Ch 05: Sensation & Perception Flashcards
aboslute threshold
minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time
afterimage
continuation of a visual sensation after removal of the stimulus
binocular cue
cue that relies on the use of both eyes
binocular disparity
slightly different view of the world that each eye receives
blind spot
point where we cannot respond to visual information in that portion of the visual field
bottom-up processing
system in which perceptions are built from sensory input
closure
organizing our perceptions into complete objects rather than as a series of parts
cochlear implant
electronic device that consists of a microphone, a speech processor, and an electrode array to directly stimulate the auditory nerve to transmit information to the brain
conductive hearing loss
failure in the vibration of the eardrum and/or movement of the ossicles
cone
specialized photoreceptor that works best in bright light conditions and detects color
congenital deafness
deafness from birth
cornea
transparent covering over the eye
decibel (dB)
logarithmic unit of sound intensity
depth perception
ability to perceive depth
figure-ground relationship
segmenting our visual world into figure and ground
fovea
small indentation in the retina that contains cones
Gestalt psychology
field of psychology based on the idea that the whole is different from the sum of its parts
hair cell
auditory receptor cell of the inner ear
inattentional blindness
failure to notice something that is completely visible because of a lack of attention
iris
colored portion of the eye
just noticeable difference
difference in stimuli required to detect a difference between the stimuli
kinesthesia
perception of the body’s movement through space
lens
curved, transparent structure that provides additional focus for light entering the eye
linear perspective
perceive depth in an image when two parallel lines seem to converge
monocular cue
cue that requires only one eye
night blindness
poor vision at night or in dim light
optic chiasm
X-shaped structure that sits just below the brain’s ventral surface; represents the merging of the optic nerves from the two eyes and the separation of information from the two sides of the visual field to the opposite side of the brain
optic nerve
carries visual information from the retina to the brain
perception
way that sensory information is interpreted and consciously experienced
principle of closure
organize perceptions into complete objects rather than as a series of parts
proprioception
perception of body position
proximity
things that are close to one another tend to be grouped together
pupil
small opening in the eye through which light passes
retina
light-sensitive lining of the eye
rod
specialized photoreceptor that works well in low light conditions
sensation
what happens when sensory information is detected by a sensory receptor
sensorineural hearing loss
failure to transmit neural signals from the cochlea to the brain
sensory adaptation
not perceiving stimuli that remain relatively constant over prolonged periods of time
similarity
things that are alike tend to be grouped together
subliminal message
message presented below the threshold of conscious awareness
top-down processing
interpretation of sensations is influenced by available knowledge, experiences, and thoughts
transduction
conversion from sensory stimulus energy to action potential
vestibular sense
contributes to our ability to maintain balance and body posture
