Intro to Psych: Exam 2 (Dr. Grace)

sensation

detecting stimuli and transforming them via receptor cells into neural messages

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular stimulus (light, sound, pressure, taste, odor) 50% of the time

what is the absolute threshold for vision?

Candle flame seen at 30 miles on a clear, dark night

what is the absolute threshold for sound?

Tick of a watch under quiet conditions at 20 feet.

subliminal stimulation

stimulation that may be perceived although it is below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

subliminal advertising

the use by advertisers of images and sounds to influence consumers' responses without their being conscious of it

does subliminal advertising work?

no; hence there is no law against its use

what is back masking?

Back masking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward.

Give an example of back masking; does it work?

Another One Bite's The Dust by Queen; no it does not work.

signal detection theory

the detection of a weak stimulus depends partly on a person's experience, expectation, motivation, and level of fatigue.

examples of signal detection theory

detectability (how loud, bright, or intense), noise (random sounds, music, muscle twitch), psychological states (expectation, hope, fear)

are we affected by subliminal messages? do we perceive them?

yes under certain circumstances (forced to focus, highly motivated, only in the lab); yes.

sensory adaptation

diminished sensitivity to a prolonged, unchanging stimulus

just noticeable difference

the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli 50% of the time; focused on and researched by Weber

naÏve realism

Picture, compare reality to picture, two imperfect copies, Plato. "That's a chair."

constructive perception

Parallel processing, mind processes everything at once; "bottom-up processing." 15 very fast steps.

psychophysics

how the physical world gets inside of our brains/minds. the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.

Gustav Fechner

coined the term "psychophysics" and worked with Wundt, using introspection

basic definition of psychophysics

how the physical world gets inside of our brains/minds

bottom-up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

what is the reality of vision/hearing?

we can only see/hear a small spectrum of what is out there

how do we see depth?

We only see a small spectrum of what is out there;

binocular cues

binocular cues

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

feature detectors

Corticol neurons that receive information from visual cortex and respond to specific features of scene such as shape, angles, or movement

pheromones; give 3 examples

odorous secretions that transmit information;

ants: death

dogs: mark territory

humans: menstrual cycle sychro

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth: by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.

monocular cues

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

phi phenomenon

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

perceptual constancy

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.

color constancy

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

perceptual adaptation

in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

human factors psychology

a branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use.

extrasensory perception (ESP)

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

parapsychology

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis.

shape constancy

familiar objects have constant form even while retinal images change

telepathy

direct communication from one mind to another

clairvoyance

perception of remote events

precognition

perception of future events

consciousness

the awareness of internal and external stimuli. Selective attention to ongoing, perception, thought, and feelings

controlled process

demand high concentration, alertness (i.e. taking exam)

automatic process

"auto pilot" little awareness or attention (driving a stick shift), hypnosis is the state.

How often do we cycle through variations in consciousness?

Every 90 minutes

sensory interaction

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.

gestalt "theory"

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

figure-ground "theory"

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

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.

opponent process theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

Weber's Law

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

circadian rhythm

regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

REM sleep

the sleep stage in which the brain and eyes are active, the muscles are relaxed and vivid dreaming occurs. Also known as paradoxical sleep.

REM Sleep and Paradoxical sleep

REM sleep is referred to as paradoxical sleep because our nervous system is highly active while our voluntary muscles hardly move.

alpha waves

The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

sleep

natural, periodic loss of consciousness, on which the body and mind depend for healthy functioning

hallucinations

False sensory experiences that occur without any sensory stimulus

delta waves

The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

NREM sleep

the stage of sleep associated with muscular relaxation. It encompasses all stages of sleep except REM sleep

insomnia

a person regularly has difficulty in falling or staying asleep

narcolepsy

A sleep disorder in which the victim suffers sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks. often characterized by entry directly into REM sleep

sleep apnea

A sleep disorder in which the person ceases breathing while asleep, and repeats this cycle throughout the night

night terrors

a person experiences episodes of high arousal with apparent terror. Usually occur during stage four

dreams

sequences of images, emotions, and thoughts the most vivid of which occur during REM sleep

manifest content

According to Freud, the story line of a dream

latent content

According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream

REM rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation; go directly into REM sleep, catch up, two week balance

hypnosis

A social interaction in which one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

post-hypnotic suggestion

A suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, that is to be carried out when the subject is no longer hypnotized

dissociation

A split between different levels of consciousness, allowing a person to divide attention between two or more thoughts or behaviors

near death experience

An altered state of consciousness that has been reported by some people who have had a close brush with death

infradian rhythms

occur less frequently than once a day (i.e. menstrual cycle)

circadian rhythms

occur once a day (i.e. sleep and wake cycle)

ultradian rhythms

follow a 90 minute cycle throughout the day and during sleep. Shorter then circadian.

hypnagogic state

the pleasant shift from wake to sleeping

stage one (of sleep)

awaken easily; slow, irregular waves, slow breath, hallucinations

stage two (of sleep)

sleep spindles, rapid, rhythmic brain activity; where you spend most of the night

stage three (of sleep)

hard to arouse; breathing slowed down; pulse slowed down

stage four (of sleep)

deepest sleep; complete delta waves, sleep talk, sleep walk, etc.

psychoanalytical perspective

dreams are keys to understanding inner conflict

physiological perspective

making sense of visual brain stimulation, preserving neural pathways

sleep disorders (how many, examples?)

More than 50:

Headbanging

Bruxism (teeth grinding)

Sleep myoclonus (kicking legs)

Restless legs syndromes (unceasing itching)

who discovered hypnosis?

Frank Mesmer

the process of sensation

the process by which our sense receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimuli from the environment

consciousness

the awareness of internal and external stimuli. Selective attention to ongoing perceptions, thoughts, feelings.

controlled processes

demand high concentration, alertness (i.e. taking an exam)

automatic processes

"auto pilot" little awareness or attention (i.e. driving a stick shift)

James believed in

streams of consciousness; "even when you sleep, you're still conscious"

Freud believed in

unconsciousness

importance of REM

restorative functions, facilitates learning and memory

psychoanalytic explanation

Freud- dreams are royal road to the unconscious, manifest vs. latent contact

physiological explanation

activation-synthesis hypothesis, spontaneous firings of neurons, the cortex generates interpretation

computer analogy explanation

Christopher Evans, brain is off-line while sleeping, mental housekeeping

day dreams

reduced eye movement, high level of alpha activity