Sensory and Perception

visual information is analyzed in

Retina is the location of the ____ terms of______

sensory receptors opponent colors (red-green, blue-

yellow) and that there is an
The light-sensitive surface at the antagonist relationship between the
back of the eyeball two
cant see both opponent colors
Inner surface of eye that consists together - no greenish-red
of cells called photoreceptors

color deficiencies are defined as

Photoreceptors - Rods ____
rod shaped, longer than cones as least a partial loss of color
perception

rod receptors are responsible for

____ physical representation of the
night vision external environment which takes
place in the _____
sensory receptors and the nervous
Rod receptors don't let you ______ system
see sharply, no color vision
The definition of transduction______
Photoreceptors - Cones The transformation of environmental
energy into neural activity; process
cone shaped, shorter than rods of converting sensory stimuli into

Cone receptors are responsible for Transduction is the process of___

___
converting sensory stimuli into
daytime vision neural impulses

Cone receptors allow you to _____ Psychophysics is defined as _____

see sharply, gives you color vision the study of the relationship
between the physical stimulus and
the observer's perceptual response
The visual cortex is the ____ to that stimulus

end of energy's path

perceptual correlate of wavelength
is _____
parallel processing is defined
as_____ hue /color

processing different visual

components/functions simultaneously
perceptual correlate of amplitude is grand relay station
______
olfactory pathway: the limbic system
brightness / intensity is
associated with smells and emotions
Perceptual correlate of frequency
is________
4 basic types of skin
pitch sensations__________
pressure, warmth, cold and pain
perceptual correlate of amplitude is
_______
hot skin sensations is when ________
intensity / loudness
warm receptors and cold receptors
are activated at the same time
what is the structure of the
cochlea?
mechanoreceptors detect _______
It is wound up like a snail
touch and pressure changes

sensations depend on distance to the

within the inner ear, the hair cells brain
bend, releasing a _____
neurotransmitter onto nerve cells -
neuro communication thermoreceptors detect_____

point of transduction into neuro temperature and changes in

information temperature

warm receptors and cold receptors

Chemical senses because _______
the receptors respond to the Nociceptors are __
presence of chemical substances
pain perception

four primary taste sensations:

Nociceptors can be stimulated by
sweet, salty, sour, bitter _________
Five Basic Dimensions of Taste mechanical stimuli, thermal stimuli
or chemical stimuli
Sourness, saltiness, sweetness,
bitterness, umami (richness)
the endorphin sites in the brain are
________
Olfactory nerve is when
where opiates act to produce pain
information from bulb comes to killer effects in the brain
nerve, then various places
olfactory pathway: the thalamus is
the
perception is defined as_________ binocular/retinal disparity
the process of organizing and we have two eyes and we see from
interpreting sensory information very slightly perspectives
Process where raw data sent from the combines two different images and
five senses is organized and gives image of depth
interpreted- enabling us to
recognize objects and events and
make conclusions
Sensation
Process where sensations are
organized and interpreted to form Process where stimuli from the
inner representations of the world environment is detected by the
nervous system and brought into the
body by one of the five senses
Gestalt theory of perception has the being aware of your surrounding
foundation_____
The stimulation of sensory receptors
the whole is different than the sum and transmission of sensory
of its parts; individual stimulus information to the central nervous
elements are organized into a system
Gestalt (organized as a whole)
Where are sensory receptors located?
Eyes, ears, skin, etc
Form perception (figure and ground)
Where does stimulation come from?
to distinguish an object from its
surroundings Sources of energy, light and sound
(automatic processes)

