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PSYCH 110 - Biopsychology > Chapter 6 - The Visual System > Flashcards

Chapter 6 - The Visual System Flashcards

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1
Q

Sensitivity

A

In vision, the ability to detect the presence of dimly lit objects

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2
Q

Acuity

A

The ability to see the details of objects

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3
Q

Ciliary muscles

A

The eye muscles that control the shape of the lenses

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4
Q

Accommodation

A

The process of adjusting the configuration of the lenses to bring images into focus on the retina

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5
Q

Binocular disparity

A

The difference in the position of the same image on the two retinas

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6
Q

Receptors

A

Cells that are specialized to receive chemical, mechanical, or radiant signals from the environment; also proteins that contain binding sites for particular neurotransmitters

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7
Q

Horizontal cells

A

Retinal neurons whose specialized function is lateral communication

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8
Q

Bipolar cells

A

Bipolar neurons that form the middle layer of the retina

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9
Q

Amacrine cells

A

Retinal neurons that are specialized for lateral communication

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10
Q

Retinal ganglion cells

A

Retinal neurons whose axons leave the eyeball and form the optic nerve

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11
Q

Blind spot

A

The area on the retina where the bundle of axons from the retinal ganglion cells leave the eye as the optic nerve

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12
Q

Fovea

A

The central indentation of the retina, which is specialized for high-acuity vision

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13
Q

Complex cells

A

Neurons in the visual cortex that respond optimally to straight-edge stimuli in a certain orientation in any part of their receptive field

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14
Q

Binocular

A

Cells in the visual system that are binocular respond to stimulation of either eye

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15
Q

Component theory

A

The theory that the relative amount of activity produced in three different classes of cones by light determines its perceived color (also called trichromatic theory)

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16
Q

Opponent-process theory

A

The theory that a visual receptor or a neuron signals one color when it responds in one way (e.g., by increasing its firing rate) and signals the complementary color when it responds in the opposite way (e.g., by decreasing its firing rate)

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17
Q

Complementary colors

A

Pairs of colors that produce white or gray when combined in equal measure

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18
Q

Color constancy

A

The tendency of an object to appear the same color even when the wavelengths of light that it reflects change

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19
Q

Retinex theory

A

Land’s theory that the color of an object is determined by its reflectance, which the visual system calculates by comparing the ability of adjacent surfaces to reflect short, medium, and long wavelengths

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20
Q

Secondary visual cortex

A

Areas of cerebral cortex that receive most of their input from primary visual cortex

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21
Q

Completion

A

The visual system’s automatic use of information
obtained from receptors around the blind spot, or scotoma, to create a perception of the missing portion of the retinal image

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22
Q

Surface interpolation

A

The process by which we perceive surfaces; the visual system extracts information about edges and from it infers the appearance of large surfaces

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23
Q

Cones

A

The visual receptors in the retina that mediate high acuity color vision in good lighting

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24
Q

Rods

A

The visual receptors in the retina that mediate achromatic, low-acuity vision under dim light

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25
Q

Duplexity theory

A

The theory that cones and rods mediate photopic
and scotopic vision, respectively

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26
Q

Photopoic vision

A

Cone-mediated vision, which predominates when
lighting is good

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27
Q

Scotopic vision

A

Rod-mediated vision, which predominates in
dim light

28
Q

Photopic spectral sensitivity curve

A

The graph of the sensitivity of cone-mediated vision to different wavelengths of light

29
Q

Purkinje effect

A

In intense light, red and yellow wavelengths look
brighter than blue or green wavelengths of equal intensity; in dim light, blue and green wavelengths look brighter than red and yellow wavelengths of equal intensity

30
Q

Fixational eye movements

A

Involuntary movements of the eyes (tremor, drifts, and saccades) that occur when a person tries to fix their gaze on (i.e., stare at) a point

31
Q

Saccades

A

The rapid movements of the eyes between fixations

32
Q

Transduction

A

The conversion of one form of energy to another

33
Q

Rhodopsin

A

The photopigment of rods

34
Q

Absorption spectrum

A

A graph of the ability of a substance to absorb light of different wavelengths

35
Q

Visual association cortex

A

Areas of cerebral cortex that receive input from areas of secondary visual cortex as well as from secondary areas of other sensory systems

