PSYCH 230 - EXAM 1 (UIUC) QUESTIONS
Are there really five senses? - Answers- No, there are around 7-12 senses (vision,
hearing, smell, taste, light touch, pressure, cold, hot, pain, itch, vestibular, and
proprioception)
Sensation - Answers- the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system
receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception - Answers- the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information,
enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events (putting meaning behind
senses)
Neurophysiology - Answers- explains the workings of the nervous system
Agnosia - Answers- the inability to recognize familiar objects.
Prosopagnosia - Answers- inability to recognize faces
Electroencephalogram (EEG) - Answers- An amplified recording of the waves of
electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by
electrodes placed on the scalp.
Functional MRI (fMRI) - Answers- technique that uses magnetic fields to visualize brain
activity using changes in blood oxygen level
psychophysical scale - Answers- relationship between physical stimuli and human
reaction
absolute threshold - Answers- the minimum intensity of stimulation that must occur
before you experience a sensation
method of limits - Answers- A psychophysical method in which the particular dimension
of a stimulus, or the difference between two stimuli, is varied incrementally until the
participant responds differently.
method of constant stimuli - Answers- Many stimuli, ranging from rarely to almost
always perceivable, are presented one at a time (50% detection)
method of adjustment - Answers- Similar to the method of limits, but the participant
controls the stimulus directly
Sensitivity - Answers- the strength of the capacity to detect and discriminate stimuli.
How strong the perception of a stimulus is in an individual.
, magnitude estimation - Answers- a psychophysical method in which the participant
assigns values according to perceived magnitudes of the stimuli
Steven's Power Law - Answers- The perceived magnitude of a stimulus is equal to its
actual physical intensity raised to some constant power. The constant power is different
for each type of sensory judgement.
catch trials and their use - Answers- catch trials are those in which no signal is given.
The use of a catch trial may help to estimate the level at which a participant is guessing
when no stimulus is present
signal detection theory - Answers- a theory predicting how and when we detect the
presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes
there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's
experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
criterion - Answers- controlled by the observer
d prime - Answers- The distance between the signal and the external noise + signal.
Large d' - increasing the discriminability of signal from noise (Loud ringtone, soft music).
You have more correct responses.
Small d' - decreasing the discriminability of signal from noise (soft ringtone, loud music)
Affected by the environment.
hit - Answers- signal present and detected
miss - Answers- signal present > not detected
false alarm - Answers- the signal was absent, but the participant reported sensing it
correct rejection - Answers- the signal is not presented and the participant does not
detect it
Reciever operating characteristic (ROC) - Answers- a curve representing the quality of
a participant's performance
Aristotle five sense - Answers- believed that there were only 5 senses (sight, smell,
touch,
Thomas Young - Answers- showed that light, like waves, could be diffracted
neural transduction - Answers- Stimulus energy is converted into ... messages through
the process of sensory ...
Are there really five senses? - Answers- No, there are around 7-12 senses (vision,
hearing, smell, taste, light touch, pressure, cold, hot, pain, itch, vestibular, and
proprioception)
Sensation - Answers- the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system
receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception - Answers- the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information,
enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events (putting meaning behind
senses)
Neurophysiology - Answers- explains the workings of the nervous system
Agnosia - Answers- the inability to recognize familiar objects.
Prosopagnosia - Answers- inability to recognize faces
Electroencephalogram (EEG) - Answers- An amplified recording of the waves of
electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by
electrodes placed on the scalp.
Functional MRI (fMRI) - Answers- technique that uses magnetic fields to visualize brain
activity using changes in blood oxygen level
psychophysical scale - Answers- relationship between physical stimuli and human
reaction
absolute threshold - Answers- the minimum intensity of stimulation that must occur
before you experience a sensation
method of limits - Answers- A psychophysical method in which the particular dimension
of a stimulus, or the difference between two stimuli, is varied incrementally until the
participant responds differently.
method of constant stimuli - Answers- Many stimuli, ranging from rarely to almost
always perceivable, are presented one at a time (50% detection)
method of adjustment - Answers- Similar to the method of limits, but the participant
controls the stimulus directly
Sensitivity - Answers- the strength of the capacity to detect and discriminate stimuli.
How strong the perception of a stimulus is in an individual.
, magnitude estimation - Answers- a psychophysical method in which the participant
assigns values according to perceived magnitudes of the stimuli
Steven's Power Law - Answers- The perceived magnitude of a stimulus is equal to its
actual physical intensity raised to some constant power. The constant power is different
for each type of sensory judgement.
catch trials and their use - Answers- catch trials are those in which no signal is given.
The use of a catch trial may help to estimate the level at which a participant is guessing
when no stimulus is present
signal detection theory - Answers- a theory predicting how and when we detect the
presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes
there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's
experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
criterion - Answers- controlled by the observer
d prime - Answers- The distance between the signal and the external noise + signal.
Large d' - increasing the discriminability of signal from noise (Loud ringtone, soft music).
You have more correct responses.
Small d' - decreasing the discriminability of signal from noise (soft ringtone, loud music)
Affected by the environment.
hit - Answers- signal present and detected
miss - Answers- signal present > not detected
false alarm - Answers- the signal was absent, but the participant reported sensing it
correct rejection - Answers- the signal is not presented and the participant does not
detect it
Reciever operating characteristic (ROC) - Answers- a curve representing the quality of
a participant's performance
Aristotle five sense - Answers- believed that there were only 5 senses (sight, smell,
touch,
Thomas Young - Answers- showed that light, like waves, could be diffracted
neural transduction - Answers- Stimulus energy is converted into ... messages through
the process of sensory ...
