Psychology Exam 2 Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What does bottom-up processing involve?

Sensory receptors.

The study of perception is primarily concerned with how we interpret what?

Sensory stimuli.

What illustrates top-down processing?

Interpreting new sensory information within the framework of a past memory.

Sensation is to as perception is to .

detection; interpretation. Signup and view all the answers

Wavelength is to as is to brightness.

hue; intensity. Signup and view all the answers

The feature detectors identified by Hubel and Weisel consist of what?

Nerve cells in the brain. Signup and view all the answers

What processes complex patterns of information passed by feature detectors?

Supercell clusters. Signup and view all the answers

What best illustrates parallel processing?

The ability to simultaneously process pitch, loudness, melody, and meaning of a song. Signup and view all the answers

Most color-deficient people will probably lack functioning what?

Red- or green-sensitive cones. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Young-Helmholtz theory propose?

There are three different types of color-sensitive cones. Signup and view all the answers

What does sensory adaptation refer to?

Diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What best illustrates Weber's law?

Giulio's bag of marbles is twice as heavy as Jim's if it takes 5 extra marbles to make Jim's bag feel heavier. Signup and view all the answers

What does sensory adaptation illustrate after listening to high volume music for 15 minutes?

Failing to realize how loudly the music is blasting. Signup and view all the answers

The receptor of the eye that functions best in dim light is a what?

Rod. Signup and view all the answers

Simultaneously analyzing distinct subunits of information received by different areas of the brain is known as what?

Parallel processing. Signup and view all the answers

The direct link between a single cone and a single ________ preserves the fine details in the cone's message.

bipolar cell. Signup and view all the answers

Complete sensation in the absence of complete perception is best illustrated by what?

Prosopagnosia. Signup and view all the answers

The phenomenon of blindsight best illustrates that visual information can be processed without what?

Conscious awareness. Signup and view all the answers

In shopping for a new stereo, the difference between models X and Y is below your what?

Difference threshold. Signup and view all the answers

Which receptor cells most directly enable us to distinguish different wavelengths of light?

Cones. Signup and view all the answers

Berdine, who developed cataracts, most clearly suffers a deficiency in what?

Bottom-up processing. Signup and view all the answers

Ms. Shields correctly reads the title on a book cover but cannot consciously perceive the book. What does this illustrate?

Blindsight. Signup and view all the answers

People who demonstrate blindsight have most likely suffered damage to their what?

Visual cortex. Signup and view all the answers

Jennifer can tune her guitar more effectively than Maria because Jennifer is better at detecting whether specific strings are playing too or too .

sharp; flat. Signup and view all the answers

The transduction of light energy into nerve impulses takes place in the what?

Retina. Signup and view all the answers

The process by which sensory information is converted into neural energy is called what?

Transduction. Signup and view all the answers

When the Moon is near the horizon, it appears larger due to what effect?

Distance cues, which make the horizon Moon seem farther away. Signup and view all the answers

Alyosha perceives his normal aches and pains as disease-related symptoms after hearing rumors about an outbreak. This illustrates the impact of what?

Perceptual set. Signup and view all the answers

Although she sees her professor often, Sue Yen didn't recognize her in a grocery store. This best illustrates the importance of what?

Context effects. Signup and view all the answers

Adults who are born blind but later have their vision restored typically do what?

Fail to recognize familiar objects. Signup and view all the answers

The greatest difficulty facing contemporary parapsychology is the what?

Lack of a reproducible ESP phenomenon. Signup and view all the answers

Parapsychology refers to the study of what?

Phenomena such as ESP and psychokinesis. Signup and view all the answers

Researchers found that when external distractions are reduced, what happens over many studies?

None of the alternatives occur. Signup and view all the answers

The visual cliff is a laboratory device for testing ________ in infants.

Depth perception. Signup and view all the answers

The ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field is called what?

Perceptual adaptation. Signup and view all the answers

John Locke is to Immanuel Kant as is to .

Nurture; nature. Signup and view all the answers

What does Weber's law state?

The jnd for any stimulus is a constant proportion. Signup and view all the answers

The phenomenon of size constancy is based upon the close connection between an object's perceived and its perceived .

Size; distance. Signup and view all the answers

What enables you to know that a frisbee is getting closer instead of larger?

Size constancy. Signup and view all the answers

Experiments with distorted visual environments demonstrate that what?

Humans adapt readily, while lower animals typically do not. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the horizon Moon when it is viewed through a narrow tube that eliminates distance cues?

It appears to shrink in size. Signup and view all the answers

According to the philosopher ________, we learn to perceive the world.

Locke. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Perception and Processing

Bottom-up processing starts with sensory receptors, leading to interpretation.
Perception focuses on interpreting sensory stimuli and previous experiences.
Top-down processing involves interpreting new information based on past memories.
Sensation involves detection of stimuli, while perception entails interpretation.

Visual Attributes

Wavelength relates to hue, while intensity influences brightness.
Hue is determined by the wavelength of light, and intensity by light's brightness.
Color vision relies on three types of color-sensitive cones as proposed by the Young-Helmholtz theory.

Sensory Functioning

Feature detectors are specific nerve cells in the brain that process visual information.
Complex visual patterns are processed by supercell clusters, which analyze distinct subunits of information.
Rods function best in dim light, contributing to vision in low-light conditions.
Cones directly enable the distinction of different light wavelengths.

Neural Processes and Adaptation

Sensory adaptation occurs when sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus diminishes.
Weber's law states that the just noticeable difference (jnd) is a constant proportion of the stimulus.
The retina is where light energy is converted into neural impulses through transduction.

Visual Perception Phenomena

Blindsight demonstrates that visual information can be processed without conscious awareness.
Individuals with prosopagnosia experience complete sensation despite a deficiency in perception.
The visual cliff is used to test depth perception in infants.

Perceptual Set and Context

Perceptual set influences how we interpret sensory information based on expectations and past experiences.
Context effects show the importance of surrounding stimuli on recognition and perception.

Perceptual Adaptation and Learning

Perceptual adaptation allows adjustment to altered visual environments.
Adults who regain sight after being blind do not typically recognize familiar objects, indicating the importance of visual experience in recognition.

Psychological Concepts

Parapsychology studies phenomena like ESP and psychokinesis, facing challenges due to reproducibility issues.
Experiments show that humans adapt to distorted visual environments better than lower animals.

Philosophical Perspectives

John Locke's ideas emphasize learning to perceive the world, contrasting with Immanuel Kant's view on innate understanding.

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Description

Prepare for your Psychology Exam 2 with these flashcards covering key concepts in perception and sensation. Each card includes important definitions and terms to enhance your understanding of bottom-up and top-down processing.