Study Guide: Unit 1 Exam: Biological Bases of Behavior: Sensation & Sleep

Vocabulary practice flashcards for the 50 key terms from the Unit 1 Exam Study Guide on Biological Bases of Behavior: Sensation & Sleep, including research methods and sleep physiology.

Occipital Lobe

The region of the cerebral cortex located at the back of the head that is primarily responsible for processing visual information.

Hair Cells

Specialized auditory receptor cells located on the basilar membrane in the cochlea that transduce sound vibrations into neural signals.

Semicircular Canals

Three fluid-filled bony channels in the inner ear that detect angular acceleration and head rotation to maintain balance and equilibrium.

Vertigo

A sensation of whirling, dizziness, or illusory spinning movement, typically caused by dysfunction within the vestibular system or inner ear.

Rods

Retinal photoreceptors concentrated in the periphery that detect black, white, and gray, functioning best in dim lighting and night vision.

Cones

Retinal photoreceptors concentrated near the fovea that function in well-lit conditions, detecting fine detail and enabling color vision.

Lens

The transparent, flexible structure behind the pupil that changes shape via accommodation to focus light rays onto the retina.

Color Blindness

A visual impairment resulting from a deficiency or malfunction in one or more types of retinal cones, most commonly affecting red-green discrimination.

Sleep Apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by repeated temporary cessations of breathing during sleep followed by momentary awakenings.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder marked by uncontrollable sleep attacks, causing the individual to lapse directly into REM sleep at unexpected times.

Insomnia

A persistent sleep disorder characterized by ongoing difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep.

Sleep Walking

A parasomnia, also known as somnambulism, occurring during deep NREM sleep where an individual performs walking or other motor activities while asleep.

Olfactory Sense

The chemical sense of smell, initiated when airborne odor molecules bind to receptor cells in the nasal olfactory epithelium.

Night Terrors

A sleep disturbance occurring during deep NREM (stage 3) sleep, characterized by intense autonomic arousal, panic, and screaming, with little to no morning recall.

Gustation

The chemical sense of taste, mediated by taste buds that detect sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami stimuli.

Vestibular Sense

The sensory system responsible for providing information about head position, movement, spatial orientation, and balance.

Peripheral Vision

The ability to perceive objects, motion, and light outside the direct line of central gaze, largely mediated by retinal rods.

Retina

The light-sensitive inner lining at the back of the eye containing photoreceptor rods and cones as well as neural networks that begin visual processing.

Perceptual

Relating to the cognitive process of organizing, interpreting, and recognizing sensory information to understand the environment.

Fovea

The central focal point of the retina containing a dense concentration of cones where visual acuity and detail resolution are highest.

Trichromatic Theory

The Young-Helmholtz theory asserting that the retina contains three distinct types of color receptors sensitive to red, green, or blue, which combine to produce all color perceptions.

Opponent-Process Theory

The theory that opposing retinal and neural pathways (red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white) enable color perception, where activation of one color inhibits its opposing partner.

Dark Adaptation

The physiological process by which the visual system increases its sensitivity to light upon moving from a brightly lit environment into darkness.

Bottom-Up Processing

Sensory analysis that begins at the sensory receptors and moves upward to the brain for integration, driven entirely by raw incoming physical data.

Top-Down Processing

Information processing guided by higher-level cognitive processes, such as prior knowledge, expectations, experiences, and context.

Optic Nerve

The neural bundle composed of ganglion cell axons that carries visual signals from the retina to the brain.

Hearing Acuity

The sharpness, precision, or sensitivity of auditory perception in detecting and distinguishing varying pitches and sound intensities.

Sclera

The tough, protective, opaque white outer fibrous coat that surrounds the eyeball.

Blind Spot

The physiological region on the retina where the optic nerve exits the eyeball, lacking photoreceptor cells and thus unable to detect light.

Circadian Rhythms

Biological cycles of physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, such as the sleep-wake pattern.

NREM Sleep Stages

Non-rapid eye movement sleep comprising stages N1 (light sleep), N2 (sleep spindles and K-complexes), and N3 (slow-wave deep sleep).

Place Theory

The theory of hearing that links perceived pitch to the specific anatomical location along the basilar membrane stimulated by sound waves, best explaining high-frequency sounds.

Volley Principle

The auditory principle stating that clusters of neurons fire in rapid, alternating succession to achieve a combined firing rate that matches intermediate sound wave frequencies.

Gate-Control Theory

The theory proposing that a neurological mechanism in the spinal cord can open to allow pain signals to reach the brain or close to block them.

REM Sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep, a stage of sleep featuring rapid eye movements, high brainwave activity, vivid dreaming, and temporary skeletal muscle paralysis.

Long Wavelength (sound)

A sound wave characterized by a greater distance between crests, which results in a low frequency and produces a low-pitched sound.

Short Wavelength (sound)

A sound wave characterized by a short distance between crests, which results in a high frequency and produces a high-pitched sound.

High Amplitude (sound)

A sound wave with a tall peak-to-trough displacement, indicating high acoustic energy, which is perceived as a loud volume.

Low Amplitude (sound)

A sound wave with a low peak-to-trough displacement, indicating lower acoustic energy, which is perceived as a quiet or soft volume.

Pitch (high vs. low) (sound)

The psychological quality of sound highness or lowness, which is directly determined by the frequency of the sound wave.

Absolute Threshold (sound)

The minimum sound energy or decibel level required for an auditory stimulus to be detected at least $50\%$ of the time.

Frequency (sound)

The number of complete cycles or wavelengths passing a specific point per unit of time (measured in Hertz), determining perceived pitch.

Timbre

The unique auditory quality or color of a sound wave produced by its harmonic complexity and overtone structure, distinguishing different instruments or voices.

Random Assignment

An experimental procedure where participants are placed into experimental or control groups entirely by chance, minimizing baseline differences between groups.

Causal Relationship

A cause-and-effect relationship established experimentally in which changes in an independent variable directly cause changes in a dependent variable.

Amphetamines

A class of central nervous system stimulant drugs that boost dopamine and norepinephrine release, increasing physiological arousal, alertness, and energy.

Statistically Significant

A statistical determination indicating that experimental results are unlikely to have arisen purely due to chance (conventionally $p < 0.05$).

Generalize to a Population

The degree to which experimental or research findings obtained from a sample can be validly extended and applied to the broader target population.

Control Group

The group of participants in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment or independent variable manipulation, serving as a baseline for comparison.

Experimental Group

The group of participants in an experiment who are exposed to the independent variable or experimental treatment being tested.