Chapter 4 Flashcards
signal-detection theory
depends on intensity, confidence and noise in a system
absolute threshhold
the minimum amount of stimulation that an organism can detect for a specific type of sensory input
additive color mixing
formation of colors by superimposing lights, putting more light into the mixture than exists in any one light itself
afterimage
image the persists after stimulus is removed, complementary color
binocular depth cues
clues about distance based on differing views from two eyes
bottom-up processing
in form perception, progression from individual elements to the whole
cochlea
fluid-filled tunnel in inner ear that contains receptors for hearing
complementary colors
pairs of colors that produce gray tones when added together
cones
visual receptors involved in day and color vision
farsightedness
close objects appear blury
feature analysis
detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a complex form
feature detectors
neurons that respond selectively to specific features of more complex stimuli
fovea
tiny spot in the center of the retina that contains only cones, vision is best at this spot
gustatory system
sensory system for taste, stimuli and soluble chemicals, 4 tastes are sweet sour bitter salty (unami?)
inattentional blindness
failure to see visual objects because one’s attention is focused elsewhere
JND
smallest difference in the amount of stimulation that a specific sense can detect
lens
transparent eye structure that focuses the light rays falling on the retina
monocular depth cues
clues about distance based on image from either eye alone
nearsightedness
distant objects are blury
olfactory system
sensory system for smell, stimuli is chemical substances in the air
optic chiasm
point at which the optic nerves from the inside half of each eye cross over and then project to the opposite half of the brain
optic disk
hole in the retina where optic nerves exit eye, blind spot
perceptual constancy
tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input
phi phenomenon
the illusion of movement created by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession
pictorial depth cues
clues about distance can be given in a flat picture
psychophysics
the study of how physical stimuli and translated into psychological experience
pupil
opening in center of iris, controls amount of light, dilates in the dark
retina
neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye, absorbs light, processes images and sends visual information to the back of brain
retinal disparity
cue to the depth based on the fact that objects within 25 feet project images to slightly different location on the left and right retinas
rods
visual receptors that play a key role in night and peripheral vision
subliminal perception
the registration of sensory input without conscious awareness
subtractive color mixing
formation of colors by removing some wavelengths of light
tactile system
sensory system for touch, receptors can register pressure warmth cold and pain
top-down processing
in for perception, a progression from the whole to the elements
visual agnosi
inability to recognize objects
visual system
stimuli is light(electromagnetic wave), wavelength is color, amplitude is brightness, purity is saturation
auditory system
sound waves, vibrations of molecules travel through medium, amplitude is loudness, wavelength is pitch, purity is timbre
main visual pathway
color, form, contrast, motion
second visual pathway
coordination of visual and other sensory input
primary visual cortex
in occipital lobe, handles initial processing of visual input
receptive fields
collections of rods and cones that funnel signals to specific visual cells in the retina and brain
