Sensation
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Created by:
leahmdomask on February 27, 2012
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77 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 sensory systems | gather info. from various forms of energy (sound, light, and pressure) |
| accessory structures | modifies energy from outside environment (ex. outer part of ear or lens of eye) |
| transduction | converts modified energy into neural activity |
| sensory nerves | routs out the information to the appropriate cortexses--travels to thalamus first |
| problem of coding | how are physical properties of a stimulus translated into a pattern of neural activity the specifically identifies those properties (ex. difference between cheetah and leopard) |
| doctrine of specific nerve energies | stimulation of a particular sensory nerve provides codes for a specific sense |
| temporal codes | changes in neural activity rates and timing--visual systems fire faster for in response to brighter light than dim |
| sound | repeated fluctuations in the pressureof some medium (air or water) |
| characteristics | sound represented in wave form |
| amplitude | difference in air pressure from baseline to the peak of the wave (how loud or quiet something is) |
| wavelength | distance from on wave peak to the next |
| frequency | number of complete waveforms that pass by a given point each second--measured in hertz |
| amplitude | determines loudness--the greater the ____, the louder the sound; meaured in decibles |
| frequency | determines pitch--the higher the ____, the higher the pitch |
| timbre | the quality of sound--determined by complex wave patterns added on to the lowest frequency |
| pinna | funnels sound down through the ear channel |
| tympanic membrane | aka--eardrum, where sound waves strike |
| malleus, incus, and stapes | 3 tiny bones that are passed by vibrations |
| auditory transduction | after oval window, vibrations enter inner ear, reach the fluid in cochlea and moves the basilar membrane; causes tiny hair cells to move and cause neural activity in the auditory nerve; carries auditory info to the brain |
| conduction | three tiny bones fuse together--can't accurately reproduce vibrations |
| nerve | auditory nerve or hairs are damaged |
| coding intensity and frequency | the more intense the sound, the more rapid the firing of a neuron |
| place theory | hair cells at a particular place on the basilar membrane respond most ot the wave peak associated with it; high frequencies crest earlier on the basilar membrane and low ones crest later; crest=frequency |
| frequency matching | firing rate of a neuron in the auditory nerve matches the frequency of the sound wave; codes very low frequencies to moderate |
| volley theory | many neurons fire together for frequencies over 1,000 hertz |
| primary auditory cortex | located in temporal lobe; area in which most intense and complex analysis of sound occurs |
| sensing pitch | because most sounds are made from a mixture of frequencies, pitch can vary from person to person |
| locating sound | determined by difference in the time a sound arrives at each of a person's ears (distance and intensity--tapping of pencils all over the room) |
| light | visible light is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 400 and 750 nanometers |
| intensity | how much energy light contains--determines brightness |
| wavelength | differenent wavelenghts produce sensation of different colors |
| focusing light | light waves pass through the cornea, pupil and the lens before being focused on the retina; iris adjusts size of the pupil; changes shape of lens of bend light rays |
| visual transduction | conversion of energy into neural actibity--takes plae in retina |
| photoreceptors | specialized cells in retina that convert energy into activity--contain photopigments (chemicals) that break down in response to light |
| dark adaptation | increasing ability to see in the dark over time |
| rods | increase ability to see in low ligh but cant discriminate color |
| cones | discerns color--only active in higher light intensities--located in fovea (center of retina) |
| interactions in retina | photoreceptor cells connect to the bipolar cells and then the ganglion cells |
| ganglion cell receptive fields | each cell only knows whats going on in it's receptive field--makes it easier to see edges and sharper contrast between light and dark (dark edge around shadow) |
| axons of ganglion cells | combine to form optic nerve |
| optic chiasm | locations where half of the fibers from the optic nerve cross over to the other side of the brain |
| lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) | located in thalamus, where messages from optic nerve are sent |
| Photoreceptors in retina | the more photoreceptors in an area, the larger the area of the cortex devoted to it |
| parallel processing of visual properties | LGN--THALAMUS--responds to different stimuli (form, color, movement, distance) info doesn't merge, but processes info simutaneousl and communicates with other layers |
| hierarchical processing of visual information | IN THE CORTEX--are more complexed than LGN cells and respond t specific features of objects |
| cones | seeing color |
| wavelength and color sensation | most colors are a mixture of light and different wavelenghts |
| hue | determined by dominant wavelength in the mixture |
| saturation | determind by if one wavelength is more intense (bold, thick, dark color or light color) |
| brightness | deteremined by overall intensity of all the wavelenghts (shiny vs dull) |
| additive color mixing | adding wavelengths of equal intensity--mixing results in white |
| subtractive color mixing | it's about reflecting and absorbing wavelengths--mixing results in black |
| trichromatic theory of color vision | 3 types of cones and each respond best to a different color (red, green, blue) or wavelength |
| opponent process of theory of color vision | visual elements sensitive to color occur in three pairs and the members of each pair inhibit one another--each element in pair signals the other but never both (contains complimentary colors--red/green, blue/yellow, black/white) |
| colorblindness | cones lack color sensitive pigments for red, green, or blue |
| synesthesia | unusual mixing of senses or dimensions within senses (ex. shirt is loud or cheese is sharp) |
| olfaction | sense of smell (use nose, mouth, and upper part of throat) |
| mucuous membrane | olfactory receptors located on the dendrites here |
| olfactory bulb | axons from the nose travel directly here (no thalamus) in the brain |
| pheromones | chemicals released by animals (menstrual) |
| synchrony | pheromonal signals secretedin women's perspiration cause women to get on same cycle |
| gustation | sense of taste |
| anosmia | inability to distinguish different smells |
| termperature affects on flavor | warmer foods taste sweeter--spicy foods activate pain receptors and are percieved as hot |
| somatic system | includes skin senses of touch, temperature, pain, and kinesthesia |
| stimulus and receptors for touch | energy represented by physial pressure on tissue |
| adaptation of touch receptors | most senstitive to changes in touch |
| intensity | based on rate of firing and number of neurons firing |
| location | based on location of neurons firing |
| temperature | some nerve fibers increase firing when exposed to temperatures between 95 and 115 degrees--many receptors respond to temperature and touch--cold objects seem 250% heavier |
| emotional aspects | expectation of pain and intensity affect our evaluation of it (getting a shot--crying when cutting self) |
| gate control theory | gate in spinal chord either allows pain impulses to travel upward to the brain or blocks it |
| analgesia | absence of pain when there should be (can't feel pain) |
| vestibular | provides information regarding the position of the head in space and about it's movements (results of spinning on chair) |
| vestibular sacs | connects semicircular canals and cochlea--attributes to sense of balance |
| semicircular canals | fluid in tubes mobes and stimulates hairs--activates hairs that inform brain of heads position |
| kinesthesia | tells you where parts of the body are in respect to another (simon says with eyes closed) |
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