Sensation And Perception Iii: Perception Key Terms

Front 1

sound

Back 1

result of vibrations of molecules as they are compressed at certain pressures

Front 2

frequency

Back 2

number of cycles between high and low pressure in one second; affects pitch; sensitivity to sound is dependent on frequency

Front 3

timbre

Back 3

perceptual dimension of sound determined in part by its complexity; distinguish different qualities of sound

Front 4

outer ear

Back 4

includes pinna/auricle, ear canal, and ear drum

Front 5

pinnae

Back 5

funnels sound into ear canal; sound bounces off depending on direction; changes spectrum of sound entering ear which can be useful in locating sound; bouncing location changes the timbre of the sound

Front 6

middle ear

Back 6

includes ossicles

Front 7

ossicles

Back 7

vibrations in ear cause 3 ossicles to vibrate; act as amplification system to overcome reflection of sound and it travels from air to fluid-filled chamber

Front 8

cochlea

Back 8

frequency analyzer that breaks complex sounds into discrete frequency components; filled with fluid and lined with cilia that move back and forth

Front 9

frequency resolution

Back 9

ability to hear 2 frequencies that are very close to each other as different sounds

Front 10

cochlea implants (CI)

Back 10

electronic device that provides a sense of sound to someone who is hearing impaired; picks up sound and transduces it into electrical impulses

Front 11

pitch

Back 11

attribute of sound; allows the ordering of sound on musical scale; dependent on frequency of sound waves

Front 12

fundamental frequency

Back 12

lowest frequency of periodic wavelength; changing can results in changes of overall frequency

Front 13

tonotopic organization

Back 13

anatomical separation of frequencies in the ear; maintained by primary auditory cortex

Front 14

place code

Back 14

brain knows pitch based on the location of the nerve fibers that are stimulated; important for high-pitched sounds

Front 15

temporal code

Back 15

brain knows pitch based on firing rate of nerve fibers

Front 16

Volley Principle

Back 16

auditory nerve as a whole produces volleys of impulses for sounds; for sounds which a single axon cannot fire that fast (high frequency sounds)

Front 17

overtones

Back 17

give musical instruments specific timbres

Front 18

harmonics

Back 18

series of tone whose frequency is a multiple of fundamental frequency

Front 19

pattern recognition

Back 19

identification of particular sound sources by auditory system; timbre recognition is a form of pattern recognition

Front 20

timing cue

Back 20

sounds coming from 1 side of the head will arrive at the ear on that same side first; sounds arriving to the middle will arrive at both ears at the same time; used to locate sound sources; information is sent to the parietal lobe

Front 21

olfactory mucosa

Back 21

mucous membrane lining top of nasal sinuses containing the olfactory receptors

Front 22

olfactory bulbs

Back 22

stalk-like structures located underneath frontal lobes; contain neural circuits which perform first analysis of olfactory information

Front 23

anosmia

Back 23

loss of smell and flavour; damage to receptor cells of olfaction

Front 24

pheromones

Back 24

chemical substance released by animal; serves to influence physiology/behaviour of other members of the same species; important in communication and social groups

Front 25

taste buds

Back 25

where taste receptor cells are located around the mouth

Front 26

homunculus

Back 26

relative sizes of parts related to cortical representation; refers to somatotopic map of the body in the brain

Front 27

primary somatosensory cortex

Back 27

region of somatosensory cortex that receives information directly from somatosensory systems

Front 28

somatotopic representation

Back 28

spatial organization of body parts maintained in the brain; body parts are represented next to adjacent area

Front 29

thermoreceptors

Back 29

nerve endings sensitive to stimulation by heat; help regulate body temperature; includes warm and cool fibers

Front 30

pain receptors

Back 30

free nerve endings in the body; react to extreme pressure, extreme hot and cold, and tissue damage

Front 31

kinaesthic senses

Back 31

provide information about position and movements of limbs in space

Front 32

vestibular senses

Back 32

detect changes in movement, acceleration, 3 rotational directions

Front 33

semicircular canals

Back 33

3 organs in inner ear that respond to rotational movements of head; indicate rotational movement in each of the three dimensions