Chapter Five : Part One

Question 1

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Answer 1

sensation

Question 2

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Answer 2

perception

Question 3

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

Answer 3

bottom-up processing

Question 4

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

Answer 4

top-down processing

Question 5

complete sensation but incomplete perception; able to sense visual information, yet unable to recognize it

Answer 5

prosopagnosia

Question 6

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

Answer 6

psychophysics

Question 7

the minimum stimulation needed t detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

Answer 7

absolute threshold

Question 8

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (“signal”) amid background stimulation (“noise”); assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and level of fatigue

Answer 8

signal detection theory

Question 9

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Answer 9

subliminal

Question 10

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

Answer 10

priming

Question 11

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time; we experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference

Answer 11

difference threshold

Question 12

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage, rather than a constant amount

Answer 12

Weber’s Law

Question 13

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Answer 13

sensory adaptation

Question 14

conversion of one form of energy into another; in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret

Answer 14

transduction

Question 15

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next; electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission

Answer 15

wavelength

Question 16

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names - red, orange yellow, green, blue, purple, etc.

Answer 16

hue

Question 17

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude

Answer 17

intensity

Question 18

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

Answer 18

pupil

Question 19

a ring of muscles tissue that forms the colored portion of the eyes around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Answer 19

iris

Question 20

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus near or far objects on the retina

Answer 20

lens

Question 21

the process by which the eye’s lens change shape to focus near or far objects in the retina

Answer 21

accommodation

Question 22

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

Answer 22

retina

Question 23

the sharpness of vison

Answer 23

acuity

Question 24

a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina

Answer 24

nearsightedness

Question 25

a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina

Answer 25

farsightedness

Question 26

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond

Answer 26

rods

Question 27

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions; detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Answer 27

cones