unit 3

the process where sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
sensory receptors detect information that is sent to the brain throught the nervous system

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
recognizing meaningful objects and events

starts at sensory receptors, works up to the parts of the brain to process the sensory information and make sense of it

makes perceptions from sensory input based on experience and expectations to see what we want to see

the focusing of awareness like a flashlight beam, focusing on one stimulus at a time

at our level of consciousness, we can miss salient objects able to be observed when our attention is focused elsewhere

human ability to focus on one voice in a sea of voices and then hearing your name (or another important thing to you) and your cognitive radar focuses there

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

failing to notice visible CHANGES in the environment

failing to notice noise changes in the environment

stimuli so powerful that the change is noticed
most powerful with sound

converting one form of energy into another that the brain can use
physical energy into electrochemical language

the study of relationshiphs between the physical characteristics of stimuli we detect and our psychological experience of them

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time
(just noticeable difference)

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation
why people respond differently to the same stimuli

stimuli below the absolute threshold

the activation (often unconsciously) of certain associations, predisposing one;s perception, memory, or response

to be able to detect the difference between degrees of stimulation, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
top down, impacted by cultural context
determined by experience

diminished sensiticity to stimuli as a consequence of constant stimulation

the claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input
telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition

the study of paranormal phenomena

eyes take in light energy and transduce it into neural images so the brain can create what we see

the distance from one light wave's peak to the next

the dimension of color we see, determined by wavelength

the amount of energy a wave contains, determines brightness, determined by amplitude (height)

clear protective outer layer, nemds light to help focus

adjustable opening where light enters

ring of muscle tissue, colored portion, controls the size of the pupil opening
unique to each person

transparent structure behind the pupil, changes shape to focus image on the retina

light sensitive inner surface (multilayered) starts processing the visual information

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
lens changes curvature and thickness

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray and are sensitive to movement

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and detect fine detail and color sensations

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
entwined bipolar and. ganglion cells

where the optic nerve leaves the eye and there are no receptor cells
brain fills it in to complete our vision

central focal point of the retina where the eye's cones cluster

the retina contains three types of collor receptors (red, green, blue) that, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color
cones

lacking functioning red/ green/ both sensitive cones, leads to limited color vision

opposing retinal processes enable color vision
photo receptors in the cones, activation of one inhibits the other
(red/ green, blue/yellow, white/ black)

nerve cells in the visual cortex (occipital lobes) that respins to specific stimulus figures (edges, shape, lines, angles, movement)

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously
brain delegates processing each aspect (form, shape, movement, depth, color) to different areas and then integrated into the perceived image

an organized whole, integrated pieces of information
filtering incoming information and constructing perceptions

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

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
proximity: grouping nearby figures together
continuity: seeing smooth, continuous patterns
connectedness: fill in gaps to creat a complete object

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two dimensional (judge distance)

model of a cliff covered by glass used in labs to test depth perception in infants/young animals

a depth cue that depends on the use of 2 eyes, to judge distance of nearby objects

comparing retinal images from the 2 eyes, the brain computes distance (the greater disparity, the closer the object)

depth cues available to each eye separately
relative height, relative motion, relative size, linear perspective, interdisposition, light/shadow

brain perceives a rapid series of slightly varying images as continous movement
concept of animation

an illusion of movement created when 2 or more adjacent lights blink on and off in sucession

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

perceiving familiar objects with a consistent color

perceiving an object with a consistent brightness

perceiving the form of familiar objects as a constant

perceiving an object with a consistent size

sensory restrictions later in life do no permanent damage, a certain period of stimulation has been passed

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input (including an artificially displaced or inverted visual field)

hearing sense

loudness

the number of wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

the tone's experienced highness/lowness
determined by frequency

decibels (absolute threshold: 0 decibels)

3 tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear: sound waves travel through the fluid and trigger nerve impulses

holds the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

carries auditory neural messages to the thalamus and then to the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe

damage to the mechanical system (eardrum and middle ear bones) that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

nerve deafness
damage to the cochlea's hair cell receptors or auditory nerves

bionic ear
a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

number of activated hair cells
we differ more in our perception of soft sounds

sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochlea's basilar membrane, brain determines pitch by recognizing the place generating the signal
how we hear high pitched not low pitched sounds

brain reads pitch by monitoring the frequency of neural impulses travelling up the auditory nerve, vibrations trigger neural impulses of the same wavelengths
how we hear low pitches not high pitches

neural cells can alternate firing

3D hearing!
intensity tells you which side the sound is coming from, the slight lag between a sound and receiving it on the other side

pressure, cold, warmth, pain

warning sign from the body
amplifies the experience of pleasure
enhances self-awareness
leadds to empathy in social situations

sensory receptors (in the skin or muscles/organs) that detect harmful temperatures, pressures, and chemicals

the spinal chord had a "gate" that controls the flow of pain signals into the brain
the activity of pain signals opens it, and messages from the brain close it

feeling movement in nonexistant limbs

drugs, surgery, acupuncture, electrical stimulation, massage, exercise, hpnosis, meditation

sense of taste

sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami

taste buds catch food chemicals and respond to them

sense of smell

odor molecules in the air touch a cluster of olfactory receptor cells in the nasal cavity and respond selectively

there is a hotline from the brain area that receives information from the nose to the ancient limbic centers for memory and emotion

a sense of movement that makes us aware of the position and movement of body parts

sense of body movement that enables a sense of balance

fluid filled, work with vestibular sacs for balance
when the head rotates/tilts, the movement stimulates hair-like receptors that send nerve signals to the cerebellum

one sense can influence another

blending conflicting sensory information

influence of bodily sensations/ gestures/ etc. on cognitive preferences and judgements

stimulation of one sense triggers the experience of another

damage to the Fusiform Face Area, cannot distinguish different faces
(all faces look like a face)