Chapter 3, 3.1-3.6 Flashcards
Sensation
when special receptors in the sense organs are activated, allowing stimuli to become neural signals in the brain
Transduction
the process of converting outside stimuli into neural activity
Sensory receptors
specialized neurons that make up the nervous system, stimulated by energy (hyperpolarization or depolarization)
Synesthasia
a condition that results in joined sensations, no real consensus on whether it can be learned or is just a rare sensory experience
Law of Just Noticeable Differences (person)
Weber, a just noticeable difference threshold is the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli that is detectable 50% of the time
Important that this differences are constant when scaled up or down
Difference threshold
a difference between two stimuli that you are able to detect at least 50% of the time
Absolute Threshold (person)
Fechner, lowest level of stimuli that a person can consciously detect 50% of the time
Tested in extremely controlled environments
Subliminal stimuli
strong enough to activate sensory receptors but not strong enough to make someone consciously aware
Vicary claimed to have mastered its use in commercial advertising, but there is limited scientific proof (fMRIs are being used to analyze)
Signal Detection Theory
method for comparing accuracy of decisions we make under uncertain conditions
Comparing correct “hits” with incorrect “misses”
Habituation
tendency of the brain to stop attending to constant, unchanging information
still being picked up by sensory receptors, but the lower parts of the brain are not processing the information
Sensory adaptation
sensory receptors themselves become less responsive to unchanging stimuli
Microsaccades
constant vibration in the eyes, so that images never fully become still and hence tuned out
