19-21 Flashcards
Gestalt
German word meaning organized whole
Figure-ground
The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
Grouping
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli info coherent groups
Depth Perception
The ability to see objects in three dimension although the images that strike the retina are two dimensional; allows us to judge distance
Visual Cliff
A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
Binocular Cue
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes
Retinal Disparity
A binocular cue for perceiving depth. By comparing retinal images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity between the two images, the closer the object
Monocular Cue
A depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone
Stroboscopic Movement
Perceives a rapid series of slightly varying images as continuous movement
Phi Phenomenon
Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change
Perceptual constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change
Color constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having a consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
Perceptual adaptation
The ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
Closure
The act of filling in gaps to create a complete and whole object
Continuity
The act of perceiving smooth continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
Proximity
The act of grouping nearby objects and figures together
Shape constancy
the tendency to perceive the shape of a rigid object as constant despite differences in the viewing angle
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
Pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
Middle ear
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window
Cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
Inner ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
Sensorineural hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss, also called nerve deafness
Conduction hearing loss
A less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves into the cochlea
Cochlear implant
a device used for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
Place theory
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
Frequency theory
in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
Gate-control theory
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.
Olfaction
The sense of smell
Kinesthesia
Our movement sense - our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
Vestibular sense
Our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance
Sensory interaction
The principle that one sense may influence another’s as when the smell of food influences its taste
Embodied cognition
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements
Audition
the sense or act of hearing
