Chapter 6- Sensation and Perception Flashcards
SENSATION
The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
PERCEPTION
The process of organizing and interpreting sensory info, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
BOTTOM-UP PROCESSING
Analysis that begins w/ the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory info
TOP-DOWN PROCESSING
Info processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
TRANSDUCTION
The process of converting one form of energy into another that the brain can use
ABSOLUTE THRESHOLD
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 % of the time
SIGNAL DETECTION THEORY
A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a weak stimulus or signal, depends not only on the signals strength, but also on our psychological state– our experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
SUBLIMINAL
Below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness.
PRIMING
The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, which predisposes ones perception, memory, and response .
DIFFERENCE THRESHOLD
Also known as (just noticeable difference JND) is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time.
WEBER’S LAW
A principle that, to perceive a difference, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage ( not constant amount).
SENSORY ADAPTATION
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of a constant stimulation.
PERCEPTUAL SET
A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
WAVELENGTH
The distance from one wave peak to the next. Short wavelength = high frequency (bluish colors) and long wavelength = low frequency (reddish colors).
HUE
The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as colors names blues, green, and so forth.
INTENSITY
The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by waves amplitude.
RETINA
The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptors rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.
ACCOMMODATION
The process by which the eyes lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.
RODS
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond.
CONES
Retinal receptors that function in daylight or in well- lit conditions.
OPTIC NERVE
The nerve that carries the neural impulse 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
The central focal point in the retina, around the eyes cones cluster.
FEATURE DETECTORS
Nerve cells that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.
PARALLEL PROCESSING
Doing many things at once. The brain divides a visual scene into sub-dimensions – color, motion, form, depth, and works each aspect simultaneously.
YOUNG-HELMHOLTZ TRICHROMATIC (3 colors) THEORY
A theory that implies that the receptors do their color magic in teams of 3. ( red, green, and blue)
OPPONENT PROCESS THEORY
A theory of 3 sets of opponent retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white- black) enable color vision.
GESTALT
A German word meaning “form” or “whole”, people’s tendency to integrate pieces of info into meaningful wholes.
FIGURE-GROUND
The organization of the visual field into objects ( the figures) that’s stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
GROUPING
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.
DEPTH PERCEPTION
The ability to see objects in 3 dimensions
VISUAL CLIFF
A device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals.
BINOCULAR CUES
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
RETINAL DISPARITY
The greater the difference between the two images, the closer the object.
MONOCULAR CUES
Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perceptive, available to either eye alone.
PERCEPTUAL CONSTANCY
Perceiving objects as unchanging, even as illumination and retina images change.
COLOR CONSTANCY
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color.
PERCEPTUAL ADAPTATION
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.
AUDITION
The sense of hearing
FREQUENCY
The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time.
PITCH
A tones experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.
MIDDLE EAR
The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing 3 tiny bones ( hammer, anvil, and stirrup).
COCHLEA
A coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear.
COCHLEAR IMPLANT
A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.
PLACE THEORY
The theory that links the pitch we hear w/ the place where the cochleas membrane is stimulated.
FREQUENCY THEORY
The theory that the rate of nerve Impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense it’s pitch
GATE-CONTROL THEORY
The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “ gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass.
KINESTHESIS
The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
VESTIBULAR SENSE
The sense of your heads movements and position, including the sense of balance.
SENSORY INTERACTION
The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences it taste.
EMBODIED COGNITION
The influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preference and judgments .
