CHAPTER 3 Vocab (G-P) Flashcards
The idea that incoming pain sensations must pass through a “gate” in the spinal cord that can be blosed, thus blocking pain signals
Gate-control theory
A theorietical orientation based on the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
Gestalt psychology
Objects that can be represented in two-dimensional pictures but cannot exists in three-dimensional space
Impossible figures
The smallest difference int he amount of stimulation that a specific sense can detect
Just noticeable difference (JND)
The sensdory system that monitors the position of the various parts of one’s body
Kinesthetic system
Th sensory system for taste
Gustatory system
A process in the retina that occurs when neural activity in a cell opposes activity in surrounding cells
Lateral antagonisms
The transparant eye structure that focues the light rays falling on the retina
Lense
The process whereby the eyes become less sensitive to light in high illumination
LIght adaptation
Clues about distance based on the image from either eye alone
Monocular depth cues
Cue to depth that involves images of objects at different distances moving across the retina at different rates
MOtion parallax
A vision deficiency in which close objects are seen clearly but distant objects appear blurry
Nearsightedness
The sensory system for smell
Olfactory system
The theory that color perception depends on receptors that make antagonistic responses to three pairs of colors
Opponent process theory
The point at which theo ptic nerves from the inside half of each eye cross over and then project to the opposite half of the brain
Optic chiasm
A hole in the retina where the optic nerve fibers exit the eye
Optic disk
An apparently inexplicable discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulu and its physical reality
Optical illusion
Simultaneously extacting different kinds of information from the same input
Parallel processing
The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input
Perception
A tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input
Perceptual constancy
An inference about which distal stimuli could be responsible for the proximal stimuli sensed
Perceptual hypothesis
A readiness to percive a stimulus in a particualr way
Perceptual set
The illusion of movement created by presneting visual sitmuli in rpaid succession
Phi phenomenon
Clues about distance that can be given in a flat picture
Pictorial depth cues
The idea that perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different portions or places along the basilar membrane
Place theory
The fact that subjects’ expectations can lead them to experience some change even though they recieve an empty, fake, or ineffectual treatment
Placebo effects
The stimulus energies that impinge directly on sensory receptors
Proxiaml stimuli
The study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience
Psychophysics
The opening int he center of the iris that helps regulate the amount of light passing into the rear chamber of the eye
Pupil
