Exam 6: Sensation and Perception

Normally, kinesthesis and equilibrium work together to give us a sense of our own physical reality. But when they do not, the consequences are profound. What happened to Christina's experience of physical reality after the inflammation that damaged her kinesthetic nerve fibres?

Although many species of animals are totally colour blind, this condition is extremely rare in humans.

Perceptual illusions usually are harmless; in fact, we may find them amusing. Other times, however, illusions have led to tragic accidents. Explain why visual illusions occur. Describe two different illusions, one that is entertaining and one that could lead to dangerous consequences.

The actual receptors for taste are called:

Perception is defined as the detection of physical energy emitted or reflected by physical objects.

According to the doctrine of specific nerve energies, if sound waves could stimulate nerves that end in the visual part of the brain, then we would "see" sounds.

A sound wave causes the eardrum to vibrate with the same frequency and amplitude as the wave itself.

The centre of the fovea contains only cones.

Match the description with the appropriate theory. -A theory of colour perception that proposes three mechanisms in the visual system, each sensitive to a certain range of wavelengths; their interaction is assumed to produce all the different experiences of hue.

Perceptual research indicates that:

Neural tissue lining the back of the eyeball's interior is called the:

Match the definition with the appropriate term. -The accurate perception of objects as stable or unchanged despite changes in the sensory patterns they produce.

________ codes rely on the fact that sensory receptors and neurons fire, or are inhibited from firing, only in the presence of specific sorts of stimuli.

Pitch is what makes a note played on a flute, which produces relatively pure tones, sound different from the same note played on an oboe, which produces very complex sounds.

Researchers who have studied colour blindness and colour deficiency have found that:

The Gestalt psychologists were especially interested in research about:

Match the description with the appropriate theory. -A psychophysical theory that divides the detection of a sensory signal into a sensory process and a decision process.

An important visual skill is the ability to perceive objects as stable or unchanging even though the retinal image changes. This is called:

Sensation occurs when energy in the external environment or in the body stimulates receptors in the sense organs.

The dimension of auditory experience related to the complexity of a sound wave, that is, to the relative breadth of the range of frequencies, is called: