AP Psychology Unit 3 - Sensation and Perception (review)

sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system detect information from the environment

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting information from the environment

bottom-up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory info from your toes and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, context and prior knowledge

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment because of in-attention

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.

difference threshold (JND)

how much it takes to notice a change in stimuli

Weber's law

the larger a stimulus the more change needed to notice the difference

sensory adaptation

decline in receptor cell activity, as a consequence of constant stimulation.

wavelength

the distance between two consecutive crests or troughs of a sound wave

lens

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.

retina

back of the eye, photosensitive because it retains receptor cells, visual information is transduced to the brain

accomodation

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape and size to focus near or far objects on the retina.

rods

retinal receptors that detect shape, movement, but not color (so black, white, and gray); peripheral vision

cones

allows us to see detail and color

optic nerve

takes visual information to the brain

blind spot

where the optic nerve hits the retina

fovea

the central focal point in the retina where cones are concentrated

opponent-process theory

cones are paired in the retina. you detect one color at a particular point in the retina but you cannot simultaneously see its opposing color. (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black)

Hearing

sound occurs though the movement of air molecules at different wavelengths(pitch) and amplitudes(loudness)
also known as: auditory

pitch

a tone' highness or lowness; depends on frequency.

middle ear

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones, auditory ossicles: (hammer, anvil, and stirrup)

tympanic membrane, (eardrum)

cochlea

snail-shaped thing in the inner ear

inner ear

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and basilar membrane

place theory

we hear different pitches because different sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochleas basilar membrane
Best for: High-frequency sounds

frequency theory

the whole basilar membrane vibrates with the incoming sound wave
Best for: Low-frequency sounds

conduction deafness

define: impairment in the mechanical transmission of sound waves to the cochlea

causes: ear wax buildup, fluid in the middle ear, damaged eardrums, aging and heredity

sensorineural deafness

define: damage to the cochlea’s hair receptor cells or auditory nerve

causes: aging, exposure to loud noises, certain medications

kinesthesia

body movement, we dont have to look at our body parts to know we’re moving

gate-control theory

process by which one can mitigate the perception of pain with a non-painful stimulus; pain goes through the spinal cord

gestalt

an organized whole.

figure-ground

the organization of the visual field into figures that stand out from the background

grouping

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.

depth perception

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.

visual cliff

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals.

binocular cues

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.

retinal disparity

a binocular cue - by comparing images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.

monocular cues

needs one eye to detect

phi phenomenon

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.

perceptual constancies

perceiving objects the same even when the images of the object in the visual field change

color constancy

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing in a particular way

sensory transduction

converting stimuli into neural signals which then is translated and sent to the brain

near sighted

can see near but not far

far sighted

can see far but not near

dark adaption

adapting to the dark

The 3 types of cones

R , G , B

afterimage

ganglion cells in the retina are activated while others are not

Trichromatic Theory

3 color cones; defect in cones

color blind

damage to one or more cones or ganglion cells

dichromatic

two cones are working

monochromatic

one or zero cones are working

prosopagnosia

face blindness - cannot recognize faces

blindsight

can see but very little

convergence

movement of eye muscles (converge)

interposition

where objects are placed in front of each other to give illusion that its closer

Texture gradient

amount of detail, blurs at a distance

relative size

an object is in smaller size when it is further away from you

relative clarity

things close are clear, things far away are hazy

apparent movement

can be visually perceived even when objects are not actually moving, flip book, gives the illusion of movement

closure

fill in missing info, close up images

similarity

group by similarity

proximaty

group by how near to one another

linear perspective

apparent convergence of parallel lines in the distance, illusion that its getting closer

baslar membrane

inside cochlea; linked with hair receptors (cilia)

semicircular canals

impacts balance, equilibrium

auditory nerve

takes sound into the brain

skin senses

skin receptor cells
warm/cold, pressure, pain

vestibular sense

controls your balance, detected by semicircular canals, cerrebellum

phantom limb pain

pain for a limb you don’t have

pain

processed both in the body and in the brain

smell

olfactory system, receptors, olfactory nerve, bulb,

taste

gustation

most of taste is?

what we smell

What are the taste sensations?

salty, sour, sweet, bitter, oleogustus, and
new sensation: unami/glutamate - savory

papilae

tiny raised part of the tongue that contains the taste buds

super taster

a person with a high number of tastes buds

medium tasters

average number of taste buds

non-tasters

less taste percepted

volley theory

groups of neurons fire in rapid succession, combining place and frequency theories
Best for: Mid-range frequencies

sound localization

the placement of our ears allows us to have stereophonic hearing. If you hear a noise coming from the right side, your right ear will receive a more intense sound, and it will be received slightly sooner than the left ear. (time difference of 0.000027)

synesthesia

integration of senses; senses interact and depend on each other
ex. sees music as color, tastes words

effect size

the magnitude of difference between the experimental and control group; is there a big or small difference?

Cohen’s d: measures the difference between two means (experiments);
small - 0.2, medium - 0.5, large - 0.8
Correlation Coefficient: measures the strength of a relationship between two variables (correlational studies);
small - 0.1, medium - 0.3, large - 0.5

Generalization

the study’s findings can be applied to other people - to the entire target population. the study has to be representative of the target population.