ap psych unit 3 - sensation and perception

sensation

stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to CNS

transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another

absolute threshold

minimal amount of energy that can produce a sensation 50% of the time

difference threshold/just noticeable difference

minimum difference required between 2 stimuli so that they’ll be perceived as different 50% of the time

webers law

to perceive as different, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum proportion

signal detection theory

we notice things based on how strong they are and on how much we're paying attention

sensory adaptation

become less sensitive to stimuli that is constant

subliminal perception

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

vision

lightwaves

vision capture

tendency of vision to dominate other senses

hue

color of light, determined by wavelength

intensity

amount of energy in waves

cornea

transparent tissue forming the outer protective surface of the eyeball.

iris

muscular membrane that regulates light that enters the eye (colored part of the eye)

pupil

black adjustable opening in the center of the iris

lens

transparent body behind iris. Focuses the image onto the retna

accommodation

lens changes shape to focus near and far objects onto the retna

presbyopia

your lens gets brittle and can’t see up close

retna

inner surface of the eye that contains photoreceptors

rods

intensity of light

cones

recepted to color

fovea

center of retna where vision is most accurate

bipolar cells

conducts neuro impulses from rods and cones to ganglion cells

ganglion cells

neurons where axons from the optic nerve

optic nerve

nerve transmits sensory information to eye to brain

blind spot

areas of the retna where axons from the ganglion cells form the optic nerve

cerebral cortex

upper brain, four lobes

feature detectors

nerve cells in brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific features of stimuli such as shape, angle, movement

face recognition area

right temporal lobe

parallel processing

brains ability to do many things at once in different areas of the brain

binding

bringing different jobs together

trichromatic/young helmholtz theory

all color vision is red, green or blue

opponent process theory

red/green, blue/yellow, or brightness black/white (you see one)

color blindness

males- 8%

females- 0.5%

hearing/audition

sound waves

outer ear / pinna

it catches and funnels sound waves into the auditory canal

middle ear

amplifier

eardrum/tympanic membrane

transmits the wave to the middle ear

ossicles

3 small bones (hammer/malleus, anvil/incus, stirrup/stapes)

Oval Window

membrane that transmits vibrations from stirrup to the cochlea

Cochlea

boney, fluid filled tube that vibrates

basilar membrane

in cochlea and contains cilia

auditory nerve

axons send neural impulses to thalamus, auditory cortex (temporal)

loudness

the number of sensory neurons firing

pitch

how high (short) or low (long) tone based on frequency

Place theory

section of the basilar membrane that vibrates

frequency/temporal theory

pitch is reflected in the frequency of the neuro impulses that are generated by sound

volley principle

cells fire alternately, but in quick succession to get about 1000Hz

duplicity theory

both place and frequency theory combined

sensorineural / nerve deafness

damage to cilia or auditory nerve

decibels

measure loudness (85 or louder over long periods of time causes hearing loss. 120 causes pain and instant hearing loss)

cochlea implant

device converts sound to an electrical signal to the auditory nerve

conduction deafness

damage in the middle ear that conducts sound to the inner ear

stereophonic hearing

intensity difference of the 2 ears that helps locate sound (doesn’t work if it’s directly above or below you)

smell/olfaction

chemical

olfactory membrane

millions olfactory receptor neurons in the nose (cilia) the older you get, the more taste you lose

olfactory nerve

transmits from olfactory receptors to olfactory bulbs

limbic system

Amygdala and hippocampus.

This is why smell is strong in memories and emotion.

pheromones

smell that influences behavior

Taste/Gustation

Odor, texture, temperature, vision and taste

taste buds

taste cells on tongue/mouth to thalamus and brain

Cutaneous (Touch) Receptors

pressure, temperature and pain

gate theory

spinal cord contains gate that allows or blocks pain signal

Psychological Factors

mind over matter (pain)

phantom limb

missing limb that you feel (brain only)

social culture

group pain

kinesthesis

senses position and movement of body parts

vestibular sense (inner ear)

balance in our bodies

semicircular canals (liquid ears-gravity)

sensory neurons monitor body movement and position

vestibular sacs

contain hair like receptors that bend (cilia)

parapsychology

study ESP (perception without sensory input) (telekineses, psychic ability)

perception

sensations are interpreted

psychophysics

study of relationships between sensation and perception

bottom up processing (sensation)

starts at sensory receptors and works up to higher level processing

top down processing

constructs perceptions by drawing on experience and expectations

sensory interaction

one sense may influence another (taste/smell, vision/hearing)

perceptual set

mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

selective attention

focusing attention on a particular stimulus

cocktail party effect

listen to one conversation and ignore the rest, until you hear your name

inattentional blindness

fail to see visible object when our attention is elsewhere

change blindness

failing to notice change in environment

change deafness

voice change

pop out

notice extreme change

visual perception

past knowledge, make information fit

gestalt approach

put information into meaningful wholes

figure ground perception

ability to focus on one specific piece of information in a busy background

grouping

organize stimuli into groups

closure

perceive a broken figure as whole

proximity

group together objects that are near one another

similarity

group together objects that are similar

continuity

a series of points or lines have unity

common fate

perceive elements that move together, as belonging together

symmetry

perceive forms that make up mirror image

auto kinetic effect

perceive a stationary point of light in a dark room as moving/twinkling

stroboscopic motion

perception of motion is generated by a series of stationary images presented in rapid succession

Phi Phenomenon

optical illusion to see a moving object from a series of images

monocular cues

depth that can be perceived with only one eye

linear perspective

parallel lines come together the further away they are

relative clarity

objects closer are sharp and clear.

objects far away are fuzzy and blurry.