PSY 120 EXAM II STUDY GUIDE
Sensation - Answers - characteristics of incoming stimuli
Perception - Answers - processes used to create a meaningful interpretation of
sensations
Transduction - Answers - external messages translated into language we can
understand
Light - Answers - transduced in vision; form of electromagnetic signals
Anatomy of the Eye (Vision) - Answers - cornea and lens -> pupil -> retina -> receptor
cells (rods and cones) -> optical nerve -> brain
Depth Perception - Answers - ability to perceive world in three dimensions
Optical Illusion - Answers - experience of seeming to see something that does not exist
Nature/Nurture (vision) - Answers - your environment can condition how and what you
see
Pitch - Answers - perception of frequency
Volume - Answers - perception of amplitude
Place Theory - Answers - based on location of active receptor cells
Frequency Theory - Answers - based on rate of neural impulses
3 Skin Senses - Answers - 1. Touch
2. Temperature
3. Pain
Touch - Answers - pressure- sensitive receptor cells in skin
Temperature - Answers - neurons activated when activated when skin is either cold or
warm
Pain - Answers - bodily warning system for any stimulus intense enough to damage
tissue
2 Chemical Senses - Answers - 1.Gustation
, 2. Olfaction
Gustation - Answers - sense of taste
Olfaction - Answers - sense of smell
Chemoreceptors - Answers - receptor cells that react to molecules in air/liquid
Absolute Threshold - Answers - Lowest level of as stimulus that an organism could
detect
Difference Threshold - Answers - Smallest DETECTABLE difference in magnitude of
two stimuli
Consciousness - Answers - subjective awareness of internal and external events
Attention - Answers - Internal processes used to set priorities for mental functioning
Dichotic Listening - Answers - test used to to investigate selective hearing within the
auditory system
Automaticity - Answers - Effortless processing that requires little to no focused attention
2 Attention Disorders - Answers - 1. Visual Neglect
2. ADHD
Visual Neglect - Answers - attention disorder that prevents someone from attending to
stimuli on one side of the body
ADHD - Answers - chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and
sometimes impulsivity
Circadian Rhythms - Answers - 24-hour cycle of biological activities regulated by the
hypothalamus (sleep, temp, blood press., hormones...)
5 Stages of Sleep - Answers - 1. Awake
-brief random waves
2. N1- relaxed state, drowsy/ dosing
-brief regular waves
3. N2 - light sleep slowed heart rate
-slower irregular waves
4. N3 _ deeper sleep
-slowest waves
5. REM - rapid eye movement (dreaming)
- brief random waves
Sensation - Answers - characteristics of incoming stimuli
Perception - Answers - processes used to create a meaningful interpretation of
sensations
Transduction - Answers - external messages translated into language we can
understand
Light - Answers - transduced in vision; form of electromagnetic signals
Anatomy of the Eye (Vision) - Answers - cornea and lens -> pupil -> retina -> receptor
cells (rods and cones) -> optical nerve -> brain
Depth Perception - Answers - ability to perceive world in three dimensions
Optical Illusion - Answers - experience of seeming to see something that does not exist
Nature/Nurture (vision) - Answers - your environment can condition how and what you
see
Pitch - Answers - perception of frequency
Volume - Answers - perception of amplitude
Place Theory - Answers - based on location of active receptor cells
Frequency Theory - Answers - based on rate of neural impulses
3 Skin Senses - Answers - 1. Touch
2. Temperature
3. Pain
Touch - Answers - pressure- sensitive receptor cells in skin
Temperature - Answers - neurons activated when activated when skin is either cold or
warm
Pain - Answers - bodily warning system for any stimulus intense enough to damage
tissue
2 Chemical Senses - Answers - 1.Gustation
, 2. Olfaction
Gustation - Answers - sense of taste
Olfaction - Answers - sense of smell
Chemoreceptors - Answers - receptor cells that react to molecules in air/liquid
Absolute Threshold - Answers - Lowest level of as stimulus that an organism could
detect
Difference Threshold - Answers - Smallest DETECTABLE difference in magnitude of
two stimuli
Consciousness - Answers - subjective awareness of internal and external events
Attention - Answers - Internal processes used to set priorities for mental functioning
Dichotic Listening - Answers - test used to to investigate selective hearing within the
auditory system
Automaticity - Answers - Effortless processing that requires little to no focused attention
2 Attention Disorders - Answers - 1. Visual Neglect
2. ADHD
Visual Neglect - Answers - attention disorder that prevents someone from attending to
stimuli on one side of the body
ADHD - Answers - chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and
sometimes impulsivity
Circadian Rhythms - Answers - 24-hour cycle of biological activities regulated by the
hypothalamus (sleep, temp, blood press., hormones...)
5 Stages of Sleep - Answers - 1. Awake
-brief random waves
2. N1- relaxed state, drowsy/ dosing
-brief regular waves
3. N2 - light sleep slowed heart rate
-slower irregular waves
4. N3 _ deeper sleep
-slowest waves
5. REM - rapid eye movement (dreaming)
- brief random waves
