Chapter 5 Flashcards
Perception
Process of organizing & interpreting sensory info, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects& events
Sensation
The process by which our sensory receptors & nervous system receive & represent stimulus energies from our environment
Bottom-up processing
Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors & works up to the brains integration of sensory info
Top-down processing
Info processing guided by higher level mental processes through experience/expectations
Prosopagnosia
Complete sensation but incomplete perception, can’t recognize faces, no top down process
Psychophysics
Study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli (intensity) and psychological experience of them
Absolute threshold
Minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Signal detection theory
Theory predicting how/when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus “signal” background stimulation “noise”
Subliminal
Below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Influences our behavior but doesn’t change it
Priming
The activation, of certain associations, predisposing ones perception, memory or responses
Difference threshold
The minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time
Webers law
The principle that, to be perceived as difference, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
Sensory adaptation
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Transduction
Conversion of one form of energy into another/ encode physical energy as neural signals
Wavelength
Distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next
Hue
Dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color name (blue,green)
Intensity
Amount if energy in a light/sound wave, which we perceive as brightness/loudness as determined by the waves amplitude
Pupil
The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Iris
A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil & controls the size of the pupil opening
Lens
Transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Accommodation
Process by which the eyes lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
Retina
Light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
Acuity
Sharpness of vision
Nearsightedness
A condition which near objects are seen more clearly than faraway objects
Farsightedness
Condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects
Rods
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight light vision
Cones
Retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight conditions
Optic nerve
The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
Blind spot
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there
Fovea
Central focal point in the retina, around which the eyes come cluster
Feature detectors
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle or movement
Blindsight
Experiencing blindness in part of their field of vision
Young-helmholtz trichromatic (3 color) theory
Theory that the retina contains 3 different color receptors 1=red 1=green 1=blue
Opponent-process theory
Theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
Color constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
Audition
The sense or act of hearing
Frequency
of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (per second)
Pitch
A tones experienced high/lowness; depends I. Frequency
Middle ear
Chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup)
Cochlea
Coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
Inter ear
Inner most part of a ear, containing cochlea, semicircular canals and vestibular sacs
Place theory
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea membrane is stimulated
Frequency theory
In Hearing the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, this enabling us to sense it’s pitch
Condition hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Sensorineural heading loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea receptor cells or to the auditory nerves, nerve deafness
Cochlear implant
Device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
Gate-control theory
Theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals/allows them to pass on to he brain
Sensory interaction
The principle that 2 senses may influence another, as when the smell of food influences it’s taste
McGurk effect
The body’s compensation of hearing and seeing 2 different things
Olfaction
Sense of smell
Synaethesia
One sort of sensation produces another
Kinesthesis
The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
Vestibular sense
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
Parallel processing
Processing several aspects of a problem simultaneously
