Psychology Chapter 4: Sensation, Perception, Vision and Hearing, Psychology 4.3–4.4: Sensation, Perception & Depth Cues

What is sensation?

The process of detecting, converting, and transmitting raw sensory information to the brain.

What is perception?

The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information into meaningful objects and events.

What is bottom-up processing?

Information processing that begins with raw sensory data sent to the brain for higher-level analysis.

What is top-down processing?

Information processing that starts with higher-level cognitive processes and works down to the parts.

What is transduction?

The conversion of sensory stimuli into neural impulses to be sent to the brain.

What is coding in the context of sensory stimuli?

The process by which neural impulses travel along different routes to specific areas in the brain.

What is psychophysics?

The study of the link between the physical characteristics of stimuli and the psychological experience of them.

What is sensory reduction?

The filtering of incoming sensations to prevent overwhelming the brain with unnecessary information.

What is the absolute threshold?

The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

What is the difference threshold?

The minimal difference needed to notice a stimulus change 50% of the time, also known as the 'just noticeable difference.'

What is subliminal perception?

The detection of stimuli below the absolute threshold for detection.

What is sensory adaptation?

A sensory system's reduced responsiveness to unchanging stimuli.

What is gate-control theory?

A theory that pain sensations are processed and altered by mechanisms within the spinal cord.

What can open the pain gate according to gate-control theory?

Damaged tissue and neurotransmitters like Substance P.

What can close the pain gate?

Counterpressure and endorphins.

What is phantom limb pain?

Pain and other sensations generated by the brain when normal sensory input is disrupted.

What is the retina?

The light-sensitive inner surface of the back of the eye that contains receptor cells for vision.

What are rods and cones?

Rods detect shades of gray and are important in dim light; cones detect color and fine detail.

What is the blind spot?

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, containing no receptor cells for vision.

What is accommodation in vision?

The automatic adjustment of the eye to focus light on the retina from objects at different distances.

What is trichromatic theory?

The theory that color perception results from three types of cones in the retina responsive to red, green, and blue.

What is opponent process theory?

The theory that color perception is based on three systems of color opposites: blue-yellow, red-green, and black-white.

What is myopia?

Nearsightedness, a common vision problem.

What is hyperopia?

Farsightedness, a common vision problem.

What is presbyopia?

Age-related loss of elasticity in the lens, affecting vision.

What is place theory for hearing?

The theory that pitch perception is linked to the specific spot on the cochlea's basilar membrane that is stimulated.

What is frequency theory for hearing?

The theory that pitch perception occurs when nerve impulses sent to the brain match the frequency of the sound wave.

What is the role of the ossicles in hearing?

They amplify sound energy as it is transferred from the outer and middle ear to the inner ear.

What is conductive hearing loss?

Middle-ear deafness resulting from problems with transferring sound waves to the inner ear.

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Inner-ear deafness resulting from damage to the cochlea, hair cells, or auditory nerve.

What are the three steps of perception?

Selection, Organization, Interpretation

What is selective attention?

Filtering out and attending only to important sensory messages.

What phenomenon describes the ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment?

Cocktail Party Phenomenon

What are feature detectors?

Specialized neurons that respond only to certain sensory information.

What is habituation?

The brain's reduced responsiveness to unchanging stimuli.

How do we organize visual sensory data?

In terms of Form, Depth, and Constancy.

What principle emphasizes the importance of organization in form perception?

Gestalt principles.

What is figure-ground organization?

The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings.

What are the two main types of grouping in Gestalt principles?

Similarity and Proximity.

What is depth perception?

The ability to perceive the distance between objects and see the world in three dimensions.

What are binocular depth cues?

Cues that require both eyes to perceive depth, such as retinal disparity and convergence.

What is retinal disparity?

The difference in the retinal images of the two eyes.

What are monocular depth cues?

Cues that provide depth information when viewed with only one eye.

What is linear perspective?

A monocular depth cue that involves parallel lines converging in the distance.

What is accommodation in terms of depth perception?

The adjustment of the lens shape to focus on objects at different distances.

What is motion parallax?

The perception that close objects appear to move faster than distant objects.

What are perceptual constancies?

The tendency to perceive the environment as stable despite changes in sensory signals.

What influences the interpretation stage of perception?

Sensory Adaptation, Perceptual Set, and Frame of Reference.

What is extrasensory perception (ESP)?

The claimed ability to perceive information beyond normal sensory channels.

What are the five taste sensations?

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami.

What is the role of olfactory receptors?

They detect airborne chemicals and send signals to the brain for smell perception.

What are pheromones?

Airborne chemicals that affect behavior, including recognition and mating.

What are the main skin senses?

Pain, Temperature, Fine Touch, and Pressure.

What is the vestibular sense?

The sense that provides information about body position and movement.

What is kinesthesis?

The sensory system for detecting body posture and movement of individual body parts.