Understanding Sensation and Perception: Key Concepts Explained
School
University of British Columbia**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
PSYCH 111
Subject
Psychology
Date
Dec 11, 2024
Pages
14
Uploaded by CaptainOpossumMaster1196
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 1.___ absolute threshold 2.___ Decision criterion 3.___ Difference threshold 4.___ Perception 5.___ Webber’s Law6.___ Sensation 7.___ Sensory adaptation 8.___ Signal detection theory 9.___ Subliminal stimuli 10.___ synesthesia a.A “mixing of the senses”b.The stimulus-detection process by which sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses sent to the brain c.The active process of recognizing stimulus input and giving it meaning. d.The lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time e.A standard of how certain a person must be that a stimulus is present before they will say they detect it f.Concerned with the factors that influence sensory judgements g.A stimulus that is so weak or brief that it cannot be perceived consciously h.The smallest difference between two stimuli that people can detect 50% of the time i.The difference threshold is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which the comparison is being made j.Diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus k.The study of the relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and sensory capabilities. Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception Key Terms Matching Sensory Processes The Sensory Systems 1.___ amplitude 2.___ Dual Process Theory 3.___ Cochlea 4.___ Conduction deafness 5.___ Cones 6.___ Dark adaptation 7.___ Feature detectors 8.___ Fovea 9.___ frequency 10.___ Frequency Theory 11.___ ganglion cells 12.___ Hyperopia a.Nearsightedness b.Farsightedness c.Colour receptors d.Black-and-white brightness receptors e.A small area in the centre of the retina that contains only cones f.The process by which the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses g.The progressive improvement in brightness sensitivity that occurs over time under conditions of low illumination h.Theory that there are three types of colour receptors in the retina i.Theory that each of the three cone types respond to two different wavelengths j.Theory that combines trichromatic and opponent-process theory
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 13.___ Kinesthesis 14.___ Lens 15.___ Menstrual synchrony 16.___ Myopia 17.___ Nerve deafness 18.___ Olfaction 19.___ Opponent-process theory 20.___ Organ of Corti 21.___ Pheromones 22.___ Place theory 23.___ Retina 24.___ Rods 25.___ Taste buds 26.___ Transduction 27.___ Trichromatic theory k.The number of sound waves per second l.The vertical size of the sound wave m.A coiled, snail-shaped tube filled with fluid in the inner ear n.Contains thousands of hair cells o.Theory of pitch perception that states that nerve impulses sent to the brain match the frequency of the sound wave p.Theory of pitch perception that states that the specific point in the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks and most strongly bends the hair cells serves as a frequency coding cue q.A type of deafness caused by problems involving the mechanical system that transmits sound waves to the cochlea r.A type of deafness that is caused by damaged receptors within the inner ear or damage to the auditory nerve s.The smell sense t.Receptors concentrated along the edges and back surface of the tongue u.Chemical signals found in natural body scents v.The tendency of women who live together or are close friends to become more similar in their menstrual cycles w.Sense that provides us with feedback about our muscles’ and joints’ positions and movements x.An elastic structure that becomes thinner to focus on distant objects and thicker to focus on nearby objects y.The opponent processes occur in this layer z.Neurons or groups of neurons specialized for sensing specific stimuli aa.Place at the back of the eye where photoreceptors transduce light energy into electrical impulses
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception Illusions, Pain and Perceptual Development 1.___ binocular cues 2.___ Bottom-up processing 3.___ Critical periods 4.___ Endorphins 5.___ Figure-ground relations 6.___ Monocular cues 7.___ Perceptual constancies 8.___ Perceptual schema 9.___ Perceptual set 10.___ Stroboscopic movement 11.___ Top-down processing 12.___ Shadowing experiments 13.___ Binocular Disparity a.A processing function by which the brain takes in individual elements of the stimulus and combines them into a unified perception b.A process by which sensory information is interpreted in the light of existing knowledge, ideas and expectations c.A technique in which participants are asked to repeat one message while listening to two messages sent through headphones d.The tendency to organize stimuli into a foreground and background e.A mental representation of perceptual phenomenon that we use to compare new stimuli to in the process of recognition f.A readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way g.Depth cues that require only one eye h.Depth cues that require both eyes i.Illusory movement produced when a light is flashed and another light is flashed nearby milliseconds later j.Natural opiates that act as pain-killers k.Periods during which certain kinds of experiences must occur if perceptual abilities and the brain mechanisms that underlie them are to develop normally l.Process by which each eye sees a slightly different image m.Allow us to perceive familiar objects under varying conditions. Fill-in-the-blanks 1.