PSYCHOLOGY

CHAPTER 6 - Sensation and Perception

Question visual agnosia prosopagnosia sensation perception sensory receptors sensory transduction psychophysics absolute threshold signal-detection theory subliminal perception difference threshold just noticeable difference (jnd) weber's law sensory adaption vision visible spectrum sclera cornea iris pupil lens retina accommodation myopia hyperopia Answer a condition in which an individual can see objects and identify their features but cannot recognize the objects a condition in which an individual can recognize details in feces but cannot recognize faces as a whole the process that detects stimuli from the body or surroundings the process that organizes sensations into meaningful patterns specialized cells that detect stimuli and convert their energy into neural impulses the process by which sensory receptors convert stimuli into neural impulses the study of the relationship between the physical characteristics of stimuli and the conscious psychological experiences that are associated with them the minimum amount of stimulation that an individual can detect through a given sense the theory holding that the detection of a stimulus depends on both the intensity of the stimulus and the physical and psychological state of the individual the unconscious perception of stimuli that are too weak to exceed the absolute threshold for detection the minimum amount of change in stimulation that can be detected weber and fechner's term for the difference threshold the principle that the amount of change in stimulation needed to produce a just noticeable difference is a constant proportion of the original stimulus the tendency of the sensory receptors to respond less and less to a constant stimulus the sense that detects objects by the light reflected from them into the eyes the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that we commonly call light the tough, white, outer membrane of the eye the round, transparent area in the front of the sclera that allows light to enter the eye the donut-shaped band of muscles behind the cornea that gives the eye its color and controls the size of the pupils the opening of the center of the iris that controls how much light enters the eye the transparent structure behind the pupil that focuses light onto the retina the light-sensitive inner membrane of the eye that contains the receptor cells for vision the process by which the lens of the eye increases its curvature to focus light from close objects or decreases its curvature to focus light from more distant objects visual nearsightedness, which is caused by an elongated eyeball visual farsightedness, which is caused by a shortened eyeball

rods cones optic nerve fovea smooth pursuit movements optic chaism visual cortex photopigments dark adaptation trichromatic theory opponent-process theory afterimage color blindness figure-ground perception feature-detector theory illusory contours depth perception binocular cues monocular cues size constancy shape consistancy brightness constancy visual illusion moon illusion audition tympanic membrane cochlea

receptor cells of the retina that play an important role in night vision and peripheral vision receptor cells of the retina that play an important role in daylight vision and color vision the nerve, formed from the axons of ganglion cells, that carries visual impulses from the retina to the brain a small area at the center of the retina that contains only cones and provides the most acute vision eye movements controlled by the ocular muscles that keep objects focused on the fovea the point under the frontal lobes at which some axons from each of the optic nerves cross over to the opposite side of the brain the area of the occipital lobes that processes visual input chemicals, including rhodopsin and iodopsin, that enable the rods and cones to generate neural impulses the process by which the eye become more sensitive to light when under low illumination the theory that color vision depends on the relative degree of stimulation of red, green and blue receptors the theory that color vision depends on red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white opponent processes in the brain an image that persists after the removal of a visual stimulus the inability to distinguish between certain colors, most often red and green the distinguishing of an object (the figure) from its surroundings (the ground) the theory that we construct perceptions of stimuli from activity in neurons of the brain that are sensitive to specific features of those stimuli the perception of nonexistent contours as if they were the edges of real objects the perception of the relative distance of objects depth perception cues that require input from the two eyes depth perception cues that require input from only one eye the perceptual process that makes an object appear to remain the same size despite changes in the size of the image it casts on the retina the perceptual process that makes an object appear to maintain its normal shape regardless of the angle from which it is viewed the perceptual process that makes an object maintain a particular level of brightness despite changes in the amount of light reflected from it a misperception of physical reality usually caused by the misapplication of visual cues the misperception that the moon is larger when it is at the horizon than when it is overhead the sense of hearing the eardrum; a membrane separating the outer ear from the middle ear that vibrates in response to sound waves that strike it the spiral, fluid-filled structure of the inner ear that contains the receptor cells for hearing

basilar membrane auditory nerve auditory cortex pitch perception place theory

frequency theory

volley theory loudness perception conduction deafness nerve deafness timbre sound localization olfaction pheromone gustation taste buds skin senses somatosensory cortex gate-control theory placebo acupuncture transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) kinesthetic sense vestibular sense otolith organs

a membrane running the length of the cochlea that contains the auditory receptor (hair) cells the nerve that conducts impulses from the coclea to the brain the area of the temporal lobes that processes sounds the subjective experience of the highness or lowness of a sound, which corresponds most closely to the frequency of the sound waves that compose it the theory of pitch perception that assumes that hair cells at particular points on the basilar membrane are maximally responsive to sound waves of particular frequencies the theory of pitch perception that assumes that the basilar membrane vibrates as a whole in direct proportion to the frequency of the sound waves striking the eardrum the theory of pitch perception that assumes that sound waves of particular frequencies induce auditory neurons to fire in volleys, with one volley following another the subjective experience of the intensity of a sound, which corresponds most closely to the amplitude of the sound waves composing it hearing loss usually caused by blockage of the auditory canal, damage to the eardrum, or deterioration of the ossicles of the middle ear hearing loss caused by damage to the hair cells of the basilar membrane, the axons of the auditory nerve, or the neurons of the auditory cortex the subjective experience that identifies a particular sound and corresponds most closely to the mixture of sound waves composing it the process by which the individual determines the location of a sound the sense of smell, which detects molecules carried in the air an odorous chemical secreted by an animal that affects the behavior of other animals the sense of taste, which detects molecules of substances dissolved in the saliva structures lining the grooves of the tongue that contain the taste receptor cells the senses of touch, temperature, and pain the area of the parietal lobes that processes information from sensory receptors in the skin the theory that pain impulses can be blocked by the closing of a neuronal gate in the spinal cord an inactive substance that might induce some of the effects of the drug for which it has been substituted a pain-relieving technique that relies on the insertion of fine needles into various sites on the body the use of electrical stimulation of sites on the body to provide pain relief, apparently by stimulating the release of endorphins the sense that provides information about the position of the joints, the degree of tension in the muscles, and the movement of the arms and legs the sense that provides information about the head's position in space and helps in the maintenance of balance the vestibular organs that detect horizontal or vertical linear movement of the head

semicirucular canals extrasensory perception (ESP) parapsychology mental telepathy clairvoyance precognition deja vu Psycho-kinesis (PK)

the curved vestibular organs of the inner ear that detect rotary movements of the head in any direction the alleged ability to perceive events without the use of sensory receptors the study of extrasensory perception, psycho-kinesis, and related phenomena the alleged ability to perceive the thoughts of others the alleged ability to perceive objects or events without any sensory contact with them the alleged ability to perceive events in the future a feeling that you have experienced a present situation in the past and that you can anticipate what will happen next the alleged ability to control objects with the mind alone