ch. 3 Flashcards

1
Q

sensation

A

the activation of the sense organs by a source of physical energy

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2
Q

perception

A

the sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli by the sense organs and brain

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3
Q

stimulus

A

energy that produces a response in a sense organ

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4
Q

psychophysics

A

the study of the relationship between the actual physical aspects of a stimulus and our psychological experience of that stimulus

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5
Q

absolute threshold

A

the lowest intensity of a stimulus that an organism can detect
50% of the time

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6
Q

noise

A

background stimulation that interferes with perception of other stimuli

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7
Q

difference threshold

A

the smallest level of added or reduced stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred
*jnd

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8
Q

Weber’s law

A

a basic law of psychophysics stating that a jnd is a constant proportion to the intensity of an initial stimulus (rather than a constant amount)

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9
Q

adaptation

A

an adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure to unchanging stimuli

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10
Q

The decline in sensitivity to sensory stimuli is due to…

A

the inability of the sensory nerve receptors to fire off messages to the brain indefinitely

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11
Q

wavelengths

A

distance between peaks of the lightwaves

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12
Q

sound localization

A

the process by which we identify the direction from which a sound is coming

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13
Q

sound

A

the movement of air molecules brought about by a source of vibration

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14
Q

olfaction allows

A

10,000+ diff smells

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15
Q

smells are strongly linked with

A

memory

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16
Q

pheromones

A

produce a social response in other members of the same species

17
Q

5 basic tastes

A

sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami

18
Q

receptor cells

A

located in taste buds, replaced every 10 days

19
Q

skin senses

A

senses of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

20
Q

perceptual set

A

mental tendencies and assumptions that effect what we hear, smell, taste, and see

21
Q

schema

A

a concept or framework that allows us to organize or interpret information
ex. slowing down when seeing a cop

22
Q

perception

A

we go beyond the stimuli that are presented to us and attempt to construct a meaningful situation

23
Q

gestalt laws of organization (5)

A

a series of classic principles in psychology that describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes

24
Q

closure

A

we usually group elements to form enclosed or complete figures rather than open ones

25
proximity
we perceive elements that are closer together as grouped together
26
similarity
elements that are similar in appearance, we perceive as grouped together
27
simplicity
when we observe a pattern, we perceive it in the most basic, straightforward manner we can
28
continuity
lines that are broken, interprets more of the continuous figure
29
top-down processing
perception is guided by higher level knowledge, experience, expectation and motivations
30
bottom-up processing
take stimuli and move it up to process through our perception
31
depth perception
ability to view the world in 3D and perceive distance
32
binocular disparity
difference in the images seen by the left and right eye
33
perceptual constancy
our understanding that physical objects are unvarying and consistent even though sensory input about them may vary
34
visual illusions
physical stimuli that consistently produces errors in perception
35
subliminal perception
the perception of messages about which we have no awareness
36