PSYC304 Perception Full Course Assignments Week 4 Midterm Essay Exam

For your Midterm essay exam, you will complete 10 short answer essay questions which focus on the course readings. Midterm essay answers must be attached as Word documents to the appropriate assignment page, not typed into the assignment student comments boxes. In addition to writing a 300 word answer to each essay question with APA formatted citations and references (APA title page and reference page are required. Each question should be answered clearly and numbered) students will answer each question thoroughly and completely, providing examples where required.

Answer the questions below in your Midterm exam.

Describe the process of perception as a series of steps, beginning with the environmental stimulus and culminating in the behavioral responses of perceiving, recognizing, and acting.

Because the long axons of neurons look like electrical wires, and both neurons and electrical wires conduct electricity, is tempting to equate the two.Compare and contrast the functioning of axons and electrical wires in terms of their structure and the nature of the electrical signals they conduct.

What are the two answers (one “simple” and the other “profound”) to the question, “Why is our perception of colors and details worse in the dim illumination than in bright illumination?”

What is color consistency?Describe three factors that help achieve color consistency.What is lightness consistency?Describe the factors that are responsible for lightness consistency. Lastly, compare and contrast color consistency with lightness consistency.

When you walk from outside, which is illuminated by sunlight, to inside, which is illuminated by “tungsten” illumination, your perception of colors remains fairly constant.But under some illuminations, such as street lights called “sodium – vapor” lights that sometimes illuminates highways or parking lots, colors do seem to change.Why do you think collar consistency would hold under some illuminations, but not others?

What is sensory adaptation?How does it occur within the various senses?What function does sensory adaptation serve?Provide a relevant example which illustrates your point.

What are the characteristics of the energy that we see as visible light?Provide an example illustrating how these characteristics are expressed when someone sees a rainbow.What types of things (situations and/or objects) can interfere with these characteristics?

How does the eye transfer light energy into a neural message?What is the blind spot in the eye and how does it impact the transference of light energy?

How is visual information processed in the brain?But what are some things (situations and/or objects) which can impede visual information being processed in the brain.Please include a relevant example to illustrate your answer.

What theories contribute to our understanding of color vision?Discuss at least two relevant theories within the field of vision.

 

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Describe the process of perception as a series of steps

Introduction

The process of perception is a series of steps that begins with the activation of an object by the senses, and ends with its registration as a memory. The steps are as follows:

1. Choose a focus for attention.

• Choose a focus for attention

The brain has the ability to focus on what it thinks is important, and this is called selective attention. The brain can change its focus of attention by changing the way it interprets information coming in through sensory input and sends this new interpretation to other parts of the brain that then send signals back out again. This process is called feedback loops, which are essential for generating behavior (i.e., action).

2. Translate into neural code.

The second step is to translate these neural signals into electrical activity. This process of translating information into a form that can be measured and recorded by an electroencephalograph (EEG) is called “transcoding.”

The neurons themselves are not capable of producing any electrochemical signal, so they must first be stimulated by another neuron or group of neurons. This can happen either through direct contact with another neuron or through the action potentials created when one stimulus causes electrical impulses in your brain (spinal cord).

3. Remaining sensory codes become memories, if we encode them.

The brain is a storage device. It receives information from the environment, processes it and transmits it to other parts of the body. The brain also decides what to do with this information.

The brain is a receiver and transmitter of information (in both senses). Information entering through one sense will be transmitted through another sense if possible or appropriate; for example, if you smell something delicious you might salivate when eating it!

The brain can process information in different ways depending on its instructions: some parts of the human body may need more time than others to carry out their functions; for example, moving your arm may take longer than thinking about something difficult because there are many muscles involved in moving an arm which each have their own purpose – so movement takes longer but thinking does not necessarily require any additional effort from us at all!

4. Send to the brain for processing and interpretation through the senses — hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell.

The brain is a complex organ that processes sensory information and sends it to other parts of the body. It interprets the information it receives, stores memories and sensory information, and can be trained to process information differently. For example, some people have difficulty with hearing because their hearing loss is mild or severe enough to affect their ability to hear sounds accurately. In this case, those individuals would need training in order for their brains not only hear better but also interpret what they’re hearing correctly!

5. If our attention is diverted by something else or we go to sleep, the process stops here.

If our attention is diverted by something else or we go to sleep, the process stops here.

The next time you look at a person and notice that they are wearing an unusual hat or clothing choice, consider if it was because of their own decision or because someone else told them they looked good in it. Did your perception of them change because of their clothing preferences? Did those preferences cause your perception of them to change?

Takeaway:

You can use this information to improve your ability to perceive. When you learn about the process of perception and what is being perceived, it’s easier for you to understand how your brain works. This will allow you to become more aware of your surroundings and increase your ability to make good decisions in life.

Conclusion

Now you have a basic idea of how the human brain works and how we can use our senses to experience the world. We hope that this article has been as useful for you as it was for us when writing it!