Chapter 3 Key Terms Flashcards
Sensation
The stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system.
Perception
The process by which sensations are organized into an inner representation of the world.
Sensory adaption
The processes by which organisms become more sensitive to stimuli that are low in magnitude and less sensitive to stimuli that are constant or ongoing in magnitude.
Sensitization
The type of sensory adaptation in which we become more sensitive to stimuli that are low in magnitude. Also called positive adaptation.
Desensitization
The type of sensory adaptation in which we become less sensitive to constant stimuli. Also called negitive adaptaion.
Visible light
The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that stimulates the eye and produces visual sensations.
Cornea
Transparent tissue forming the outer surface of the eyeball.
Iris
A muscular membrane whose dilation regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.
Pupil
The black-looking opening in the center of the iris, through which light enters the eye.
Lens
A transparent body behind the iris that focuses an image on the retina.
Retina
The area of the inner surface of the eye that contains rods and cones.
Optic nerve
The nerve that transmits sensory information from the eye to the brain.
Rods
Rod-shaped photo-receptors that are sensitive only to the intensity of light.
Cones
Cone-shaped photo-receptors that transmit sensations of color.
Fovea
An area near the center of the retina that is dense with cones and where vision is consequently most acute.
Blind spot
The area of the retina where axons from ganglion cells meet to form the optic nerve.
Trichromatic theory
The theory that color vision is made possible by three types of cones, some of which respond to red light, some to green, and some to blue.
Opponent-process theory
The theory that color vision is made possible by three types of cones, some of which respond to red or green light, some to blue or yellow, and some to the intensity of light.
Top-down processing
The use of contextual information or knowledge of a pattern in order to organize parts of the pattern.
Bottom-up processing
The organization of the parts of a pattern to recognize, or form an image of, the pattern they compose,
Monocular cues
Stimuli suggestive of depth that can be perceived with only one eye.
Binocular cues
Stimuli suggestive of depth that involve simultaneous perception by both eyes.
Retinal disparity
A binocular cue for depth based on the difference in the image cast by an object on the retinas of the eyes as the object moves closer or farther away.
Kinesthesis
The sense that informs us about the positions and motion of parts of our bodies.
Vestibular sense
The sense of equilibrium that informs us about our bodies’ positions relative to gravity.
Extrasensory perception (ESP)
Perception of objects or events through means other than the recognized sensory organs.
