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Biological Psychology > 10 - Vision: From Eye to Brain > Flashcards

10 - Vision: From Eye to Brain Flashcards

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0
Q

Visual acuity

A

Sharpness of vision

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1
Q

Vision field

A

The whole area that you can see without moving your head or eyes

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2
Q

Photoreceptors

A

Neural cells in the retina that respond to light

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3
Q

Lateral inhibition

A

The phenomenon by which interconnected neurons inhibit their neighbors, producing contrast at the edges of regions

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4
Q

Quantum (pl. quanta)

A

A unit of radiant energy

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5
Q

Wavelength

A

The length between two peaks in a repeated stimulus such as a wave, light, or sound

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6
Q

Photon

A

A quantum of light energy

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7
Q

Cornea

A

The transparent outer layer of the eye, whose curvature is fixed. It bends light rays and is primarily responsible for forming the image on the retina

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8
Q

Lens

A

A structure in the eye that helps focus an image on the retina

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9
Q

Refraction

A

The bending of light rays by a change in the density of a medium, such as the cornea and the lens of the eyes

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10
Q

Ciliary muscle

A

One of the muscles that controls the shape of the lens inside the eye, focusing an image on the retina

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11
Q

Accommodation

A

The process of focusing by the ciliary muscles and the lens to form a sharp image on the retina

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12
Q

Pupil

A

The aperture, formed by the iris, that allows light to enter the eye

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13
Q

Iris

A

The circular structure of the eye that provides an opening to form the pupil

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14
Q

Extraocular muscle

A

One of the muscles attached to the eyeball that control its position and movements

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15
Q

Retina

A

The receptive surface inside the eye that contains photoreceptors and other neurons

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16
Q

Rods

A

A class of light-sensitive receptor cells (photoreceptors) in the retina that are most active at low levels of light

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17
Q

Cones

A

A class of photoreceptor cells in the retina that are responsible for color vision

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18
Q

Bipolar cells

A

A class of interneurons of the retina that receive information from rods and cones and pass the information to retinal ganglion cells

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19
Q

Ganglion cells

A

A glass of cells in the retina whose axons form the optic nerve

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20
Q

Optic nerve

A

Cranial nerve II; The collection of ganglion cell axons that extend from the retina to the optic chiasm

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21
Q

Horizontal cells

A

Specialized retinal cells that contact both the receptor cells and the bipolar cells

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22
Q

Amacrine cells

A

Specialized retinal cells that contact both the bipolar cells and the ganglion cells, and are especially significant in inhibitory interactions within the retina

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23
Q

Scotopic system

A

A system in the retina that operates at low levels of light and involves the rods

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24
Q

Photopic system

A

A system in the retina that operates at high levels of light, shows sensitivity to color, and involves the cones

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25
Q

Rhodopsin

A

The photopigment in rods that responds to light

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26
Q

Retinal

A

One of the two components of photopigments in the retina

27
Q

Opsin

A

One of the two components of photopigments in the retina

28
Q

Range fractionation

A

A hypothesis of stimulus intensity perception stating that a wide range of intensity values can be encoded by a group of cells, each of which is a specialist for particular range of stimulus intensities

29
Q

Photoreceptor adaptation

A

The tendency of rods and cones to adjust their light sensitivity to match ambient levels of illumination

30
Q

Fovea

A

The central portion of the retina, packed with the most photoreceptors and therefore the center of our gaze

31
Q

Optic disc

A

The region of the retina devoid of receptor cells because ganglion cell axons and blood vessels exit the eyeball there

32
Q

Blind spot

A

The portion of the visual field from which light falls on the optic disc. Because there are no receptors in this region, light striking it cannot be seen

33
Q

Optic chiasm

A

The point at which the two optic nerves meet

34
Q

Optic tract

A

The axon of retinal ganglion cells after they have passed the optic chiasm; most terminate in the lateral geniculate nucleus

35
Q

Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)

A

The part of the thalamus that receives information from the optic track and sends it to visual areas in the occipital cortex

36
Q

Optic radiation

A

Axons from the lateral geniculate nucleus that terminate in the primary visual areas of the occipital cortex

37
Q

Primary visual cortex (V1) or striate cortex

A

Also called area 17. The region of the occipital cortex where most visual information first arrives

38
Q

Occipital cortex

A

Also called visual cortex. The cortex of the occipital lobe of the brain

39
Q

Extrastriate cortex

A

Visual cortex outside of the primary visual (striate) cortex

40
Q

Scotoma

A

A region of blindness caused by injury to the visual pathway or brain

41
Q

Receptive field

A

The stimulus region and features that affect the activity of a cell in a sensory system

42
Q

On-center bipolar cell

A

A retinal bipolar cell that is excited by light in the center of its receptive field

43
Q

Off-center bipolar cell

A

A retinal bipolar cell that is inhibited by light in the center of its receptive field

44
Q

On-center ganglion cell

A

A retinal ganglion cell that is activated when light is presented to the center, rather than the periphery, of the cell’s receptive field

45
Q

Off-center ganglion cell

A

A retinal ganglion cell that is activated when light is presented to the periphery, rather than the center, of a cell’s receptive field

46
Q

On-center/off-surround

A

Referring to a concentric receptive field in which the center excites this cell of interest while the surround inhibits it

47
Q

Off-center/on-surround

A

Referring to a concentric receptive field in which the center inhibits the cell of interest while the surround excites it

48
Q

Parvocellular

A

Of or consisting of relatively small cells

49
Q

Magnocellular

A

Of or consisting of relatively large cells

50
Q

Simple cortical cell

A

Also called bar detector or edge detector. A cell in the visual cortex that responds best to an edge or a bar that has a particular width, as well as a particular orientation and location in the visual field

51
Q

Complex cortical cell

A

A cell in the visual cortex the responds best to a bar of particular size and orientation anywhere within a particular area of the visual field

52
Q

Spatial-frequency filter model

A

A model of pattern analysis that emphasizes Fourier analysis of visual stimuli

53
Q

Ocular dominance column

A

A region of cortex in which one eye or the other provides a greater degree of synaptic input

54
Q

Ocular dominance slab

A

A slab of visual cortex, about .5 mm wide, in which the neurons of all layers respond preferentially to stimulation of one eye

55
Q

Orientation column

A

A column of visual cortex that responds to rod-shaped stimuli of a particular orientation

56
Q

Brightness

A

One of three basic dimensions of light perception, varying from dark to light

57
Q

Hue

A

One of three basic dimensions of light perception, varying around the color circle through blue, green, yellow, orange, and red

58
Q

Saturation

A

One of three basic dimensions of light perception, varying from rich to pale

59
Q

Trichromatic hypothesis

A

A hypothesis of color perception stating that there are three different types of cones, each excited by a different region of the spectrum and each having a separate pathway to the brain

60
Q

Opponent-process hypothesis

A

The theory that color vision depends on systems that produce opposite responses to light of different wavelengths

61
Q

Spectrally opponent cell

A

A visual receptor cell that has opposite firing responses to different regions of the spectrum

62
Q

Ataxia

A

An impairment in the direction, extent, and rate of muscular movement

63
Q

Mirror neuron

A

A neuron that is active both when an individual makes a particular movement and when that individual sees another individual make that same movement

64
Q

Myopia

A

Nearsightedness; The inability to focus the retinal image of objects that are far away

65
Q

Amblyopia

A

Reduced visual acuity that is not caused by optical or retinal impairments

Biological Psychology (11 decks)

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