1. What is sensation and how does transduction convert environmental stimuli into information the brain can interpret?

2. What is the absolute threshold and how does it relate to detecting faint stimuli?

1. What is the difference threshold (JND) and how does Weber's Law explain our ability to detect differences between stimuli?

2. How do absolute thresholds and difference thresholds differ in what they measure about sensory detection?

3. What is signal detection theory and how do personal factors like experience and motivation affect our ability to detect faint signals?

1. What is sensory adaptation and how does it help our sensory systems respond to changes in the environment?

2. How does sensory habituation differ from sensory adaptation in terms of where it occurs in the nervous system?

1. How do taste and smell interact to create our overall perception of flavor?

2. What is synesthesia and how does it demonstrate the brain's ability to cross sensory pathways?

1. What is transduction in vision and how do light waves become electrochemical signals the brain can understand?

2. How does the visible spectrum compare to the full electromagnetic spectrum and what wavelengths can humans perceive?

1. What are the functions of the cornea, iris, lens, and retina in processing light and creating vision?

2. How do nearsightedness and farsightedness occur and what causes these refractive errors?

3. What is accommodation and how does the lens change shape to focus images on the retina?

1. What are the differences between rods and cones in terms of their location, function, and sensitivity to light?

2. What is dark adaptation and how do rods and the pigment rhodopsin enable vision in low-light conditions?

3. How do the three types of cones work together to allow us to perceive the full range of colors?

1. How do rods, cones, bipolar cells, and ganglion cells work together to transmit visual information to the brain?

2. What happens at the optic chiasm and how do visual signals reach the visual cortex?

1. What is the blind spot and why does it exist in our field of vision?

2. How does the brain compensate for the blind spot to create a complete visual image?

1. What does the trichromatic theory propose about how the three types of cones produce color vision?

2. How do combinations of red, green, and blue light create the full range of colors we perceive?

1. What does opponent-process theory propose about color vision and why can't we see reddish green or bluish yellow?

2. How do trichromatic theory and opponent-process theory work together to explain color vision at different levels?

1. What is an afterimage and how does opponent-process theory explain why we see complementary colors after staring at a colored object?

1. What is dichromatism and how does it differ from monochromatism in terms of cone function and color perception?

2. What causes color vision deficiency and how does it affect daily activities?

1. What is prosopagnosia and how does it demonstrate that vision involves more than just seeing?

2. What is blindsight and what does it reveal about visual processing in the brain?

1. What is audition and how do sound waves differ from light waves in terms of speed and creation?

2. How do amplitude and frequency of sound waves relate to loudness and pitch?

1. What is the human hearing range in hertz and how do infrasound and ultrasound differ from sounds humans can perceive?

2. How are decibels used to measure sound intensity and what levels can cause hearing damage?

1. What are the functions of the pinna, auditory canal, tympanic membrane, and auditory ossicles in transmitting sound?

2. How does sound travel through the middle ear and into the inner ear to reach the cochlea?

1. What is the cochlea and how do the basilar membrane and hair cells convert vibrations into neural signals?

2. How do auditory signals travel from the auditory nerve to the brain for perception?

1. What does place theory propose about how different pitches are detected along the basilar membrane?

2. Why do older people often have difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds?

1. What does frequency theory propose about how pitch is perceived through nerve impulses?

1. What does volley theory propose about how groups of neurons work together to perceive higher-pitched sounds?

1. How do place theory, frequency theory, and volley theory work together to explain pitch perception across different frequency ranges?

1. What two factors does the brain use to determine where a sound originates?

2. Why is it difficult to locate sounds coming from directly in front, behind, or above us?

1. What is conduction deafness and how does aging affect the bones in the middle ear?

2. How can hearing aids help people with conduction deafness?

1. What is sensorineural deafness and what causes damage to the hair cells in the cochlea?

2. How do cochlear implants work to help people with nerve deafness?

1. How does olfaction work and what is the 'lock and key' system for olfactory receptors?

2. Why does smell bypass the thalamus and go directly to the amygdala and hippocampus?

1. What are pheromones and how do animals use them to communicate?

1. What are papillae and how do they function as taste receptors?

2. What are the six taste sensations and what survival functions does each serve?

1. What are supertasters and how does their papillae density affect their taste perception?

2. How do supertasters, medium tasters, and nontasters differ in their sensitivity to taste sensations?

1. What sensations can the skin detect and how are touch stimuli processed by the brain?

2. How does the density of receptors in a body area relate to the amount of brain area devoted to it?

1. What functions does pain serve and how do fast and slow nerve fibers create different types of pain?

2. What does gate-control theory propose about how pain messages are processed in the spinal cord?

1. How do psychological factors like fear, anxiety, and expectations affect pain perception?

2. How do neurotransmitters like substance P and endorphins influence pain sensation?

3. How can distraction and interpretation of pain stimuli reduce the intensity of pain?

1. What is phantom limb pain and what theories explain why people feel pain in missing limbs?

1. What is the vestibular sense and how do the semicircular canals help maintain balance?

2. What is kinesthesis and how do kinesthetic receptors provide information about body position and movement?

1. What does sensory conflict theory propose about the causes of motion sickness?

2. How do mismatches between visual, vestibular, and kinesthetic information lead to motion sickness?