Chapter 3 Flashcards
Sensation
stimulation of sensory and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system
perception
sensations are organized into an inner representation of the world
absolute threshold
minimal amount of energy that can produce a sensation
subliminal stimulation
sensory stimulation below a persons absolute threshold for conscious perception (something is too fast to perceive)
difference threshold
minimum difference in the intensity of two stimuli necessary to detect they are different.
two lights may be illuminated at the same time. The difference threshold is reached when an observer can tell that one is brighter than the other.
signal detection theory
perception of sensory stimuli involves the interaction of physical biological or psychological factors
feature detectors
neurons in the sensory cortex that fire in response to specific features of sensory information such as lines or edges of objects
sensory adaptation
organisms become more sensitive to stimuli that are low in magnitude and less sensitive to stimuli that are constant or ongoing in magnitude
visible light
electromagnetic spectrum that stimulates the eye and produces visual sensations
cornea
transparent tissue forming the outer surface of the eyeball
iris
muscular membrane whose dilation regulates the amount of light entered
pupil
center of the iris where light enters the eye
lens
transparent body behind iris that focuses an image on the retina
retina
area of the inner surface of the eye that contains rods and cones
rods and cones
rods: transmit light
cones: transmit color
trichromatic theory
color vision is made by 3 types of cones, red-light, green light, and blue light
opponent-process theory
color vision 3 types of cones, red-light or green light, some blue or yellow, and some to the intensity of light
monochromat
sensitive to black and white only and hence color blind
dischromat
sensitive to black - white and either red-green or blue-yellow and hence is partially color blind
perceptual organization
tendency to integrate perceptual elements into meaningful patterns
monocular cues
stimuli suggestive of depth that can be perceived with only one eye
perspective
depth based on the coming together or parallel lines as they recede into distance
binocular cues
stimuli suggestive of depth that involves simultaneous perception by both eyes
size consistency
tendency to perceive an object as being the same size even as the size of its retinal image changes depending on distance of the object
hertz
frequency of sound wave (pitch)
decibels
loudness of a sound (volume)
cochlea
inner ear, bony tube that contains the basilar membrane
basilar membrane
membrane that lies coiled within the cochlea
organ of the Corti
receptor for hearing that lies on the basilar membrane in the cochlea
auditory nerve
axon bundle that transmits neural impulses from the organ of Corti to the brain
place theory
section of the basilar membrane vibrates in response to the sound
frequency theory
reflected in the frequency of the neural impulses that are generated in response to the sound
olfactory nerve
transmits information concerning odors from olfactory receptors to the brain
kinesthesis
sense that informs us about the positions and motions of pats of our bodies
