chapter 2 vocab Flashcards
absolute threshold
the smallest amount of stimulation needed for detection by a sense
agnosia
loss of the ability to perceive stimuli
anosmia
loss of the ability to smell
audition
ability to process auditory stimuli
auditory canal
tube running from the outer ear to the middle ear
auditory hair cells
receptors in the cochlea that transduce sounds into electric potentials
binocular disparity
difference in images processed by the left and right eyes
binocular vision
our ability to perceive 3D and depth because of the difference between the images on each of our retinas
bottom-up processing
building up to perceptual experience from individual pieces
chemical senses
our ability to process the environmental stimuli of smell and taste
cochlea
spiral bone structure in the inner ear containing auditory hair cells
cones
photoreceptors of the retina sensitive to colour. located primarily in the fovea
dark adaptation
adjustment of eye to low levels of light
differential threshold
the smallest difference needed in order to differentiate two stimuli
dorsal pathway
pathway of visual processing. the “where” pathway
just noticeable difference (JND)
the smallest difference needed in order to differentiate two stimuli
light adaptation
adjustment of the eye to high levels of light
mechanoreceptors
mechanical sensory receptors in the skin that respond to tactile stimulation
multimodal perception
the effects that concurrent stimulation in more than one sensory modality has on the perception of events and objects in the world
nociception
ability to sense pain
odorants
chemicals transduced by olfactory receptors
olfaction
ability to process olfactory stimuli (smell)
olfactory epithelium
organ containing olfactory receptors
opponent-process theory
theory proposing colour vision as influenced by cells responsive to pairs of colours
ossicles
a collection of three small bones in the middle ear that vibrate against the middle tympanic membrane
perception
the psychological process of interpreting sensory information
phantom limb
the perception that a missing limb still exists
phantom limb pain
pain in a limb that no longer exists
pinna
outermost portion of the ear
primary auditory cortex
area of the cortex involved in processing auditory stimuli
primary somatosensory cortex
area of the cortex involved in processing somatosensory stimuli
primary visual cortex
area of the cortex involved in processing visual stimuli
principle of inverse effectiveness
the finding that, in general, for a multimodal stimulus, if the response to each unimodal component (on its own) is weak, then the opportunity for multisensory enhancement is very large. However, if one component - by itself - is sufficient to evoke a strong response, then the effect on the response gained by simultaneously processing the other components of the stimulus will be relatively small
retina
cell layer in the back of the eye containing photoreceptors
rods
photoreceptors of the retina sensitive to low levels of light. located around the fovea
sensation
the physical processing of environmental stimuli by the sense organs
sensory adaptation
decrease in sensitivity of a receptor to stimulus after constant stimulation
shape theory of olfaction
theory proposing that odourants of different size and shape correspond to different smells
signal detection
method for studying the ability to correctly identify sensory stimuli
somatosensation
ability to sense touch, pain, and temperature
somatotopic map
organization of the primary somatosensory cortex maintaining a representation of the arrangement of the body
sound waves
changes in air pressure. the physical stimulus for audition
superadditive effect of multisensory integration
the finding that responses to multimodal stimuli are typically greater than the sum of the independent responses to each unimodal component if it were presented on its own
tastants
chemicals transduced by taste receptor cells
taste receptor cells
receptors that transduce gustatory information
top-down processing
experience influencing the perception of stimuli
transduction
the conversion of one form of energy into another
trichromatic theory
theory proposing colour vision as influenced by three different cones responding preferentially to red, green, and blue
tympanic membrane
thin, stretched membrane in the middle of the ear that vibrates in response to sound. also called the eardrum
ventral pathway
pathway of visual processing. the “what” pathway
vestibular system
parts of the inner ear involved in balance
Weber’s law
states that just noticeable difference is proportional to the magnitude of the initial stimulus
