Chapter 5 Key Terms Flashcards
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
sensation
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
perception
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information
bottom-up processing
information processing guided by the higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our own experiences and expectations
top-down processing
have complete sensation, but incomplete perception;Sense visual info, but can’t recognize it; cannot process top-down (cannot relate stored knowledge to sensory input)
prosopagnosia
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
psychophysics
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
absolute threshold
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation ; assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and level of fatigue
signal detection theory
faint stimulus
signal
background stimulation
noise
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
subliminal
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response
priming
the minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time; we experience it as a just noticeable difference
difference threshold
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
Weber’s Law
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sensory adaptation
conversion of one form to another; in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret
transduction
the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next; vary from short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission
wavelength
the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, etc
hue
the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude
intensity
height of wave
amplitude
light enters the eye through it, protects the eye and bends light to provide focus
cornea
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
pupil
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
iris
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
lens
the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
accommodation
the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
retina
sharpness of vision (affected by small distortions in the eye’s shape)
acuity