ITP L1 - MIDTERMS

• What is sensation?


  Sensation is the stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system.
• Where are sensory receptors located?

  Sensory receptors are located in sensory organs such as the eyes, ears, and skin.
• How is the stimulation of the senses described?

  Stimulation of the senses is an automatic process.
• What does the central nervous system include?

  The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord.
• What is perception?


  Perception is an active process in which sensations are organized and interpreted to form an inner representation of the world.
• How does perception relate to experience and expectations?

  Perception reflects our experiences and expectations as it makes sense of sensory stimuli.
• How can two objects cast similar sized images on the eye but be perceived differently?

  Perception depends on experience with the objects and the distance from them.
• What are the five senses?

  The five senses are vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
• What does the sense of touch include?

  The sense of touch includes pressure, warmth, cold, and pain.
• What is the absolute threshold according to Gustav Fechner?


  The absolute threshold is the weakest level of a stimulus necessary to produce a sensation.
• How do psychophysicists determine absolute thresholds?

  They expose individuals to progressively stronger stimuli until they find the minimum stimuli that can be detected 50% of the time.
• Why are absolute thresholds not completely absolute?

  Some people are more sensitive than others, and responses can vary at different times.
• What is subliminal stimulation according to John B. Watson?


  Subliminal stimulation is sensory stimulation that is below a person’s absolute threshold for conscious perception.
• How can visual stimuli be presented subliminally?

  Visual stimuli can be flashed too briefly to be processed consciously.
• What is the difference between absolute threshold and subliminal stimulation?

  Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulus needed for detection, while subliminal stimulation is below that threshold.
• What is the difference threshold according to Ernst Weber?


  The difference threshold is the minimum difference in magnitude of two stimuli required to tell them apart.
• What is Weber's constant for light?


  The threshold for perceiving differences in light intensity is about 2% of their intensity.
• What is just noticeable difference (jnd)?

  Just noticeable difference is the minimum difference in stimuli that a person can detect.
• How does Weber's constant apply to different light intensities?


  Weber's constant holds for moderately bright or dull lights but becomes inaccurate for extremely bright or dull lights.
• What are people most sensitive to in terms of sound?

  People are most sensitive to changes in the pitch (frequency) of sounds.
• What is the Weber constant for pitch?

  The Weber constant for pitch is 1/333.
• How can people detect differences in saltiness?

  On average, people cannot detect differences in saltiness of less than 20%.
• What does signal detection theory suggest about detecting stimuli?

  Detection depends on the intensity of the stimulus and factors like training, motivation, and psychological states.
• How does background noise affect signal detection?

  It is easier to detect stimuli in a quiet environment than in a noisy one.
• What psychological factor influences signal detection?

  Focusing on signals considered important can influence detection.
• Who discovered feature detectors in the brain?

  David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel discovered feature detectors in the brain.
• What do feature detectors in the visual cortex respond to?

  Feature detectors fire in response to particular features of visual input, such as specific colors.
• What is sensory adaptation?

  Sensory adaptation refers to the processes by which we become more sensitive to low magnitude stimuli and less sensitive to constant stimuli.
• What is sensitization in sensory adaptation?


  Sensitization is the process of becoming more sensitive to stimulation.
• What is desensitization in sensory adaptation?


  Desensitization is the process of becoming less sensitive to constant stimulation.
• How does sensory adaptation help us understand the world?

  Our sensitivities to stimulation provide our brains with information to understand and influence the world outside.
• Why are our eyes considered "windows on the world"?

  Our eyes are our primary means of perceiving the environment.
• Why is blindness considered a significant sensory loss?


  Blindness is considered the most debilitating sensory loss because vision is our dominant sense.
• What triggers visual sensations?

  Visible light triggers visual sensations.
• What is the electromagnetic spectrum?

  The electromagnetic spectrum includes various types of energy, with visible light being a small part of it.
• What did Sir Isaac Newton discover about sunlight?


  Sir Isaac Newton discovered that sunlight could be broken down into different colors using a prism.
• How does wavelength affect color?

  The wavelength of visible light determines its color, or hue.
• What is the function of the iris in the eye?


  The iris regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.
• What is the pupil?

  The pupil is the black-looking opening in the center of the iris through which light enters the eye.
• What is the function of the lens in the eye?

  The lens focuses an image on the retina.