PSYC 100 Exam 2 Weeks 5-10

sensation

detecting physical energy with our sense organs (eyes, skin, noise, tounge)

perception

the brain’s interpretation of the raw sensory information

illusion

the way we perceive a stimulus doesn’t match its physical reality

transduction

conversion of an external stimulus into a neural signal

sensory receptors

specialized cells designed to convert a certain kind of external information into a neural signal

sensory adaptation

sensory neurons adjust their sensitivity based on recent stimulu history

aftereffects

opposing sensory or perceptual distortions that occur after adaptation

describe the order of a physical stimulus to the brain to process

external stimulus>transduction by receptors>signal carried to the brain by neurons> routed through the thalamus> arrives at the appropriate location of the brain

A- crest, B- trough, C- wavelength D- amplitude

for a sound wave what does the wavelength represent

pitch

for a light wave what does the wavelength represent

color

what color is high frequency

purple/violet

what color is low frequency

red

psychophysics

how the physical world (like light waves, sound levels, or weights) connects to our mental world (what we actually see, hear, or feel)

absolute threshold

the lowest level of a stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a change 50% of the time

why is absolute threshold 50% of the time?

because human perception is not all or nothing

just noticeable difference (JND)

the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect 50% of the time

weber’s law

the stronger the stimulus, the bigger the change needed to detect it

does doubling a physical stimulus double your sensation

no

signal detection theory

how stimuli are detected under different conditions

what is a signal

what you are trying to detect

what is noise

similar stimuli that might compete with the signal and interfere with your ability to detect the signal

explain signal to noise ratio

difficulty detecting your signal is correlated to how much noise there is

what is a “hit” in signal detection theory

true positive, stimulus was present and you responded yes

what is a “false alarm” in signal detection theory

false postive, stimulus was absent but you still said yes

what is a “miss” in signal detection theory

false negative, stimulus was present but you said no

what is a “correct rejection” in signal detection theory

true negative, stimulus was absent and you responded no

what is a liberal in signal detection theory

says yes often

what is a conservative in signal detection theory

says yes rarely

Dichotic listening

a psychological and audiological test where two different auditory stimuli are played at the same time—one into each ear—via headphones, information is only reported through the attended ear

cocktail party effect

when important information pops out in a conversation your not attending (like your name)

inattentional blindness

you fail to notice a clear, unexpected object or event in your field of vision because your attention is focused on a primary task (gorilla experiment)

change blindness

which an observer fails to detect large or obvious alterations in a visual scene

bottom-up processing

brain interprets information, starting with raw sensory input and building up to a complete perception without relying on past memories or expectations

top-down processing

processing influenced by previous experience and knowledge

is sensation bottom up or top down

bottom up

is perception bottom up or top down

top down

perceptual sets

when expectations influence our perceptions

A- eyelid, B- pupil, C- sclera, D- iris

pupil function

where light enters

iris function

controls pupil size determining how much light is let in

cornea function

focus light, covers the iris and pupil

lens function

disc that helps blend light

A- cillary body, B- cornea, C- iris, D- lens, E- sclera, F- retina, G- choroid, H- optic nerve, I- vitreous humor

myopia

nearsightedness

hyperopia

farsightedness

what is the retina

the membrane at the back of the eye responsible for converting light into a neural signal

what is the fovea

central portion of the retina that is responsible for sharpness of vision

what is acuity

sharpness of vision

saccades

small jerky movements of the eye that allow for rapid change focus, puts the fovea on a new location of the retina

rods

respond to low levels of light, not color sensitive, more common outside of fovea

cones

sensitive to fine detail, mostly in fovea, color sensitive

optic nerve

a bundle of axons that travel from retina to brain

blind spot

area of the retina where the optic nerve exits the eye

hue

the color of light that corresponds to wave length

trichromatic theory

color vision is based on 3 primary colors: blue green red

what are the 3 types of cones we have

a cone that likes red, one likes green and one like blue

opponent process theory

we perceive colors in terms of three pairs of opponent colors: red-green, blue-yellow, black-white

depth perception

your brain's ability to judge distance, height, width, and spatial relationships in a three-dimensional (3D) environment

Binocular depth cues

require input from both eyes working together (objects close to you)

Monocular cues

perceived using just one eye

Binocular disparity

the slight difference in the images projected onto the left and right retinas because the two human eyes sit a few inches apart on the face

Convergence

eyes converge to see near objects

list monocular depth cues

relative size, texture gradient, interposition, linear perspective, height in plane, light and shadow, and motion parallax

how are we able to process depth

The brain puts together information from multiple cues, and makes ts best guesses arrive at a 3D representation of the world. information from retina does not specify depth

shape constancy

perceived shape is constant, even though shape of the image varies

size constancy

the visual system's ability to perceive an object as the same physical size even when its distance changes and the size of its image on the retina grows or shrinks

perceptual constancy

perceive stimuli as consistent across varied conditions

color constancy

perceive color stimuli as consistent across varied conditions

figure-ground separation

your visual system automatically tries to identify figure

gestalt principles

human brain automatically organizes fragmented visual information into meaningful wholes

common fate

objects moving at the same direction and at the same speed are perceived as a group (people doing the wave)

synchrony

stimuli that are perceived to occur at the same time are perceived as part of the same event (dropping an object on the floor and the sound that occurs)

proximity

Objects that are physically close to each other are perceived as belonging to the same group or unit

similarity

Items that share similar visual characteristics (such as shape, color, or size) are grouped together, leading you to perceive vertical columns rather than a random grid

continuity

The brain prefers to perceive continuous, smooth paths or lines rather than abrupt, jagged changes in direction

closure

The mind automatically fills in missing gaps in a shape to perceive a complete, recognizable figure

common region

Elements enclosed within the same defined boundary are perceived as a single group, overriding proximity or similarity

connectedness

Elements that are physically connected by a line or explicit link are perceived as more related than elements that are unconnected

loudness on a sound wave is what?

amplitude

timbre

the unique tone quality or "tone color" of a sound that lets you tell different instruments or voices apart, even when they play the exact same pitch at the same loudness

what does middle ear do

transmit sounds from ear from to inner ear

what does inner ear do

converts sound waves into electrical signals for hearing and detects head motion and position to maintain balance

what does cochlea do

transduction accomplished by the movements hair cells on the conchlea called cilia

what is place theory

our perception of a sound's pitch depends on the specific location or place along the basilar membrane inside the cochlea that vibrates most intensely in response to that sound wave

frequency theory

neuron firing rate matches pitch

volley principle

an auditory processing concept stating that groups of neurons in the auditory system fire action potentials in staggered, alternating sequences (taking turns) so that their combined discharge rate can encode sound frequencies higher than any single neuron could manage on its own

Binaural cues

depending on having 2 ears

interaural level difference

the difference in sound intensity (loudness) and pressure level between the left and right ears

Interaural timing difference

sound from the right side reaches the right ear first (just a little)

conductive deafness

malfunctioning of the ear drum or ossicles

sensorineural hearing loss

neural signals are not transmitted from conclea

noise induced hearing loss

damage to hair cells due to loud noises

learning

change in an organism’s behavior or thoughts as a result of experience

what are the two types of learning

non-associative and associative

non-associvative learning

a form a learning that involves responding to a single stimulus

Habituation

A decreased behavioral response to a repeated, benign (harmless or irrelevant) stimulus

Sensitization

An increased behavioral response to a repeated or strong/noxious (harmful/painful) stimulus

associative learning

occurs when an organism makes connections between 2 or more stimuli/events that occur together in the environment

classical conditioning

an unconscious learning process where a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with a naturally occurring stimulus until the neutral stimulus triggers an automatic, learned response