(p. 171)When psychologists use the term _____________ they are referring to the stimulus detection process of transduction in which sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses. 2.(p. 172)The absolute threshold is the lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected _______ percent of the time. 3.(p. 172)A _____________ refers to how certain people must feel that a stimulus is present before they will say that they perceive it. 4.(p. 173)A ______________ is one that is so brief or weak that, although it is received by the senses, it cannot be consciously perceived. 5.(p. 174)______________, which states that the difference threshold is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which a comparison is being made, is useful in comparing the sensitivities of different sense modalities. 6.(p. 177)The label of ___________ is used to describe the vision of people who can see things well up close, but who have difficulty seeing objects in the distance. 7.(p. 177)The label of ______________ is used to describe the vision of people who have difficulty seeing close-up objects: 8.(p. 178)In the retina, the _______________ are responsible for colour vision while the _____________ function best under conditions of low illumination. 9.(p. 179)The proteins that allow rods and cones to translate light energy into nerve impulses are called _____________.
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 10.(p. 179)In the process of darkness adaptation, the __________ account for what happens during the first 5 minutes in the dark, while the __________ determine what happens after that. 11.(p. 180)The _________________ theory of colour is based largely on the laws of additive colour mixture. 12.(p. 181)Hering's opponent-process theory of colour vision proposed that each of the three types of cones is sensitive to _______ wavelength(s) of light. 13.(p. 182)A person who is colour-blind in two of the colour systems (e.g., red-green and yellow-blue) is called a ____________. 14.(p. 183)The cells in the visual cortex that fire selectively in response to stimuli that have specific characteristics are called _______________. 15.(p. 184)_____________ refers to the vertical size of sound waves and determines the loudness of the sounds we hear. 16.(p. 184)Frequency is the physical property of sound that gives us our perception of _______. 17.(p. 183)The inner ear contains the _______________ that contains the basilar membrane. 18.(p. 187)The _____________ theory of pitch perception asserts that there is a specific point in the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks the most and thus bends the hair cells more strongly. 19.(p. 188)___________ deafness occurs when there is damage to the mechanical structures that transmit sound waves to the cochlea. In many cases, it may be corrected with the use of a hearing aid. 20.(p. 191)The technical term for the sensation of taste is ____________. 21.(p. 192)______________ is the tendency for women who live together to have similar menstrual cycles. 22.(p. 193)Feedback from our muscles regarding the position and movement of our muscles and joints is referred to as_________. 23.(p. 195)In _____________ processing, sensory information is interpreted relative to preexisting expectations, ideas, and knowledge. 24.(p. 197)The Gestalt law of ___________ states that objects that are near one another are likely to be perceived as belonging together. 25.(p. 198)When we "recognize" an incoming stimulus, it is assumed that we are comparing it with an internal mental representation or image called a _________________. 26.(p. 199)The text presented the example of how the radar crew on the Vincennes mistook a commercial airliner for a military warplane. Psychologists believed that this tragedy was largely the product of a ____________, which refers to the readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way. 27.(p. 202)The ___________ depth cue of ____________ occurs when objects that are closer cut off or obstruct the view of objects that are farther away. 28.(p. 202)Feedback from the muscles that turn your eyes inward provide information about depth. This depth cue is referred to as __________. 29.(p. 203)_________________ movement occurs when a light appears to move between two flashing sources and it is the primary principle behind motion pictures. 30.(p. 207)______________ are times during which key experiences must occur if perceptual abilities and the brain mechanisms that support these abilities are to develop normally.
