chapter 4 Flashcards
sensation
is the process that our sensory organs perform when they receive information about the world.
perception
recognizing and interpreting sensory stimuli. something what we see at a glance can contradict the sensory information that we receive
transduction
the process of converting basic sensory information into neural activity that the brain can interrupt
psychophysics
gustav Fechner.
seeks to measure the relationship between the energy detected by our sensory psychological experiences of that energy
absolute threshold
the minimum amount of energy of a stimulus that we can do 50% of the time. can vary between
difference threshold
just a noticeable difference, the smallest difference between stimuli
signal detection theory
considers both the amount of stimulation that people receive with their personal threshold.
structuralism
focused on the elementary units of perception. focusing on the lines that form the connect the dogs image
gestalt psychology
insisted that perception is far more than simply the component part that goes into it.
law of proximity
grouping objects together according to their closeness in space
law of similarity
grouping objects together according to features they have in common such as shape and size
law of closure
features with pieces missing belong to the same object if the features of the object are consistent for that type of inference
law of continuity
grouping features together when some part of them is obscured by another object . we assume they continue when behind other objects
divided attention
works okay as long as these different sources of information are fairly simple. ex: we can chew gum and walk and plan our evening at the same time
selective attention
performance will be best if focusing on just one task. the downside is that you wont be very aware of other surroundings of information
the earliest stage of visual processing naturally depends on…
your EYES !!
what is the eyes job
to take in light and information to convert into neural signals that the brain be interpret,
amplitude
the lowest and highest point on the wave
wavelength
light travels through space in the form of waves, and varies across a series of wavelengths
saturation
light that consists of a mixture of different wavelengths have LOW SATURATION. light waves that consist of mostly one wavelength have HIGH SATURATION
Sclera
white surface of the eye
cornea
the clear part in front.
pupil
dark opening part. size of the pupil depends on how much light is available. bright areas=smaller
iris
part around the pupil which has colour. muscle constricting the pupil