Psychology Chapter: Sensation and Perception

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What occurs if there is no stimulation during the critical period for vision development?

The brain automatically compensates for blindness.

The person adapts to blindness without any issues.

The neural connections necessary for vision do not form. (correct)

Vision is restored through experience later in life.

Why do individuals often find it challenging to adjust after regaining vision later in life?

They naturally reject any visual input.

The brain regions used for vision have adapted to new functions. (correct)

They have an innate difficulty with visual processing.

The visual stimuli are overwhelming and confusing.

What is perceptual adaptation?

The quick adjustment of the brain to changes in visual input. (correct)

The inability to adjust to new visual inputs.

A method used to correct long-term sight impairment.

A phenomenon where all visual perception remains unchanged despite new stimuli.

What does the term 'transduction' refer to in the context of vision?

The conversion of stimulus energies into neural messages Signup and view all the answers

What defines a perceptual set?

A mental predisposition to perceive one aspect over another. Signup and view all the answers

Which part of the eye is responsible for controlling the size of the pupil?

Iris Signup and view all the answers

How can context influence perceptions?

It can change perceptions by providing contrasting stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary cause of nearsightedness?

Image focusing in front of the retina Signup and view all the answers

How does sensory adaptation work?

It allows our senses to gradually ignore constant stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the cornea in the eye?

To protect the eye from particles Signup and view all the answers

Which statement correctly describes cataracts?

Causes the lens to become cloudy as one ages Signup and view all the answers

What specifically defines amplitude in the context of light waves?

The height of the wave determining brightness Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about subliminal effects based on the experiment by Greenwald?

Subliminal messages have a strong influence on decisions. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary cause of conduction hearing loss?

Punctured eardrum or damage to middle ear bones Signup and view all the answers

Which theory of pitch detection is supported by the idea that elderly people struggle to hear high pitched sounds?

Place theory Signup and view all the answers

What function does a cochlear implant primarily serve?

Converts sounds into electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of Gate Control Theory in relation to pain perception?

It indicates that the spinal cord can block pain signals from reaching the brain Signup and view all the answers

What sensation is not detected by our skin according to the content?

Color Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following sensations is associated with detecting sodium?

Salty Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon describes the brain interpreting pain without normal sensory input?

Phantom sensations Signup and view all the answers

What sensory experience does the Rubber Hand Illusion primarily explain?

The brain's interpretation of touch based on expectation Signup and view all the answers

What does the opponent-process theory explain about color perception?

Color is seen as a result of opposing retinal processes. Signup and view all the answers

How do the three regions of the ear work together to process sound?

The outer ear collects sound, the middle ear amplifies it, and the inner ear converts it to neural signals. Signup and view all the answers

Which theory suggests that pitch perception is based on the location of stimulation in the cochlea?

Place theory Signup and view all the answers

What role do hair cells play in hearing?

They detect movement and convert sound into neural messages. Signup and view all the answers

Why does our voice sound different when recorded compared to how we hear it while speaking?

The recording captures only air-conducted sound. Signup and view all the answers

What factors determine the loudness of sound?

The amplitude of the sound waves. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an implication of the frequency theory of pitch detection?

The volley principle accounts for frequencies above 1000 Hz. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the cochlea in the auditory system?

To convert sound waves into neural activity. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary distinction between sensation and perception?

Sensation involves the detection of stimuli, while perception organizes sensory input. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes bottom-up processing?

Focusing on the smaller details to understand the whole. Signup and view all the answers

What is the absolute threshold in the context of sensation?

The minimum stimulation necessary to detect a sensation 50 percent of the time. Signup and view all the answers

What does Weber's Law state regarding the difference threshold?

To perceive differences, stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following influences our ability to detect stimuli according to signal detection theory?

Individual motivation and expectations. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a false positive in perception?

Believing a stimulus is present when it is not. Signup and view all the answers

Why do some individuals dismiss the effectiveness of subliminal messages?

They assume awareness is always required for influence. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of psychophysics?

To study the relationship between stimulus intensity and perception. Signup and view all the answers

What principle explains why we may not notice changes in visual or auditory stimuli when focused on something else?

Inattentional blindness Signup and view all the answers

Which monocular depth cue involves perceiving smaller objects as being further away?

Relative size Signup and view all the answers

What kind of motion perception occurs when objects that appear stable seem to move as we do?

