.

What is sensory transduction?

The process of converting a specific form of environmental stimuli into a neural impulse that the brain can read.

According to the Sensory Homunculus, why are the face and hands represented as larger areas in the somatosensory strip?

Because the space in the face and hand is very sensitive, requiring larger cortical representation.

Define the absolute threshold of a stimulus.

The smallest amount of a stimulus that most people can detect, such as the tick of a watch at $6\,metres$ in a quiet room.

What is the difference threshold (just noticeable difference)?

The minimal difference needed to notice a difference between two stimuli.

What does Signal Detection Theory suggest about response to signals?

Responses depend on an individual's ability to differentiate between the signal and noise, and on their response criteria.

What is sensory adaptation?

The phenomenon where repeated stimulation of a sensory cell leads to a reduced response over time.

How do bottom-up and top-down processing differ?

Bottom-up processing proceeds by transducing environmental stimuli into neural impulses moving to complex brain regions; top-down processing is led by cognitive processes like memory or expectations.

What is a 'perceptual set'?

The readiness to interpret a certain stimulus in a certain way.

Identify the five primary chemical taste receptors.

1. Sweet, 2. Sour, 3. Bitter, 4. Salt, 5. Umami (the taste of monosodium glutamate ($MSG$)).

Contrast the functions of the fast and slow pain pathways.

The fast pathway uses myelinated neurons to relay sharp, localized pain quickly; the slow pathway uses unmyelinated neurons and communicates with brain regions involving emotions (burning pain).

What are the three smallest bones in the human body (the ossicles)?

The maleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and stapes (stirrup).

What is the function of hair cells in the cochlea?

They deflect as the basilar membrane moves, transducing fluid sound waves into electrical activity and neural impulses sent to the brain.

Distinguish between Frequency Theory and Place Theory in hearing.

Frequency theory states different sound frequencies are converted into different rates of action potentials; Place theory states different frequencies activate specific regions of the basilar membrane.

Compare the roles of rods and cones in the retina.

Rods detect light for periphery and night vision (fuzzy); cones are for central and colour vision and are very acute (clear).

Describe the 'What' and 'Where' visual pathways.

The 'What' pathway (temporal cortex) helps determine the identity of an object; the 'Where' pathway (parietal cortex) helps locate objects in space.

Define prosopagnosia.

A form of visual agnosia where a person cannot recognize faces due to damage to the 'what' pathway.

List the five Gestalt Law types mentioned for top-down processing.

Proximity, Similarity, Continuity, Closure, and Figure-ground.

What are binocular cues for depth perception?

Cues from both eyes, specifically retinal disparity (different images on each retina) and convergence (eyes moving toward each other for close objects).

Name the four monocular cues from the text used to perceive depth with one eye.

Relative height (elevation), texture gradient, relative size, and linear perspective.

What do size and shape constancy demonstrate?

Our top-down tendency to view objects as unchanging despite shifts in distance or angle of the environmental stimuli received.

What are the characteristics of Amblyopia?

A loss of visual abilities in a weaker eye due to abnormal development of the visual cortex before the age of six.

How does the 'cocktail party effect' demonstrate sound adaptation or filtering?

The brain filters out unimportant sounds but picks up on relevant sounds, such as one's own name, in a noisy environment.

What is the function of Pacinian corpuscles?

They are located deep in the skin and respond to vibrations and heavy pressure.