CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Sensation refers to the process by which we detectphysical energy from the environment and encode itas neural signals. This chapter describes the senses ofvision, hearing, taste, touch, smell, kinesthesis, andthe vestibular sense. It also presents research findingsfrom studies of subliminal stimulation.In this chapter there are many terms to learn andseveral theories you must understand. Many of theterms are related to the structure of the eye, ear, andother sensory receptors. Doing the chapter reviewseveral times, labeling the diagrams, and rehearsingthe material frequently will help you to memorizethese structures and their functions. The theoriesdiscussed include the signal detection, Young-Helmholtz three-color and opponent-process theoriesof color vision, and the frequency and place theoriesof pitch. As you study these theories, concentrate onunderstanding the strengths and weaknesses (if any)of each.NOTE: Answer guidelines for all Chapter 5 questions begin on page 145.

CHAPTER REVIEW

First, skim each section, noting headings and boldfaceitems. After you have read the section, review eachobjective by answering the fill-in and essay-typequestions that follow it. As you proceed, evaluateyour performance by consulting the answers begin-ning on page 145. Do not continue with the next sec-tion until you understand each answer. If you needto, review or reread the section in the textbook beforecontinuing.

Introduction

(pp. 197–198)

Objective 1:

Contrast sensation and perception, andexplain the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing.

The process by which we detect physical energyfrom the environment and encode it as neuralsignals is . The process bywhich sensations are selected, organized, andinterpreted is .

Sensory analysis, which starts at the entry leveland works up, is called -.Perceptual analysis, which works from our expe-rience and expectations, is called-.

The perceptual disorder in which a person haslost the ability to recognize familiar faces is.

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David Myers at times uses idioms that are un-familiar to some readers. If you do not knowthe meaning of the following expression in thecontext in which it appears in the text, refer topage 154 for an explanation:

. . . in a mirror sheis again stumped.

Sensation

Sensing the World: Some Basic Principles

(pp. 198–203)

Objective 2:

Distinguish between absolute and differ-ence thresholds, and discuss whether we can sensestimuli below our absolute threshold and be influ-enced by them.

The study of relationships between the physicalcharacteristics of stimuli and our psychologicalexperience of them is .

Therefers to the minimum stimulation necessary for astimulus to be detectedpercent of the time.

The theory ofled to the concept thatabsolute thresholds depend not only on thestrength of the signal but also on a person’sstate.

Some entrepreneurs claim that exposure to“below threshold,” or ,stimuli can be persuasive, but their claims areprobably unwarranted.

Some weak stimuli may trigger in our sensoryreceptors a response that is processed by the brain, even though the response doesn’t cross thethreshold into awareness.

Under certain conditions, an invisible image orword can a person’sresponse to a later question. Theillustrates that much of ourinformation processing occurs .

The minimum difference required to distinguishtwo stimuli 50 percent of the time is called the.Another term for this value is the.

The principle that the difference threshold is not aconstant amount, but a constant proportion, isknown as. The proportion dependson the .

Objective 3:

Describe sensory adaptation, andexplain how we benefit from being unaware ofchanging stimuli.

After constant exposure to an unchanging stimu-lus, the receptor cells of our senses begin to fireless vigorously; this phenomenon is called.

10.

This phenomenon illustrates that sensation isdesigned to focus onchanges in the environment.Explain why sensory adaptation is beneficial.

Vision

(pp. 204–215)

Objective 4:

Define

transduction,

and specify the formof energy our visual system converts into the neuralmessages our brain can interpret.

Stimulus energy is converted intomessages through theprocess of sensory .

The visible spectrum of light is a small portion ofthe larger spectrum ofradiation.

The distance from one light wave peak to the nextis called . This valueIf you do not know the meaning of any of thefollowing words, phrases, or expressions in thecontext in which they appear in the text, referto pages 154–155 for an explanation:

blind spot;Rods have no such hotline; Holy Grail; blindsight;Color, like all aspects of vision, . . . the theater of our brains.

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Chapter 5 Sensation

If you do not know the meaning of any of thefollowing words, phrases, or expressions in thecontext in which they appear in the text, referto page 154 for an explanation:

A frog couldstarve to death knee-deep in motionless flies; Theshades on our senses are open just a crack; the faintest whimper from the cradle; “satanic mes-sages”; hucksters; price hike . . . to raise the eye-brows; So everywhere that Mary looks, the scene issure to go.

determines the wave’s color, or.

The amount of energy in light waves, or, determined by a wave’s, or height, influences theof a light.

Objective 5:

Describe the major structures of the eye,and explain how they guide an incoming ray of lighttoward the eye’s receptor cells.

Light enters the eye through the, then passes through asmall opening called the ;the size of this opening is controlled by thecolored .

By changing its curvature, thecan focus the image of anobject onto the , the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye.

The process by which the lens changes shape tofocus images is called .Clarity, or sharpness, of vision is called.

In nearsightedness, light rays from(nearby/distant) objectsconverge (in front of/in back of) the retina, rather than on it, and(nearby/distant) objectsare seen more clearly than(nearby/distant) objects. Infarsightedness, light rays from(nearby/distant) objects converge(in front of/in back of) the retina, and(nearby/distant) objects areseen more clearly than(nearby/distant) objects.

Objective 6:

Contrast the two types of receptor cellsin the retina, and describe the retina’s reaction tolight.

The retina’s receptor cells are theand .

10.

The neural signals produced in the rods andcones activate the neighboringcells, which then activate anetwork of cells. The axonsof ganglion cells converge to form the,which carries the visual information to the.

11.

Where this nerve leaves the eye, there are noreceptors; thus the area is called the.

12.

Most cones are clustered around the retina’spoint of central focus, called the, whereas the rods are con-centrated in moreregions of the retina. Many cones have their owncells to communicate withthe visual cortex.

13.

It is the (rods/cones) of theeye that permit the perception of color, whereas(rods/cones) enable black-and-white vision.

14.

Unlike cones, in dim light the rods are(sensitive/insensitive).Adapting to a darkened room will take the retinaapproximately minutes.

Objective 7:

Discuss the different levels of processingthat occur as information travels from the retina tothe brain’s cortex.

15.

Visual information percolates through progres-sively more levels. In the brain, it is routed by the tohigher-level brain areas. Hubel and Wiesel dis-covered that certain neurons in theof the brain respond only tospecific features of what is viewed. They calledthese neurons.

16.

Feature detectors pass their information tohigher-level brain cells in the brain, including anarea in the cortex, whichresponds to specific visual scenes. Research hasshown that in monkey brains such cells specializein responding to a specific,, , or.

Vision

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