Bernstein et al., Psychology, 6/e Learning Objectives

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Psychology, Sixth Edition
Douglas A. Bernstein - University of South Florida and University of Southampton
Louis A. Penner - University of South Florida
Alison Clarke-Stewart - University of California, Irvine
Edward J. Roy - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Learning Objectives
Chapter 4: Sensation

Define sense and sensation. Be able to explain the differences between sensation and perception. (see introductory section)
Define accessory structure, transduction, and sensory receptor. (see Sensory Systems)
Define adaptation and give an example. (see Sensory Systems)
Define coding, temporal coding, and spatial coding. Explain why sensory information must be coded before it reaches the brain. (see The Problem of Coding)
Define the doctrine of specific nerve energies. (see The Problem of Coding)
Describe the six characteristics of sensory representation for vision, hearing, and the skin senses. Define topographical representation and primary cortex. (see Linkages: Sensation and Biological Aspects of Psychology)
Define sound. Describe the physical characteristics of sound, including amplitude, wavelength, and frequency. (see Hearing)
Describe the psychological characteristics of sound, including loudness, pitch, and timbre. Discuss the relationship among pitch, frequency, and wavelength as well as that between amplitude and loudness. (see Psychological Dimensions of Sound)
Name and describe the accessory structures of the ear. (see Auditory Accessory Structures)
Describe the roles of the cochlea, basilar membrane, hair cells, and auditory nerve in the process of auditory transduction. Name and describe the types of deafness. (see Auditory Transduction; see also Deafness)
Describe the process of coding auditory information. Discuss the relationship between place theory and the frequency-matching theory, or volley theory, in frequency coding. (see Coding Intensity and Frequency)
Describe how information is relayed to the primary auditory cortex, how the cortex codes the frequency and location of sounds, and why this coding is important for language. (see Auditory Pathways and Representations)
Define visible light. (see Light)
Define light intensity and wavelength. Describe how both are related to what you sense. (see Light)
Define and describe the accessory structures of the eye, including the cornea, iris, pupil, and lens. (see Focusing Light)
Define retina and explain how accommodation affects the image on the retina. (see Focusing Light)
Define photoreceptors and photopigments. Describe how these structures are involved in transduction and dark adaptation. (see Photoreceptors)
Define rods, cones, and fovea. Explain why acuity is greatest in the fovea. (see Photoreceptors)
Define lateral inhibition and describe the interactions in the retina that produce it. (see Interactions in the Retina)
Describe the center-surround receptive field of ganglion cells. (see Ganglion Cells and Their Receptive Fields)
Describe the path that visual information follows on its way to the brain, including the roles of the optic nerve, the optic chiasm, the lateral geniculate nucleus, and the primary visual cortex. Know what creates the blind spot. (see Visual Pathways)
Describe parallel processing of visual properties and hierarchical processing of visual information using feature detectors. (see Visual Representations)
Define hue, saturation, and brightness. (see Wavelengths and Color Sensations)
Describe the trichromatic and opponent-process theories of color vision. Discuss the phenomena each explains, including complementary colors. (see The Trichromatic Theory of Color Vision; see also The Opponent Process Theory of Color Vision)
Describe the physical problem that causes colorblindness. (see Colorblindness)
Define synesthesia. (see The Interaction of Vision and Hearing: Synesthesia)
Define olfaction. Describe the transduction process in the olfactory system. Discuss the path that olfactory information follows to the brain. Define pheromones and vomeronasal organ. (see Olfaction)
Define gustation and papillae. Describe the relationship among taste, smell, and flavor. (see Gustation; see also Smell, Taste, and Flavor)
Define somatic sense or somatosensory system. Describe the transduction process in the skin senses, including touch, temperature and pain. (see Somatic Senses and the Vestibular System)
Describe the gate-control theory of pain sensation. Define analgesia. Know the names of the body's natural analgesics. (see Pain)
Describe the evidence concerning acupuncture and the conclusions that are most reasonable. (see Thinking Critically: Does Acupuncture Relieve Pain?)
Name the proprioceptive senses and explain how they differ from other sensory systems. (see Proprioception)
Describe the types of information that the vestibular sense provides. Discuss the role of the vestibular sacs, otoliths, and semicircular canals in the sensation of vestibular information. (see Vestibular Sense)
Define kinesthesia. Name the source of kinesthetic information and explain what went wrong with Christina, who was the subject of a case study. (see Kinesthesia)





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