law of Pragnanz
Bottom-Up Processing
1. overriding principle of Gestalt
psychology Analysis begins with sensory
2. whatever is perceived will take receptors and works up to the brain
the best possible form
3. the best possible form is also senses are active first
the simplest
Ex. For example, if someone offered
you your favorite flavor of ice
Definition of depth perception cream, but it was topped with
pickles and hot sauce, chances are
our ability to see objects in 3D you'd be able to turn it down right
even though our retinas only receive away without first having to give it
2D information a thought (unless you like that sort
of thing). The reason you could
reject that ice cream without first
having to stop and think is because
Texture gradient is when __________
of a strategy called bottom-up
texture becomes less distinct when processing.
items are far way ~(eyes see the bowl and contents;
nose smells chocolate, pickles, and
hot sauce; stomach churns; face
grimaces; head turns away)
-involves brain, body, and emotions
Organization of parts of a pattern Selective Attention
to recognize
Focusing on conscious awareness on a
particular stimulus
Top-Down Processing Ex. Cocktail Party Effect - your
Perception that is driven by ability to focus on one voice in a
cognition. Your brain applies what room full of many others
it knows and what it expects to
perceive and fills in the blanks.
Inattentional Blindness
brain is active first
Failing to see visible objects when
Ex. My friend is offering me ice attention is directed elsewhere
cream, and I would like some. I
should take that from her. I wonder Ex. In the "Braingames" episode when
what kind it is.' This thought leads you are asked to focus on counting
to emotions (happy, excited, the footballs, you don't notice the
grateful, curious) and then a sign in the back telling you the
response in the body (increased answer.
heart rate, smile, arms reaching
out).
Change Blindness
The usage of knowledge to organize
parts of a pattern Failing to notice a change in the
environment

Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processing Ex. Recall the activity with the two
pictures of the cat in the hat in
which in one of the images there are
items missing and the other is the
complete image.

Cocktail Party Effect

When in a party and having a
conversation with someone you focus
Perceptual Set only on their voice, even though
there are plenty of voices around
Perceive or notice some aspects of you.
the available sensory data and
ignore others.

Ex. In the imagine since 13 is the

main stimulus, as a result many are
more prone to see the 12 and 14
opposed to the A and C, since the
numbers are different than the
letters.
Transduction Signal Detection Theory
Conversion of one form of energy to A theory that predicts how and when
another for the brain to use. we detect the presence of a faint
stimulus (signal) amid background
Examples: stimulation (noise)

Vision - light energy

Sensory Adaptation
Hearing - Soundwaves
Diminished sensitivity to constant
Absolute Threshold (Gustav Fechner) and changing stimulation
Minimum stimulation needed to notice
a specific light, sound, pressure,
taste, or odor. Cornea

lowest level you can detect The clear, curved bulge on the front
of the eye that bends light rays to
smallest amount of energy needed to begin focusing them
detect a stimulus
Transparent tissue forming the outer
Weakest amount of stimulus that a surface of the eyeball
person can distinguish from no
stimulus at all
Iris

Subliminal Threshold A ring of muscle tissue that forms

the colored portion of the eye and
Below absolute threshold for regulates the size of the pupil
awareness.
Muscular membrane whose dilation
Least Aware regulates the amount of light that
| enters the eye
- Absolute Threshold
|
- Subliminal Threshold Pupil
|
... The adjustable opening in the center
Most Aware of the iris, which controls the
amount of light entering the eye
Black looking opening in the center
Difference Threshold of iris through which light enters
The minimum difference to detect
that two stimuli are not the same -
just a noticeable difference. Lens

Ex. voices, shoelaces, music volume A transparent structure behind the

pupil in the eye that changes shape
Minimum difference in magnitude of to focus images on the retina
two stimuli required to tell them
apart Adjusts/accomodates to the image by
changing its thickness and focuses
image on the retina
Accommodation Occipital Lobe
Adapting current schemas to The portion of the cerebral cortex
incorporate new information lying at the back of the head; it
includes the primary visual
When our lens focuses the incoming processing areas of the brain.
light when hitting our retina

Feature Detectors
Ganglion Cells
Nerve cells in occipital lobe that
The final layer in the retina, the responds to features such as shape,
axons of the ganglion cells come angle, and movement.
together to form the optic nerve

Proximity
Bipolar Cells
Same group
The middle layer of retinal cells.
Passes information to the ganglion
cells.
Parallel Processing
Processing many things at once.
Rods (125 Million distributed across Divides visual scene into
retina) subdivisions:
-motion
Visual receptor cells located in the -form
retina that can detect only black, -color
white, and gray. -depth
Rod shaped photoreceptors that are
sensitive only to the intensity of
light and allow you to see in black Monocular Cues
and white
Depth cues available to both eyes
such as size, lighting, and shading
and it only requires the use of ONE
Cones (6.4 Million distributed eye.
across retina) Example: Linear Perspective -
Visual receptor cells located in the illusion of depth on flat surface.
retina that can detect sharp details
and color.
Binocular Cues
Cone shaped photoreceptors that
transmit sensations of color that Using TWO eyes to judge depth.
provide color vision

