BCS Midterm 1

The use of experimental stimuli that approximate real-world conditions. If stimuli lack ecological validity (e.g. using isolated tones to study music perception), psychological processes involved in normal conditions may not be engaged. with the use of ecologically valid stimuli, it is justifiable to generalize from experimental findings to real-world conditions. However, ecological validity may come at the expense of experimental control, in that real-world conditions usually involve unpredictable changes in many variables.

b: we start with a blank slate and everything is learning

a. Words are presented describing a color but are written in a different color. Cognitive influence between two domains (reading the word and the color of the word)

The tendency to perceive some stimuli as falling into discrete categories rather than in terms of gradients. In categorical perception, a perceptual boundary will be evident, even though the physical phenomenon is continuous.

period of time in development that is ideal for learning something

a trait developed over time that is important for survival and reproduction

A trait that evolved from an earlier one that served a different function.

p: development of an entire group or species (evolutionary time)

s: traits that promote sexual reproduction

Deep, significant emotional bonding between individuals, especially between caregivers and their offspring.

A trait shared by two organisms with a common ancestor.

A trait shared by two organisms that do not share a common ancestor.

Specific pitch that distinguishes words

rhythm, stress, and tone that convey meaning over a sentence. General pitch contour or melody of speech.

Idea that music has no adaptive purpose. It is biologically useless but pleasurable.

Subconscious learning.

a: The ability to identify the pitch of a tone accurately and without relying on an external reference pitch.

pitch labeling (can say, "that's an A or B") and pitch memory (can recall what the note was and reproduce it)

dependent: what is being measured (quantitative value)

c: high pressure area of a sound wave (peak of sine wave)

Variable that researchers failed to control in an experiment. Destroys experiment's validity.

between: measurement across two different groups as it pertains to something. (Peoples reactions to drunk driving)

a. measure the strength of a linear relationship between two continuous variables, will give you a number that is a decimal between 0 and 1

The hypothesis that there is no significant difference between specified populations

Statistical test used to compare two or more means

Statistical test used to compare two means, or one mean against chance.

The decoding of sounds in the brain, the organizational method the brain uses to make sounds comprehensible

Proximity

Similarity

Symmetry

Good continuation

Common fate

Snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure within the inner ear. Receives vibrations conveyed from the tympanic membrane via the small bones of the middle ear. Contains tympanic membrane. Helps break mechanical sound processes down into biological processes.

Microphone sits above ear and takes in channels of sound then send them to electrodes that stimulate the basilar membrane inside the cochlea

Thin membrane within the cochlea of the inner ear in which the hair cells are embedded. It moves in response to pressure waves in the cochlea, initiating a chain of events that results in a nerve impulse to the brian.

the ear drum, takes sound in the air and transfers to the ossicles

ear bones

sequential organization of frequencies across the basilar membrane from high to low

Joseph Fourier. Decompose complex tone into partials, or harmonics.

rate of occurence or rate of repetition. Measured in (Hz), where 1 Hz=1 cycle/second.

The magnitude or strength of a signal.

Measure of frequency.

Measure of loudness. Logarithmic measure that matches human perception of loudness.

s: a single audible frequency, also known as a pure tone or simple tone in contrast to a complex tone.

20Hz - 20,000Hz

Any partial that occurs above a perceived pitch of a complex tone. Second harmonic is the first overtone, and so on.

Constant state of acoustic energy that corresponds to an overtone

Tone color. Attack, decay, steady state.

Tuning that involves progressively tuning a perfect fifth above the current tone (3:2 ratio). Each tone around the circle of fifths is progressively tuned, along with its octave equivalents, until the cycle is complete and the starting point is reached.

Octaves are tuned pure and then divided into 12 equal intervals (semitones).

The idea of our perception of how intervals sound, not good at extreme frequencies, a minor third in the middle vs. really high, it will sound more compressed in the extremes, not a musical scale, perceptual scale.

Measures loudness over frequency. Shows that perception of frequency depends on loudness.

Complex tone that contains octave-spaced partials. The amplitudes of partials are weighted so that extremes have least energy. This fixes an amplitude envelope across the tones.

Interference between two sounds of very similar frequency wehre the interference results in perception of volume fluctuations.

s: something in the auditory system that perceives dissonance

When pitches are so close that their frequencies interfere with each other

When two melodies are being played at the same time, they are often hard to distinguish, they can be distinguished if you change the timbre etc (based on gestalt principles)

A pitch quality that assigns it to a pitch class. For example, all C's are associated based on their chroma.

Auditory illusion in which a sequentially played pair of Shepard tones separated by an interval of a tritone, or half octave, is heard as ascending by some people and as descending by others.

an organized pattern of thought or behavior