36
Q

Prestriate cortex

A

The band of tissue in the occipital lobe that surrounds the primary visual cortex and contains areas of secondary visual cortex

37
Q

Inferotemporal cortex

A

The cortex of the inferior temporal lobe, in which is located an area of secondary visual cortex

38
Q

Posterior parietal cortex

A

The posterior area of the parietal cortex

39
Q

Scotoma

A

An area of blindness produced by damage to, or disruption of, an area of the visual system

40
Q

Perimetry test

A

The procedure used to map scotomas

41
Q

Hemianopsic

A

Having a scotoma that covers half of the visual field

42
Q

Conscious awareness

A

The awareness of one’s perceptions; typically inferred from the ability to verbally describe them

43
Q

Blindsight

A

The ability to respond to visual stimuli in a scotoma without conscious awareness of those stimuli

44
Q

Dorsal stream

A

The group of visual pathways that flows from the
primary visual cortex to the dorsal prestriate cortex to the posterior parietal cortex

45
Q

Ventral stream

A

The group of visual pathways that flows from the
primary visual cortex to the ventral prestriate cortex to the inferotemporal cortex

46
Q

“Where” vs. “what” theory

A

The theory that the dorsal stream mediates the perception of where things are and the ventral stream mediates the perception of what things are

47
Q

Retina-geniculate-striate pathways

A

The major visual pathway from each retina to the striate cortex (primary visual cortex) via the lateral geniculate nuclei of the thalamus

48
Q

Primary visual cortex

A

The area of the cortex that receives direct input from the lateral geniculate nuclei (also called striate cortex)

49
Q

Lateral geniculate nuclei

A

The six-layered thalamic structures that receive input from the retinas and transmit their output to the primary visual cortex

50
Q

Retinotopic

A

Organized, like the primary visual cortex, according to a map of the retina

51
Q

Parvocellular layers

A

The layers of the lateral geniculate nuclei that are composed of neurons with small cell bodies; the top four layers (also called P layers)

52
Q

Magnocellular layers

A

The layers of the lateral geniculate nuclei that are composed of neurons with large cell bodies; the bottom two layers (also called M layers)

53
Q

Contrast enhancement

A

The intensification of the perception of edges

54
Q

Receptive field

A

The area of the visual field within which it is possible for the appropriate stimulus to influence the firing of a visual neuron

55
Q

Monocular

A

Involving only one eye

56
Q

On-center cells

A

Visual neurons that respond to lights shone in the center of their receptive fields with “on” firing and to lights shone in the periphery of their receptive fields with “off” firing

57
Q

Off-center cells

A

Visual neurons that respond to lights shone in the center of their receptive fields with “off” firing and to lights shone in the periphery of their receptive fields with “on” firing

58
Q

Simple cells

A

Neurons in the visual cortex that respond maximally to straight-edge stimuli of a particular width and orientation

59
Q

“Control of behavior” vs. “conscious perception” theory

A

The theory that the dorsal stream mediates behavioral interactions with objects and the ventral stream mediates conscious perception of objects

60
Q

Prosopagnosia

A

Visual agnosia for faces

61
Q

Agnosia

A

A failure of recognition of sensory stimuli that is not attributable to a sensory or to verbal or intellectual impairment

62
Q

Visual agnosia

A

A failure to recognize visual stimuli that is not attributable to sensory, verbal, or intellectual impairment

63
Q

Fusiform face area (FFA)

A

An area of human cortex, located at the boundary between the occipital and temporal lobes, that is selectively activated by human faces

64
Q

Occipital face area (OFA)

A

An area in the occipital lobe that is implicated in the processing of faces

65
Q

Akinetopsia

A

A deficiency in the ability to see movement progress in a smooth fashion, which often results from damage to the MT area

66
Q

Area MT

A

An area of cortex, located near the junction of the temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes, whose function appears to be the perception of motion

PSYCH 110 - Biopsychology (18 decks)

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