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception A B C D E F G H Label the Eye A B C D G E F Label the Ear
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception Practice Test –Multiple Choice 1.The lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time is known as the___. a.Difference threshold b.Absolute threshold c.Signal detection d.Just noticeable difference 2.A participant in a signal detection study has the tendency to be bolder in her decisions regarding the presence of a target stimulus. As a result, she has more hits but also has more false alarms This example demonstrates how ___ can affect ___. a.Situational factors; participant characteristics b.Situational factors ; decision criterion c.Participant characteristics ; situational factors d.Participant characteristics ; decision criterion. 3.Regarding the impact of subliminal messages on attitudes and behavior, research has found that submilimal messages have ___. a.No impact on attitudes on behaviours b.And equal impact on attitudes on behaviours c.A stronger impact on behaviours than attitudes d.A stronger impact on attitudes than behaviours 4.The ___ threshold is defined as the smallest difference between two stimuli that can be perceived 50% of the time. a.Absolute b.Sensation c.Difference d.Perceptual 5.According to a Weber fraction, the jnd for weight is 1/50. Therefore, fi an object weighted 1 kg (1000g), a second object would have to minimally weight __ for you to notice a difference between the two object.s a.2 kg b.1020 g c.1050 g d.50 g 6.You have just prepared a bath for yourself and as you are getting in, the water feels almost too hot. However, you continue to ease yourself into the tub and pretty soon, even though it has remained the same temperature, the water no longer feels so hot. The characteristic of sensory neurons that is responsible for this phenomenon is known as ___. a.Sensory adaptation b.The refractory period c.The all-or-none law d.Signal detection 7.The receptors for black-and-white and brightness are called ___, while the receptors for colour are called ___. a.Rods ; cones b.Cones ; rods c.Ganglion cells ; bipolar cells d.Bipolar cells ; ganglion cells
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 8.The department of transportation contacts you and asks what colour they should make their road signs so that they will be most visible at night. Given what you have learned in this class about the sensitivity of rods under conditions of low illumination, one colour that you would NOT want to pick is ___. a.Yellow b.Blue c.Green d.red 9.The progressive improvement in brightness sensitivity that occurs over time under conditions of low illumination is called ___. a.Transduction b.Dark adaptation c.Visual acuity d.Opponent-process 10.The current modern theory of colour sensation uses the ___ theory to explain the behavior of the cones in colour vision while a modified version of the ___ theory emphasizes the role of ganglion cells is used to explain the presence of afterimages and certain types of colour blindness. a.Trichomatic ; additive colour mixture b.Dual process ; trichromatic c.Opponent process ; dual process d.Trichromatic ; opponent process 11.Groups of neurons within the primary visual cortex that are organized to receive and integrate sensory nerve impulses originating in specific regions of the retina are called ___. a.Ganglion cells b.Bipolar cells c.Feature detectors d.Opponent processors 12.According to the Canadian Hearing Society, a safe level to listen to your portable CD player is at: a.Below 85 db b.Below 120 db c.Below 94 db d.Below 10 db 13.omit 14.The place theory of pitch perception states that pitch is determined by___. a.Neurons that fire at the same frequency as the incoming stimulus. b.Neurons that fire at the same amplitude as the incoming stimulus. c.The specific place the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks more d.The way that the eardrum resonates in response to different frequencies
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 15.Research on critical periods and experience has demonstrated that kittens raised in a vertically striped chamber a.Did not see horizontal patterns b.Did not see vertical patterns c.Were able to see horizontal and vertical patterns equally well d.Did not see either vertical or horizontal patterns. 16.The chemical sense of taste is called ___, while the chemical sense of smell is called ___. a.The vestibular sense ; olfaction b.Gustation ; olfaction c.Olfaction ; the vestibular sense d.Olfaction ; kinesthesis 17.The four qualities that our sense of taste responds to are ___. a.Sweet, sour, salty, bitter b.Sweet, sour, salty, tart c.Sweet, sour, biting, tart d.Sweet, sour, salty, sugary 18.Chemical signals found in natural body scents that may affect human and animal behavior are called: a.Olfactors b.Buds c.Gustators d.Pheromones 19.Of the following, the one which is NOT classified as a tactile sensation is___. a.Pressure b.Touch c.Warmth d.Gustation 20.Our sense of body orientation or equilibrium is called ___. a.Kinesthesis b.The vestibular sense c.Olfaction d.Balance 21.As you are reading this question, feature detectors in your visual system are analyzing the various stimulus components and recombining them into your perception of letters and words. This is an example of ___ processing. a.Figure-ground b.Top-down c.Parallel d.Bottom-up 22.Perceptual set is an example of ___ processing. a.Figure-ground b.Top-down c.Parallel d.Bottom-up
