Question 1

What is transduction (in perception)?

Accepted Answer

Process of turning environmental stimuli into neural signals

(you see a dog, and the image is converted into signals your brain can understand)

Question 2

What are receptors?

Accepted Answer

Structures that detect environmental stimuli and turn them into neural signals

(eyes, ears, nose, tastebuds, etc.)

Question 3

What is absolute threshold?

Accepted Answer

Psychophysics concept that describes the lowest amount of stimulus an individual can detect at least 50% of the time

(quietest sound you can consistently hear, or softest touch you can feel)

Question 4

What is the just noticeable difference (JND)?

Accepted Answer

Amount of physical change required for senses to detect a change in the stimulus

(how much louder something needs to be before you realize)

Question 5

What is Weber's law?

Accepted Answer

Size of the JND is proportional to the strength of the original stimulus

(it is harder to tell if something got louder, when it is already really loud)

Question 6

What is signal detection theory?

Accepted Answer

Theory that explains how individuals distinguish between meaningful sensory signals and random noise

(a mother is awakened by a quiet murmur from her baby but not by other sounds that occur while she is asleep)

Question 7

What is the cornea?

Accepted Answer

Eye's protective outer layer that bends light waves to focus

Question 8

What is the iris?

Accepted Answer

Piece of muscle tissue behind the cornea that controls how much light enters the eye

Question 9

What is the pupil?

Accepted Answer

Opening in the eye that is controlled by the iris to allow more/less light in

Question 10

What is the lens?

Accepted Answer

Transparent structure behind the pupil that bends to help focus light

Question 11

What is accommodation in vision?

Accepted Answer

Process of adjusting the lens to focus on near/far objects

Question 12

What is the sclera?

Accepted Answer

White part of the eye that contains blood vessels

(supplies the eye with nutrients)

Question 13

What is the vitreous humor?

Accepted Answer

Clear fluid that makes most of the eye

Question 14

What is the retina?

Accepted Answer

Light-sensitive inner surface of the eye that triggers nerve impulses to the brain

Question 15

What are photoreceptors?

Accepted Answer

Light-sensitive neurons in the retina that convert light into neural impulses

(two types: rods and cones)

Question 16

What are rods in the eye?

Accepted Answer

Type of photoreceptor that are very sensitive to light, but can't see color

Question 17

What are cones in the eye?

Accepted Answer

Type of photoreceptor that is less sensitive to light, but can see color and fine details

Question 18

What is the fovea?

Accepted Answer

Small indentation in the center of the retina that contains most cones

Question 19

Where are rods and cones located?

Accepted Answer

Rods are near the edge of the retina, while cones are in the center

Question 20

What is visual acuity?

Accepted Answer

Ability to see fine details

Question 21

What is the optic nerve?

Accepted Answer

Bundle of fibers that sends visual data to the brain

Question 22

What are ganglion cells?

Accepted Answer

Final output neurons on the retina

(ganglion cells merge to form the optic nerve)

Question 23

What is the blind spot?

Accepted Answer

Point where the optic nerve exits the eye, causing you not to be able to see there

(usually filled in by the other eye, so you don't notice)

Question 24

What is the visual cortex?

Accepted Answer

Structure in the occipital lobe that allows you to see

Question 25

What are feature detectors?

Accepted Answer

Specialized cells that respond to different features of an object

(shape, movement, edges, angles)

Question 26

What is trichromatic theory?

Accepted Answer

Theory that suggests the retina has three color receptors, for red/green/blue light

(developed by von Helmholtz and Young)

Question 27

What is opponent-process theory?

Accepted Answer

Theory that states the retina has receptors for three opposing pairs of colors: white-black, red-green, and yellow-blue

(contradicts trichromatic theory, developed by Hering)

Question 28

What are afterimages?

Accepted Answer

Images that remain visible after viewing an object

(if you stare at some bright color, you will see the opposite of that color for a while)

Question 29

What is color blindness?

Accepted Answer

Lowered ability to see differences in color

(more common in men)

Question 30

Why are men more likely to be color blind?

Accepted Answer

Genes associated with color vision are on the X chromosome (and is recessive)

(men only have one X chromosome, so if it is deficient the man will be color blind; women have two X chromosomes, so both would have to be deficient)

Question 31

What is audition?

Accepted Answer

Hearing

(transducing acoustic energy into neural signals)

Question 32

What is the pinna?

Accepted Answer

External part of the ear that funnels sound waves into the auditory canal

(part you see)

Question 33

What is the auditory canal?

