chapter 3.1 Flashcards
What is a stimulus?
A form of energy that produces a response in a sense organ.
What is sensation?
The activation of sensory receptors by stimulus energy.
What is perception?
The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.
What is psychophysics?
The study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience.
What is the absolute threshold?
The smallest level of a stimulus that can be detected 50% of the time.
What is the difference threshold (Just Noticeable Difference, JND)?
The smallest detectable difference between stimuli.
What is sensory adaptation?
The process of getting used to a stimulus when its level is constant, reducing its effect over time.
Which sense adapts the fastest?
Olfaction (smell).
What are the three properties of light?
Amplitude: Perception of brightness
Wavelength: Perception of color
Purity: Perception of saturation
What is transduction?
The transformation of stimulus energy into neural energy.
Where does transduction occur in the visual system?
The retina
What are the two types of photoreceptor cells in the retina?
Rods: Black and white, low-light vision
Cones: Color and daylight vision
What are the two major theories of color vision?
Trichromatic Theory – Three types of cones (red, blue, green) detect color.
Opponent-Process Theory – Color perception depends on opposing pairs (red/green, blue/yellow, black/white).
What is the stimulus for hearing?
Sound waves, which are vibrations of molecules traveling through air.
What are the three properties of sound?
Amplitude: Perception of loudness
Wavelength: Perception of pitch
Purity: Perception of timbre