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 23.A new commercial presents its product in a rather novel and intense way, making use of a lot of movement and special effects. If this ad were to capture your attention, it would best be viewed as an example of how ______ can affect attention. a.Personal motives b.Sensory adaptation c.Internal factors d.Environmental factors 24.You would likely recognize the following set of stimuli as the word “cat” due to the Gestalt principle of ___. C / - \ T a.Similarity b.Figure-ground c.Proximity d.Continuity 25.In 1950, psychologist Harold Kelley invited a guest lecturer to his class. Half of his students were led to believe that the guest lecturer was a warm person while the other half was told that he was rather cold. When rating the guest lecturer afterwards, students tended to rate him in a way that was consistent with the expectations they had been given ahead of time. This example was presented to demonstrate how __ can affect __. a.Perceptual schemas ; perceptual sets b.Perceptual schemas ; bottom-up processing c.Perceptual sets ; social perceptions d.Sensory adaptation ; sensory habituation 26.A binocular distance cue produced by feedback from the muscles that turn your eyes inward to view a near object is called __. a.Stroboscopic movement b.Convergence c.Monocularism d.Perceptual constancy 27.Stroboscopic movement refers to___. a.The movement of a visual image to an area outside of the fovea. b.Instances where a light appears to move between two adjacent flashing lights c.Illusory movements that are due to binocular depth cues d.Illusory movements that are due to perceptual constancies 28.Compelling but incorrect perceptions of stimuli are called ___. a.Illusions b.Perceptual schemas c.Perceptual sets d.Stroboscopic movements 29.Endorphins are thought to exert their painkilling effects by ___. a.Enhancing the release of neurotransmitters involved in pain impulses b.Deadening or numbing the part of the frontal cortex that processes pain c.Inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters involved in pain impulses d.Facilitation the process of sensory adaptation
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 30.omit Essay Questions 1(p. 171-175)Provide an example of how signal detection research is used to determine an absolute threshold and a difference threshold for vision or hearing. Include in your answer a definition of each. Define the term "decision criterion" and discuss at least two factors that can affect it. 2.(p. 176-179)Describe what happens to a light stimulus from the time it is focused on the retina until it arrives at the visual cortex in the brain. Be sure to mention the key cells/structures and their functions. 3.(p. 180-182)Describe the basic elements of the trichromatic and opponent-process theories of colour. What evidence is used to support each theory and which aspects of these theories are incorporated into dual-process theory? 4.(p. 184,186-187)What are the two physical characteristic of sound waves and what sound qualities do they determine? What are the typical units of measurement for these characteristics? Describe the frequency and place theories of pitch perception and discuss when each theory is applicable. 5.(p. 195)What are the two complementary processes involved in attention? Describe the basic design of shadowing research and summarize what the results of such research have revealed about the nature of attention. 6.(p. 197)Define the four Gestalt principles of perceptual organization. 7.(p. 198-199)What is the difference between a perceptual schema and a perceptual set? Describe the Vincennes radar incident and the causal factors that appeared to contribute to the creation of this perceptual set problem. Discuss the results obtained by Harold Kelly when he invited a "guest lecturer" to speak to his class and how his results are related to social perceptions and stereotypes. 8.(p. 200, 203-205)What is size constancy (give an example)? In what sense can certain visual illusions be explained as instances of the misapplication of size constancy?
