LSU PSYC 2000 Knapp CHAPTER 5
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
sensation - Answer When sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor/ EX. light
that enters the eye causes chemical changes in cells that line the back of the eye.
transduction - Answer The conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential
absolute threshold - Answer refers to the minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be
present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time/ Another way to think about this is by
asking how dim can a light be or how soft can a sound be and still be detected half of the time./
subliminal message - Answer It is also possible for us to get messages that are presented
below the threshold for conscious awareness
just noticeable difference AKA difference threshold - Answer we are more interested in how
much difference in stimuli is required to detect a difference between them/ changes depending
on the stimulus intensity/ EX. imagine yourself in a very dark movie theater. If an audience
member were to receive a text message on her cell phone which caused her screen to light up,
chances are that many people would notice the change in illumination in the theater. However,
if the same thing happened in a brightly lit arena during a basketball game, very few people
would notice. The cell phone brightness does not change, but its ability to be detected as a
change in illumination varies dramatically between the two contexts.
Weber's Law - Answer The difference threshold is a constant fraction of the original stimulus
perception - Answer refers to the way sensory information is organized, interpreted, and
consciously experienced/ stereotypes, preexisting perceptions about young and old people
bottom-up processing - Answer the fact that perceptions are built from sensory input/ EX.
looking at something creates an image on the retina. This image generates electrical signals that
are transmitted through the retina, and then to the visual receiving area of the brain. This
sequence of events from eye to brain is called bottom-up processing, because it starts at the
"bottom" or beginning of the system, when environmental energy stimulates the receptors.
, sensory adaptation - Answer we often don't perceive stimuli that remain relatively constant
over prolonged periods of time./ EX. Imagine entering a classroom with an old analog clock.
Upon first entering the room, you can hear the ticking of the clock; as you begin to engage in
conversation with classmates or listen to your professor greet the class, you are no longer aware
of the ticking. The clock is still ticking, and that information is still affecting sensory receptors of
the auditory system. The fact that you no longer perceive the sound demonstrates sensory
adaptation and shows that while closely associated, sensation and perception are different.
inattentiional blindness - Answer failure to notice something that is completely visible
because of lack of attention/ EX. In a similar experiment, researchers tested inattentional
blindness by asking participants to observe images moving across a computer screen. They were
instructed to focus on either white or black objects, disregarding the other color. When a red
cross passed across the screen, about one third of subjects did not notice it
signal detection theory - Answer the ability to identify a stimulus when it is embedded in a
distracting background
amplitude - Answer the distance from the center line to the top point of the crest or the
bottom of the trough
wavelength - Answer the length of a wave from one peak to the next
Frequency - Answer the number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period and
is often expressed in term of hertz (Hz), or cycles per second
hertz - Answer cycles per period
visible spectrum - Answer the portion of the larger electromagnetic spectrum that we can
see
electromagnetic spectrum - Answer encompasses all of the electromagnetic radiation that
occurs in our environment and includes gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light,
infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves
pitch - Answer
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
VERIFIED ANSWERS.
sensation - Answer When sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor/ EX. light
that enters the eye causes chemical changes in cells that line the back of the eye.
transduction - Answer The conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential
absolute threshold - Answer refers to the minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be
present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time/ Another way to think about this is by
asking how dim can a light be or how soft can a sound be and still be detected half of the time./
subliminal message - Answer It is also possible for us to get messages that are presented
below the threshold for conscious awareness
just noticeable difference AKA difference threshold - Answer we are more interested in how
much difference in stimuli is required to detect a difference between them/ changes depending
on the stimulus intensity/ EX. imagine yourself in a very dark movie theater. If an audience
member were to receive a text message on her cell phone which caused her screen to light up,
chances are that many people would notice the change in illumination in the theater. However,
if the same thing happened in a brightly lit arena during a basketball game, very few people
would notice. The cell phone brightness does not change, but its ability to be detected as a
change in illumination varies dramatically between the two contexts.
Weber's Law - Answer The difference threshold is a constant fraction of the original stimulus
perception - Answer refers to the way sensory information is organized, interpreted, and
consciously experienced/ stereotypes, preexisting perceptions about young and old people
bottom-up processing - Answer the fact that perceptions are built from sensory input/ EX.
looking at something creates an image on the retina. This image generates electrical signals that
are transmitted through the retina, and then to the visual receiving area of the brain. This
sequence of events from eye to brain is called bottom-up processing, because it starts at the
"bottom" or beginning of the system, when environmental energy stimulates the receptors.
, sensory adaptation - Answer we often don't perceive stimuli that remain relatively constant
over prolonged periods of time./ EX. Imagine entering a classroom with an old analog clock.
Upon first entering the room, you can hear the ticking of the clock; as you begin to engage in
conversation with classmates or listen to your professor greet the class, you are no longer aware
of the ticking. The clock is still ticking, and that information is still affecting sensory receptors of
the auditory system. The fact that you no longer perceive the sound demonstrates sensory
adaptation and shows that while closely associated, sensation and perception are different.
inattentiional blindness - Answer failure to notice something that is completely visible
because of lack of attention/ EX. In a similar experiment, researchers tested inattentional
blindness by asking participants to observe images moving across a computer screen. They were
instructed to focus on either white or black objects, disregarding the other color. When a red
cross passed across the screen, about one third of subjects did not notice it
signal detection theory - Answer the ability to identify a stimulus when it is embedded in a
distracting background
amplitude - Answer the distance from the center line to the top point of the crest or the
bottom of the trough
wavelength - Answer the length of a wave from one peak to the next
Frequency - Answer the number of waves that pass a given point in a given time period and
is often expressed in term of hertz (Hz), or cycles per second
hertz - Answer cycles per period
visible spectrum - Answer the portion of the larger electromagnetic spectrum that we can
see
electromagnetic spectrum - Answer encompasses all of the electromagnetic radiation that
occurs in our environment and includes gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light,
infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves
pitch - Answer
