Sensation – Key Learning Goals
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Explain how stimulus intensity is related to absolute thresholds
Articulate the basic thrust of signal detection theory
Clarify the meaning and significance of sensory adaptation
List the three properties of light and the aspects of visual perception that they influence
Describe the role of the lens and pupil in the function of the eye
Explain how the retina contributes to visual information processing
Trace the routing of signals from the eye to the brain, and explain the brain’s role in visual
information processing
Distinguish two types of color mixing and compare the trichromatic and opponent process
theories of color vision
State the basic premise of Gestalt psychology, and describe the Gestalt principles of
visual perception
Describe the monocular and binocular cues used in depth perception, and discuss
cultural variations in depth perception
List the three properties of sound and the aspects of auditory perception that they
influence
Summarize information on hearing capacities, and describe how sensory processing
occurs in the ear
Compare the place and frequency theories of pitch perception, and discuss the resolution
of the debate
Identify the cues used in auditory localization
Describe the stimulus and receptors for taste, and discuss some determinants of taste
preferences
Review research on individual differences in taste sensitivity, and explain what is meant
by the perception of flavor
Describe stimulus and receptors for smell, and discuss odor identification, and explain
how odors can influence behavior
Trace the two pathways along which pain signals travel, and discuss evidence that the
perception of pain is subjective
Explain the gate control theory of pain perception and recent findings related to it
Terms – Chapter 5
Sensation
Perception
Psychophysics
Absolute Threshold
Signal Detection Theory
Subliminal Perception Sensory Adaptation
Visual Agnosia
Wavelength/Color
Cornea
Lens
Iris
Retina
Optic Nerve
Nearsightedness
Farsightedness
Rods
Fovea
Dark Adaptation
Light Adaptation
Parallel Processing
Visual Cortex
Feature Detectors
Subtractive Color Mixing
Additive Color Mixing
Color Blindness
Opponent Process Theory
Afterimage
Reversible Figure
Perceptual Set
Feature Analysis
Bottom-up Processing Top-down Processing
Depth Perception
Binocular Cues
Monocular Cues
Texture Gradients
Interposition
Relative Size
Height in Plane (RelativeHeight)
Audition
Hertz (HZ)
External/Middle/Inner Ear
Cochlea
Basilar Membrane
Hair Cells
Frequency Theory
Auditory Cortex
Auditory Localization
Olfactory System
Taste Buds
Papillae
Supertasters/Nontasters
Flavor
Olfactory Bulb, Nerve,& Cilia
Gate Control Theory
Fast & Slow pain pathways
Endorphins
Amplitude/Brightness
Pupil
Optic Disc / Blind Spot
Cones
Ganglion Cells
Trichromatic Theory
Complementary Colors
Inattentional Blindness
Gestalt
Linear Perspective
Frequency
Ossicles
Place Theory
Gustatory System
Primary Tastes