(Chapter 4) Sensation and Perception

1. State the difference between sensation and perception

a. Sensation is the stimulation of sense organs
b. Perception is the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input
2. Identify the three properties of light waves that our eyes and the visual areas of the
brain respond to
a. Amplitude (brightness), purity (saturation), and wavelength (hue/color)
3. Identify the roles of rods and cones
a. Rods play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision.
b. Cones play a key role in daylight vision and color vision
4. State why cells in the visual cortex are referred to as feature detectors
a. Cells in the visual cortex respond to very specific types of stimuli, so they are
characterized as feature detectors (neurons that respond selectively to very
specific features of more complex stimuli)
5. Compare the trichromatic and opponent process theories of color vision
a. The trichromatic theory holds that the human eye has three types of receptors
with differing sensitivities to different light wavelengths. The eye contains
specialized receptors sensitive to the wavelengths associated with red, green,
or blue.
b. The opponent process theory holds that color perception depends on receptors
that make antagonistic responses to three pairs of colors: red versus green,
yellow versus blue, and black versus white. The antagonistic processes in this
theory provide plausible explanations for complementary afterimages and the
need for four names (red, green, blue, and yellow).
6. State how the two theories of color vision were reconciled
a. Trichromatic theory: Research demonstrated that the eye has three types of
cones, with each type being most sensitive to a different band of wavelengths.
The three types of cones represent the three different color receptors predicted
by the trichromatic theory.
b. Opponent process theory: Cells were found in the retina, the thalamus, and the
visual cortex that respond in opposite ways to red versus green and blue versus
yellow.
7. State what reversible figures tell us about perceptual sets
a. Perception involves interpretation of sensory input. Interpretations that come
from reversible figures result in two different realities because expectations
have been manipulated through information given about the drawing, which
then creates a perceptual set. A perceptual set creates a certain slant in how
you interpret sensory input.
8. State the difference between bottom-up and top-down processing
a. Bottom-up processing -> progression from individual elements to the whole
b. Top-down processing -> progression from the whole to the elements
9. Define the concept of perceptual constancies
a. A perceptual constancy is a tendency to experience a stable perception in the
face of a continually changing sensory input
10. State what visual illusions tell us about cultural contributions to vision
a. Interpretations of visual illusions can vary based on cultural background (ex.:
People from Western cultures are more susceptible to the Mller-Lyer illusion

because they live in a carpentered world dominated by straight lines, right

angles, rectangular rooms, buildings and furniture. People who are not from
Western culture (ex.: Zulu culture in Africa) do not see straight lines in their
environment, so they are unaffected by the illusion.
11. Identify the three properties of sound waves that human beings respond to
a. Wavelength/frequency (pitch), amplitude (loudness), and purity (timbre)
12. Compare place theory and frequency theory as explanations of how we hear
differences in pitch. How do they illustrate the theme of more than one theory being
useful?
a. Place theory holds that perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of
different portions, or places, along the basilar membrane. The theory assumes
that hair cells at various locations respond independently and that different
sets of hair cells are vibrated by different sound frequencies. The brain then
detects the frequency of a tone according to which area along the basilar
membrane is most active.
b. Frequency theory holds that perception of pitch corresponds to the rate, or
frequency, at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates. This theory views
the basilar membrane as more like a drumhead than a harp. [According to
frequency theory], the whole membrane vibrates in responds to sounds.
However, a particular sound frequency (ex. 3000 Hz), causes the basilar
membrane to vibrate at a corresponding rate of 3000 times per second. The
brain detects the frequency of a tone by the rate at which the auditory nerve
fibers fire.
c. Both theories turned out to be valid even when there were some flaws found.
Pitch perception depends on both place and frequency coding of vibration
along the basilar membrane. Low-frequency pure tones appear to be translated
into pitch through frequency coding. High-frequency pure tones appear to rely
on place coding. And complex tones seem to depend on complex combinations
of frequency and place coding.
13. Identify the primary sensations in taste and touch
a. Taste: Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savory taste of glutamate found in
foods such as meat and cheeses)
b. Touch: Heat, cold, pressure, pain, and pleasure