Basic Principles
What is sensation?
Way sensory receptors receive stimulus energies from our environment
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
inattentional blindness
Nerve that carries neural impulses from eye to brain
Optic nerve
What does the amplitude of sound wavelengths determine?
Loudness (volume)
What three things influence our perception of pain?
Biology, psychology, social-cultural
What is perception?
Organizing and interpreting sensory information
The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time
Absolute threshold
How does the wavelength of light determine our perception of it?
Its hue (color)
What does the frequency of sound waves determine?
Pitch
Describe gate-control theory
spinal cord acts as gate for pain signals
What is transduction?
Transformation of one stimulus energy into another that is useful for the brain.
Minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time
Difference threshold
Part of the eye that detects fine details
Cones
What theory explains high pitch perceptions of sound?
Place theory
Describe one psychological influence on pain perception
answers vary
Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
Bottom-up processing
What is sensory adaptation?
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Why do we have a visual blind spot?
Place where the optic nerve leaves the eye; no receptor cells located there
Which theory explains low pitch sound perception
Frequency theory
What kind of perceptions are both taste and smell?
Chemical perceptions
Information processing uided by higher-level mental processes
top-down processing
What are three main influences on perception?
Context, motivation, emotion
Which visual theory of perception explains the afterimage effect?
Opponent-process theory
Describe how we use both our ears to locate sounds
Brain measures difference between sound waves reaching each ear
What is the sense that senses position and movement of body parts? Sense that enables sense of balance?
Kinesthesia; vestibular sense