Studied by 7 people
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information (sensation first)
top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations (experience first)
How do senses transfer to transduction?
by receiving sensory stimulation, transforming stimulation into neural impulses, delivering neural impulses to the brain
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, and our psychological experience of them
threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
subliminal perception
Stimuli that are too weak or too brief to be consciously seen or heard
priming
An enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or object, as a result of a recent exposure to the stimulus by experiences
difference thresholds
the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, meaning how much a stimulus needs to change for someone to notice a difference
Weber's Law
to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage
Sensory Adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Light Energy
Energy produced by the vibrations of electrically charged particles
puity of light waves determine...
vividness or clearness
height of a light waves determines...
intensity or brightness
blindspot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, no receptor cells are located there
fovea
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
bipolar cells
transports information from rods and cones to ganglion cells
Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory
theory of color vision based on additive color mixing; suggest that the retina contains three types of color receptors, cones: red, green, blue
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain's visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
parallel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
audition
the sense or act of hearing
sound waves
a longitudinal wave consisting of compressions and rarefactions, which travels through a medium
frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time; determines pitch
cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
hammer, anvil, stirrup
Three bones of the middle ear
ear canal
a tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear
oval window
membrane at the enterance to the cochlea through which the ossicles transmit vibrations
ear drum
a tightly stretched membrane at the end of the ear canal that vibrates when hit by sound waves
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
basilar membrane
membrane supporting the organ of Corti and hair cells in the cochlea
organ of corti
Center part of the cochlea, containing hair cells, canals, and membranes
just noticeable difference
difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli
Touch, sense of touch
tactile sense, vital for development and survival; sensations include pain, pressure, touch temperature; processed by parietal lobe
What is the Gate-control Theory?
A theory stating that the spinal cord has a 'gate' that can either block or allow pain signals to reach the brain.
How is the 'gate' in the Gate-control Theory opened and closed?
It is opened by pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and closed by activity in larger fibers or by information from the brain.
Nociceptors
sensory receptors that enable the perception of pain in response to potentially harmful stimuli
phantom limb sensation
patients who have had a limb amputated may still experience sensations such as itching, pressure, tingling, or pain as if the limb were still there
smell sense (olfaction)
only sense that bypasses the thalamus; works closly with taste through sensory interaction
how do you smell?
odorants enter nasal cavity, stimulates receptors, bypasses the thalamus and goes straight through the temporal lobe to be processed; also why smell is closely connected to memory
Sense of Taste (Gustation)
receptor organs are taste buds containing gustatory receptors (on tongue)
umani
the taste of savory foods
oleogustus
the taste of fat
papillae
taste buds
kinesthetic sense
sense of the location of body parts in relation to the ground and each other
phrenology
lead to focusing on localization
farsighted
a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects
nearsighted
a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects
volley principle
The theory holding that groups of auditory nerve fibers fire neural impulses in rapid succession, creating volleys of impulses.
pinna
the visible part of the ear
auditory canal
short tunnel that runs from the pinna to the eardrum
eardrum
a thin membrane that marks the beginning of the middle ear; sound waves cause it to vibrate
ossicles
three tiny bones in the middle ear
iris
Colored part of the eye
pupil
allows light to enter the eye
cornea
the transparent layer forming the front of the eye.
optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
vision receptors
rods and cones in the retina
vision key brain areas
occipital lobes
hearing receptors
cochlear hair cells in the inner ear
hearing key brain areas
temporal lobes
touch receptors
respond to mechanical stimulation of the skin
touch key brain areas
somatosensory cortex (parietal lobe)
taste key brain areas
frontal temporal lobe border
smell receptors
millions of olfactory cells (modified neurons) in the roof of the nasal cavity
smell key brain areas
olfactory bulb and temporal lobe
kinesthesia receptors
nerve endings in muscles, tendons, and joints
kinesthesia key brain areas
cerebellum and parietal lobe
vestibular sense receptors
hairlike receptors in the semicircular canals and vestibular sacs
vestibular sense key brain areas
cerebellum
sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
just-noticeable difference
the minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
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)
sensory interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
synesthesia
when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another
retina
Contains sensory receptors that process visual information and sends it to the brain
blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
visual nerve
carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
accommodation
the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
nearsightedness
a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina
farsightedness
a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina
rods
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray
photoreceptors
respond to light
cones
color vision
trichromatic theory
theory of color vision that proposes three types of cones: red, blue, and green
opponent-process theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision
afterimages
images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus is removed
ganglion cells
final output neurons of the retina which collects the electrical messages concerning visual signals from two layers of nerve cells
dichromatism
one cone type is missing or malfunctioning
monochromatism
the inability to distinguish colors; also known as color blindness
prosopagnosia
inability to recognize faces
pitch perception
the aspect of hearing that allows us to tell how high or low a given tone is
place theory
in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
volley theory
A theory of hearing that states that the firing rate of an acoustic nerve matches a sound wave's frequency. Also called frequency-matching theory.
frequency theory
in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
sound localization
the process by which the location of sound is determined
Note 
Flashcard (20)