Sensation and Perception UPDATED ACTUAL Questions
and CORRECT Answers
sensation the subjective awareness of a stimulus; the process by which our sensory
receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from
our environment
perception the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information; enabling us to
recognize meaningful objects and events; helping us make sense of the world
around us
, bottom-up processing analysis begins withe the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's
integration of sensory information
top-down processing information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we
construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations
transduction converting stimulus in the environment into neural signals
selective attention The ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input
inattentional blindness failure to see visible objects when our attention in directed elsewhere
change blindness Failing to notice changes in the environment/scenes, even when you appear to
be attending to the information
choice blindness the phenomenon of subjects not realizing that they had been given something
that was not "their choice"
Cocktail party effect the ability to attend to only one voice among many
absolute threshold the smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected in half the
time
difference threshold smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that can be detected ( just
noticeable difference)
Signal Detection Theory Our ability to notice a stimulus is varied due to psychological factors including
motivation, past experience, and expectations.
Weber's Law To be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum
percentage. (Light-8%, Weight-2%, Tones-3%)
subliminal existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness
Psychophysics the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such
as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
Brightness the dimension of visual experience related to the amount (intensity) of light
emitted from or reflected by an object
Cornea outer covering of the eye
Pupil the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Iris a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the
pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
Lens the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus
images on the retina
Retina the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and
cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
and CORRECT Answers
sensation the subjective awareness of a stimulus; the process by which our sensory
receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from
our environment
perception the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information; enabling us to
recognize meaningful objects and events; helping us make sense of the world
around us
, bottom-up processing analysis begins withe the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's
integration of sensory information
top-down processing information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we
construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations
transduction converting stimulus in the environment into neural signals
selective attention The ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input
inattentional blindness failure to see visible objects when our attention in directed elsewhere
change blindness Failing to notice changes in the environment/scenes, even when you appear to
be attending to the information
choice blindness the phenomenon of subjects not realizing that they had been given something
that was not "their choice"
Cocktail party effect the ability to attend to only one voice among many
absolute threshold the smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected in half the
time
difference threshold smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that can be detected ( just
noticeable difference)
Signal Detection Theory Our ability to notice a stimulus is varied due to psychological factors including
motivation, past experience, and expectations.
Weber's Law To be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum
percentage. (Light-8%, Weight-2%, Tones-3%)
subliminal existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness
Psychophysics the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such
as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
Brightness the dimension of visual experience related to the amount (intensity) of light
emitted from or reflected by an object
Cornea outer covering of the eye
Pupil the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Iris a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the
pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
Lens the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus
images on the retina
Retina the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and
cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
