Chapter 6- Sensation & 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 information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Bottom-Up Processing
Analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information
Transduction
Conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sounds, lights, and smells, into neural impulses our brain dan interpret
Psychophysics
The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them
Absolute Threshold
Minimun stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Signal Detection Theory
Theory pretending how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (Noise)
Subliminal
Below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Priming
The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response
Difference Threshold
The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time… (JND- Just Noticeable Difference)
Weber’s Law
The principal that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage age (rather than a constant amount)
Sensory Adaptation
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Perceptual Set
A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
Wavelength
The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peace of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission
Hue
Time dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, so forth
Intensity
The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s 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 and controls the size of the pupil opening
Lens
The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Retina
The light-sensative inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
Accommodation
The process by which the eye’s 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 receptor cells that re concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
Optic Nerve
The nerve that carries neural impulses from 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 which the eye’s cones cluster
Feature Detectors
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
Parallel Processing
The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brains neural mode of of information processing for many functions, including vision.
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic (Three-Color) Theory
The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color
Opponent-Process Theory
The theory that opposing retinal processes (red-gree, yellow-blue, black-white) enable color vision
Gestalt
An organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Figure-Ground
The organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
Grouping
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Binocular Cues
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
Retinal Disparity
A binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in two eyes, the brain computes distance- the greater disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object
Monocular Cues
Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
Phi Phenomenon
An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
Perceptual Constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change
Color Constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
Perceptual Adaptation
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
Audition
The sense or act 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 cochlear containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlear’s oval window
Cochlear
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulse
Inner Ear
The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness
Conduction Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Cochlea Implant
A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threshold into cochlea
Place Theory
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s 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, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