Accepted Answer

Passageway that brings sound waves from the pinna to the eardrum

Question 34

What is the tympanic membrane?

Accepted Answer

Thin membrane that vibrates in response to sound waves

(commonly called the ear drum)

Question 35

What is the middle ear?

Accepted Answer

Middle part of the ear that is inside the tympanic membrane, but outside the oval window

(composed of three ossicles)

Question 36

What are the three ossicles in the middle ear?

Accepted Answer

Malleus (hammer), incus (anvil), and the stapes (stirrup)

(ossicle="tiny bone")

Question 37

What do the ossicles in the middle ear do?

Accepted Answer

Move sound from the tympanic membrane, through the middle ear, and into the inner ear

Question 38

What is the inner ear?

Accepted Answer

Innermost part of the ear that converts vibration to electrical signals and helps with balance

Question 39

What is the oval window?

Accepted Answer

A membrane that transmits vibrations from the ossicles to the cochlea

(located in the inner ear)

Question 40

What is the cochlea?

Accepted Answer

Snail-shell-shaped structure that transmits signals from the oval window to the basilar membrane

Question 41

What is place theory?

Accepted Answer

Theory about pitch perception that states different tones activate different locations on the cochlea

(opposite of volley theory)

Question 42

What is temporal theory/frequency theory?

Accepted Answer

Theory about pitch perception that states pitch is encoded in the frequency neurons in the cochlea fire

(contradicts place theory)

Question 43

What is volley theory?

Accepted Answer

Supplement to temporal theory that states higher frequencies are encoded through the firing of multiple neurons out of phase

(combined neurons produce a higher rate of firing than a single one)

Question 44

What are stereocilia?

Accepted Answer

Tiny hair cells in the inner ear that trigger neural impulses

Question 45

What happens when the stereocilia are damaged?

Accepted Answer

Hearing loss

Question 46

What is nerve deafness?

Accepted Answer

Deafness caused by damage to the auditory nerve or cochlea

(result of birth defects, medical conditions, or trauma)

Question 47

What is a cochlear implant?

Accepted Answer

Electronic device that can combat nerve deafness

Question 48

How do cochlear implants work?

Accepted Answer

They are wired directly into the nervous system and send sound information to the brain

Question 49

What could cause the eardrum or ossicles to break?

Accepted Answer

Prolonged exposure to very loud music through headphones

(this leads to hearing damage)

Question 50

What are mechanical senses?

Accepted Answer

Senses that convert mechanical energy into neural signals

(hearing, vision, touch, etc.)

Question 51

What are chemical senses?

Accepted Answer

Senses that arise from the interaction of chemical compounds

(taste and smell)

Question 52

What is gustation?

Accepted Answer

Sense of compounds coming into contact with receptors on the tongue

(commonly known as taste)

Question 53

What is olfaction?

Accepted Answer

Sense of specific airborne compounds coming into contact with receptors on the nose

(commonly known as smell)

Question 54

What are taste buds?

Accepted Answer

Receptor cells in the mouth that sense types of chemicals

(detect flavors, like salty/sweet)

Question 55

What are papillae?

Accepted Answer

Protrusions on the tongue that contain taste buds

Question 56

What is the olfactory bulb?

Accepted Answer

Smell center of the brain, that receives/processes information from the olfactory nerve

Question 57

What are the basic tastes?

Accepted Answer

Sweet

Salty

Sour

Bitter

Umami (cooked meats or broth)

Question 58

What are tactile sensations?

Accepted Answer

Sensations detected by receptors in the skin

(touch, pain, temperature, etc.)

Question 59

What is proprioception?

Accepted Answer

Sense that allows you to know where your body and limbs are

("Where are your fingers?  But how do you know?")

Question 60

What is kinesthesis?

Accepted Answer

Sense that allows you to perceive body movements

Question 61

What is the vestibular sense?

Accepted Answer

Sense of body rotation and gravity

(helps you stay balanced)

Question 62

What are semicircular canals in the ear?

Accepted Answer

Three tiny, fluid-filled tubes in the ear that help you keep your balance

(the vestibular sense relies on these)

Question 63

What are nociceptors?

Accepted Answer

Pain receptors under the skin

Question 64

What is the gate-control theory?

Accepted Answer

Theory suggesting the pain must pass neurological gates before it can reach the brain

(closed gates stop pain, while open gates allow pain)

Unit 3: Sensation and Perception, AP Psychology Flashcards