Retinal Disparity
Optic Nerve
A binocular depth cue resulting from
The nerve that carries visual slightly different images produced
information from the eye to the by the retina of the left eye and
occipital lobes of the brain. the retina of the right eye
(comparing images in both retinas,
Nerve that transmits sensory to perceive depth (computes
information from the eye to the distance)
brain
 Cells that respond to light
Depth Perception Bipolar Cells
The ability to see three-dimensions Neurons that conduct neural impulses
although the images that strike the form rods and cones to ganglion
retina are two-dimensional (allows cells
us to judge distance)

Ganglion Cells
Visual Cliff
Neurons whose axons form the optic
A laboratory device for testing nerve
depth perception in infants and
young animals.
Visual Acuity

Pitch Sharpness of vision (strongest in

retina)
Highness or lowness of a sound

Presbyopia
Weber's Constant (Ernst Weber)
Condition characterized by
The perceived difference in the brittleness of lens
intensity of light (2% or 1/60th)

Dark Adaptation
Just noticeable difference
Process of adjusting to condition of
Minimum difference in stimuli that a lower lighting by increasing the
person can detect (2% or 1/50th) sensitivity of rods and cones

Signal Detection Theory Complementary

View that perception of sensory Descriptive colors of the spectrum
stimuli involves the interaction of that when combined produce white or
physical, biological and nearly white light
psychological factors

Red is complementary to
Light
Green
Visible light that triggers visual
sensation
Purple is complementary to

Hue Yellow

Color of light, determined by

wavelength Blue is complementary to
Orange
Photoreceptors
Additive Process Closure
Mixture of lights Tendency to perceive a broken figure
as being complete or whole
Visual Perception
Subtractive Process
Process is the process by which we
Mixture of pigments organize or make sense of the
Afterimages sensory impressions caused by the
light that strikes our eyes
Lingering visual impression made by
a stimulus that has been Gestalt
improved/Persistent sensations of Perception of the whole, has parts
color are followed by perception of that organize into a whole which is
the complementary color when the different from sum of parts
first color is removed transposition

Trichromatic Theory Rubin Vase

Theory that color vision is made Correlates to the figure-ground
possible by three types of cones, perception that created reversible
some of which respond to red light, figures and contours
some to green and some to blue

Proximity
Opponent-Process Theory
Nearness, perceptual tendency to
Theory that color vision is made group together to group together
possible by three types of cones, objects that are near one another
some of which respond to red or
green light, some to blue or yellow
and some to the intensity of light
Similarity
Perceptual tendency to group
Trichromat together objects that are similar in
appearance
Person with normal color vision

Continuation
Monochromat
Tendency to perceive a series of
Person who is sensitive to black and points or lines as having unity
white only (colorblind)

Common Fate
Dichromat
tendency to perceive elements that
Person who is sensitive to black- move together as belonging together
white and either red-green or blue-
yellow and hence partially
colorblind
Illusions
Sensations that give rise to
misperceptions
Stroboscopic Motion
Perceptual Constancy
Illusion in perception of motion
which uses presented stationary points to instances where our
images in a rapid succession perception of something remains the
same (even if stimulus has changed)
Examples of this are: brightness
constancy, color, shape,
Monocular Cues orientation, size
Cues that can be perceived by only
one eye
Convergence
Binocular cue based on inward
Perspective movement and focus of eyes as an
Cue for depth based on the object draws nearer
convergence of parallel lines as
they recede into the distance
Binocular Cues
Involves simultaneous perception by
Texture Gradient both eyes
(monocular)Cue based on perception
that closer objects appear to have
rough surfaces Cochlea
Inner ear, contains basilar membrane
and organ of corti
Motion Parallax
Cue for depth based on perception
that nearby objects move more Basilar Membrane
rapidly than our own motion
Lies coiled inside cochlea

Illusions of Magnitude
organ of Corti
deals with people misperceiving how
big something is, happens to anybody Receptor for hearing that lies on
(Vertical Horizontal Illusion, basilar membrance
Progondorf Illusion, Worthimer Auditory Nerve
Illusion of Kind (formed psychology
of gestalt) Axon bundle that transmits neural
impulses from organ of Corti to
brain
Decibel
Measures sound Snellen Chart
Measures visual activity
Kohler
Formed laws of organization on Retinal Disparity
perception
Proves that one image is different
to one eye compared to the other
when distance is involved