Motion parallax Signup and view all the answers

Which grouping principle refers to our tendency to perceive continuous patterns rather than disconnected ones?

Continuity Signup and view all the answers

Which binocular cue involves the difference in images that the two eyes perceive due to their distance apart?

Retinal disparity Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the principle that allows us to perceive an object's size as constant despite changes in viewing distance?

Size constancy Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon occurs when two or more adjacent lights blink in succession, creating an illusion of movement?

Phi phenomenon Signup and view all the answers

Which depth cue involves the understanding that if one object blocks another, the blocked object is perceived as being further away?

Interposition Signup and view all the answers

How do newly restored vision patients typically recognize faces differently compared to those with normal vision?

They rely on distinct features to detect faces Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following cues indicates that clearer objects are closer and hazier objects are further away?

Relative clarity Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Sensation and Perception

Sensation is the process of sensory receptors receiving information from stimuli
Perception is the process of organizing sensory images into meaningful images
Bottom-up processing uses sensory analysis of smaller pieces
Top-down processing uses past experience and expectations

Thresholds

Psychophysics studies the relationship between stimulus intensity and experience
Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a sensation 50% of the time

Signal Detection Theory

Predicts how/when we detect faint stimuli among background noise
Factors influencing detection include motivation, expectation, and experience
False positive: perceiving a stimulus that isn't there
False negative: failing to perceive a stimulus that is there

Difference Thresholds

Difference threshold is the minimum difference between two stimuli for detection 50% of the time (just noticeable difference)
Weber's Law states that for stimuli to be perceived as different, they must differ by a constant minimum percentage, not a constant amount. This percentage differs for different types of stimuli

Subliminal Messages

Subliminal messages are below the threshold of conscious awareness
May influence behavior, but their effectiveness is debated.

Sensory Adaptation

Sensory adaptation is the ability of the senses to adjust to unchanging stimuli over time.
Our senses fade into fragments, but our minds try to create meaning from these fragments.
Transduction is the process of converting stimulus energies into neural messages.

Visual System

Wavelength is the distance from one peak of a wave to the next and determines hue (color).
Amplitude is the wave's height and determines the intensity (brightness).
Frequency is the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time.
Cornea, pupil, iris, lens, and retina are all important parts of the eye.

Visual Distortions

Nearsightedness: inability of the eye to focus on distant objects
Farsightedness: inability of the eye to focus on close objects
Astigmatism: uneven curvature of the cornea or lens causing blurred vision
Rods and cones are photoreceptor cells that detect light.
Rods are more numerous, sensitive to low light, and do not distinguish color well.
Cones are less numerous, less sensitive to low light, and are responsible for color vision.
Blind spot is the area in the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye and there are no receptors.

Audition

Loudness is determined by a wave's amplitude (strength).
Pitch is determined by a wave's frequency (number of cycles per unit of time).
Decibels measure sound energy.
Outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear convert sound waves into neural activity.
Hair cells in the inner ear detect movement and send messages to the brain. (Cochlea)

Theories on Pitch Detection

Place theory suggests we perceive pitch depending on where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.
Frequency theory suggests we perceive pitch based on the frequency of the sound wave traveling up the auditory nerve. (volley principle)

Hearing Loss

Conduction hearing loss involves damage to the middle ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to the inner ear or auditory pathways.

Touch

The skin detects warmth, cold, pressure, and pain.
Pain is a multi-faceted sensation with different types such as; sharp, burning, throbbing, aching.

Body Position and Movement

Vestibular sense helps detect head position and body movement
Semicircular canals in the inner ear detect fluid movement.

Grouping Principles

We group like things together;
- Proximity
- Similarity
- Continuity
- Closure.
Other cues;
- Binocular cues
- Retinal disparity.
- Monocular cues
- Relative size
- Interposition
- Relative clarity
- Texture gradients
- Relative height
- Relative motion (motion parallax)
- Linear perspective
  - Light and shadow

Perceptual Consistency

Constancy is our tendency to perceive objects as unchanging even with changes to their retinal images
- Size
- Shape
- Brightness.

Perceptual Set

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing over another, often influencing how we interpret sensory information
Context effects
Schematic effects
Perceptual adaptation
How we perceive things depends on our past experiences

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Explore the fascinating world of sensation and perception in psychology through this quiz. Gain insights into how we detect and interpret stimuli, including essential concepts like thresholds and signal detection theory. Challenge yourself with key principles such as bottom-up and top-down processing and Weber's Law.