PSYC& Lilienfeld et al. - Chapter 4 Sensation and Perception: How We Sense and Conceptualize the World Study Guide

Transcription

1 Many first time college students struggle adjusting to expectations of college-level courses. One reason for this is that college-level courses require students to learn new content and apply that content to new situations. These worksheets are designed to highlight the difference between simple content knowledge and application of that knowledge. Your answers to content questions will come from your text, and classroom lectures and discussions. Your answers to application questions will come from your own thinking about the content and puzzling out the answer. To reiterate, answers to application questions are not in the text. In class, I ll probably refer to these as C1 (for Q1 under Content) and A1 (for Q1 under Application). Content 1 Distinguish between sensation and perception. Include as part of your answer where each takes place. Application 1 Track how our brain constructs a perception, beginning with the energy in the external world. You will need to incorporate information from class to develop a complete answer. A sketch would be helpful. 2 What is transduction? 2 Give two different examples of transduction. You may need to use your knowledge of thermodynamics to answer this! 1-Revised 12/30/13

2 3 In the context of this chapter, what is reduction? (From class) 3 How might a reduced version of the human world differ from that of a dog s reduced version of the world? 4 What is psychophysics? 4 Why is psychophysics an interesting field of study? 5 What is the definition of an absolute threshold? 5 Give a concrete example of how you might measure absolute threshold of the taste of salt. 6 What is the definition of a difference threshold. Note: Difference thresholds are also called JNDs. 6 Give a concrete example of how you might measure difference threshold of the taste of salt. 2-Revised 12/30/13

3 7 What does Weber s Law say with regard to difference thresholds? 7 Give a concrete example that illustrates Weber s Law. Pick something other than the taste of salt! 8 What is sensory adaptation? 8 Give an example of a time when you noticed sensory adaptation in yourself. 9 Why is sensory adaptation a useful thing for us? 9 Why do you think sensory adaptation is problematic for a researcher trying to investigate our perception of a stimulus? 3-Revised 12/30/13

4 10 What is Signal Detection Theory? Include the following in your answer: Why is it called signal detection? What is a response bias? What is signal to noise ratio? What is a yeah-sayer? A nay-sayer? 10 Describe a scenario in which it would be important to know a person s response bias. 11 What is bottom-up processing? 11 Give examples from the film that illustrate bottom-up and top-down processing. 12 What is top-down processing? 12 4-Revised 12/30/13

5 13 Distinguish between subliminal perception and subliminal persuasion. 13 If your friend was griping at the movies about those darned advertisers using subliminal messages to get him to buy pop, what could you tell him? 14 What is a perceptual set? Note this is also sometimes called a mental set. 14 a) Using your own head (!), explain how prejudices are nothing more than extreme perceptual sets. b) Give examples to make your point clear. 5-Revised 12/30/13

6 15 Many people continue to believe in ESP. What tricks do psychics do to heighten this belief? 15 What aspects of science are lacking in the research on ESP? (Go back to your notes from Chap 1). 16 Diagram the eye, label each part and identify the function of each part. 6-Revised 12/30/13

7 17 Rods and Cones: a) How are rods and cones distributed across the retina? 16 Explain the roles that rods and cones play as we enter a darkened theater for a matinee. b) How do rods and cones contribute differentially to (a) brightness perception, (b) color vision and (c) visual acuity? 18 What is the blind-spot in our eye? 17 Explain why we have a blind spot. Use what you know of neurons in your answer. 19 What is change blindness? Are you immune to it now that you know about it? 18 What do you think accounts for our inability to see changes right in front of us? 7-Revised 12/30/13

8 20 What are the two basic types of cues to depth? (from your Depth Cue concept map) 19 Explain how 3-D movies or ViewMaster gadgets work. (You might have to look elsewhere to find the answer to this question!) For each of the following cues to depth, describe the cue, being sure to distinguish what enters our eyes from what our brain perceives. 21 Accommodation: 20 For each of the cues listed in the Content column, provide an example that will help you remember the cue. 22 Convergence: Binocular (or retinal) disparity: Motion parallax: Interposition/Overlap: Shading: Relative size: Texture gradient: 27 8-Revised 12/30/13

9 29 Aerial (atmospheric) perspective: Linear perspective: Position in visual field: Position relative to horizon: 31 Important terms: These terms should look familiar and should appear in your answers to the study guide questions. Some terms will come from your notes from class lectures and discussions. 1 Sensation 12 Brightness 23 Moon illusion 34 Interposition/Overlap 2 Perception 13 Hue 24 Change blindness 35 Shading 3 Transduction 14 Cornea 25 Synesthesia 36 Relative size 4 Sensory adaptation 15 Lens 26 Depth perception 37 Texture gradient 5 Reduction 16 Retina 27 Oculomotor cues to depth 38 Relative size 6 Psychophysics 17 Fovea 28 Accommodation 39 Aerial (atmospheric) perspective 7 Sense receptor 18 Macula 29 Convergence 40 Linear perspective 8 Absolute threshold 19 Rods 30 Binocular cues to depth 41 Position in visual field 9 Just noticeable different (JND) 20 Cones 31 Binocular (or retinal) disparity 42 Position relative to horizon 10 Perceptual constancy 21 Blind spot 32 Monocular cues to depth 11 Selective attention 22 Color blindness 33 Motion parallax 9-Revised 12/30/13