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception Answers to Key Terms Sensory Processes 1.d 7.j 2.e 8.f 3.h 9.g 4.c 10.a 5.i 6.b The Sensory System 1.l 20.n 2.j 21. u 3.m 22.p 4.q 23.aa 5.c 24.d 6.g 25.t 7.z 26.f 8.e 27.h 9.k 10.o 11.y 12.b 13.w 14.x 15.v 16.a 17.r 18.s 19.i Illusions, Pain and Perceptual Development 1.h 9. f 2.a 10.i 3.k 11. b 4.j 12. c 5.d 13. l 6.g 7.m 8.e
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception Answers to Fill-in-the-blanks 1.sensation 2. 50 3.decision criterion 4.subliminal stimulus 5.Weber's law 6.myopia7.hyperopia8.cones; rods 9.photopigments 10.cones; rods 11.Young-Helmholtz trichromatic12. two 13.monochromat 14.feature detectors 15.amplitude16.pitch17.cochlea 18.place 19.conduction 20.gustation 21.synchrony 22.kinesthesis23.top-down24.proximity25.perceptual schema26.perceptual set27.monocular; interposition28.convergence29.stroboscopic30.critical periodsAnswers to Label the Eye Answers to Label the EarA. Optic nerve A. Malleus / Hammer B. fovea B. Ingus/Anvil C. retina C. Stapes/Stirrup D. iris D. Inner Ear/Cochlea E. cornea E. Ear Canal F. pupil F. Pinna G. lens G. Tympanum H. iris
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception Answers to Essay Questions 1(p. 171-175)Absolute threshold: stimulus detected 50 percent of the time. Difference threshold: change in stimuli detected 50 percent of the time. Signal detection research: In the case of vision, participants presented with several trials, some where stimulus is present and some with no stimulus; participants are asked to tell if they detect a stimulus. Decision criterion: how certain people need to be before they will say they detected a stimulus. Affected by rewards for hits and costs for misses, also on personality factors like conservatism or boldness. 2.(p. 176-179)Light is first processed by rods and cones. Cones are responsible for colour vision, while rods function better at night. Light is transduced to nerve impulses by photopigments in these cells. There are more rods than cones in the eye, but cones are concentrated in the fovea. From there, impulses are passed to bipolar cells and then on to ganglion cells. The axons of the ganglion cells form the optic nerve, which sends the impulses through the thalamus and then on to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe. 3.(p. 180-182)Trichromatic theory: each of the three types of cones is sensitive to one frequency of light. The model is consistent with laws of adaptive colour mixture, but does not explain certain types of colour blindness or the occurrence of afterimages. Opponent-process theory: each of the cones is sensitive to two colours. The model is able to explain afterimages and colour blindness. Dual-process theory: incorporates elements of both theories. Modern research has found that each cone is most sensitive to one wavelength. Opponent processes were found to occur at the level of ganglion cells. Answers to Multiple Choice 1.b 2.d 3.d 4.c 5.b 6.a 7.a 8.d 9.b 10.d 11.c 12.a 13.omit 14.c 15.a 16.b 17.a 18.d 19.d 20.b 21.d 22.b 23.d 24.d 25.c 26.b 27.b 28.a 29.c 30.omit
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception 4.(p. 184,186-187)Pitch is determined by the frequency of incoming sounds, which refers to the number of sound waves per second. Amplitude refers to the size of the sound wave and determines loudness. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. Loudness is measured in decibels. Frequency theory: the frequency of a sound wave determines the frequency of neural firing; it is good at frequencies below 1000 Hz, but single neurons or even groups of neurons can't fire faster than this. Place theory: pitch is determined by the place in the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks most, causing hair cells to bend more. Theory accounts for pitch perception at frequencies over 1000 Hz.5.(p. 195)Two processes are 1) attending to specific stimuli and 2) filtering out other information. In shadowing research, the participant wears a headset and a different verbal message is sent to each ear. The participant is asked to attend to one of the messages and can usually do so, but at the expense of remembering information presented to the unattended ear. Results show that we can't attend to two things at the same time and that the best we can do is to quickly shift attention back and forth. 6.(p. 197)Similarity: similar objects are more likely to be perceived as belonging together. Proximity: objects that are nearer to one another are more likely to be perceived as belonging together. Closure: tendency to close open figures or to perceive incomplete figures as being more incomplete than they actually are. Continuity: tendency to link objects such that they form a 7.(p. 198-199)Perceptual schema: a mental image or representation used to compare to incoming stimuli. Perceptual set: a tendency to respond to certain stimuli in a particular way. Vincennes incident: radar crew on a boat mistook a commercial jet for a military plane and shot it down. The perceptual set was likely created by expectations and fear. Kelly told half of the class that the lecturer was warm, while the other half was led to expect he would be cold. Ratings collected after the lecture confirmed the listeners' previous expectations. Thus, we may tend to see what we expect to see.