chapter test Flashcards
the process by which our sensory receptor and nervous system receive and represent stimulus
sensation
the process of organising and interpreting sensory information
perception
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing
bottom-up processing
analysis guided by higher-level mental processes
top down processing
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particualar stimulus
selective attention
when one has intense and targeted attention toward a specific task, becomes creative and productive, and often loses track of time
flow experience
falling to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
inattentional blindness
falling to notice changes in the envirronment
change blindness
conversion of one form of energy into another (in sensation, changing stimulus energy into neural impulses that our brain can interpret)
transduction
the minimum stimualtion needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
absolute threshold
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation
signal detection theory
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 principle that to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
Weber’s law
a diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sensory adaptation
a mental predisposition to percieve on thing and not another
perceptual set
a given stimulus may trigger radically different perception, often due to one’s context
context effect
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokineses
parapsychology
mind to mind communication
telepathy
percieving remote events, such as something occuring in another state
clairvoyance
perceiving future events, such as unexpected death
precognition
a psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physcvial system through non physical means
psychokinesis
The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next
wavelength`
The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light
hue
The amount of energy in a light or sound wave
intensity
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 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 light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, contains rods and cones
retina
When the eye’s lens changes shape to focus images on the retina
accommodation
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, necessary for peripheral vision
rods
Retinal receptors that detect fine detail and color sensations
cones
The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
optic nerve
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye and no receptor cells are present
blind spot
The central focal point in the retina, where the cones cluster
fovea
Receptor rods and cones, Bipolar Cells, Ganglion Cells, Optic Nerve, Thalamus, and Visual Cortex
order of the flow of light
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
feature detector
Teams of cells that respond to complex patterns
Supercell Clusters:
The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
parallel Processing:
The theory that the retina contains 3 different color receptors (Red, Green, and Blue)
young-helmholts theory
The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision
oppoinent-process theory
The principle that people instinctively perceive objects as either in the background or the foreground
figure-ground
The principle is that when things appear similar, people group them together
Similarity/Grouping
The principle that when thing figures are nearby, people group them together
proximity
The principle that people tend to perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
Continuity:
The principle that people tend to fill in gaps in order to create a complete, whole object
closure
The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images are two dimensional
depth perception
The experiment showed that mobile infants had already developed a fear of falling and heights
visual cliff experiment
Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
monocular cues
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
binocular cues
By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance (a binocular cue for perceiving depth
retinal disparity
The ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
perceptual adaption
Can distinguish between figure and ground, color, and brightness. However, they could not recognize objects or distinguish shapes.
People who were born blind and had their sight restored
the sense or act of hearing
audition
The relative strength of sound waves, which we perceive as loudness or volume
amplitude
The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
frequency
A tone’s experienced highness or lowness, dependent on the frequency
pitch
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear
cochlea
The main mechanical component of the inner ear, it contains tiny hairs that act as sound receptors, and provides information about the frequency
basilar membrane
The theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
place theory
The theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone
frequency theory
How do we locate sounds?
One of the ears will receive the sound as more intense and a little sooner than the other. Then the auditory system detects the disparity and deduces where the sound came from.
Sensory receptors that detect hurtful temperatures, pressure, or chemicals
Nociceptors:
The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain
Gate-Control Theory
A system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
Kinesthesia
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
Vestibular Sense
Three small, fluid-filled tubes in your inner ear that help you keep your balance
Semicircular Canals
The principle that one sense may influence another
Sensory Interaction
If you see someone saying one syllable and hear a different one, you may perceive a mix of the two
McGurk Effect
The influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments
Embodied Cognition
What are the 5 taste senses?
Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Umami.
What are the 4 skin senses that make up touch?
Pressure, Warmth, Cold, and Pain.
How is someone tickled?
Stroking adjacent pressure spots will create a tickle, however, a self-initiated tickle produces less somatosensory cortex activation than that from an unexpected stimulus.
How can the Placebo effect affect pain?
Being given fake, pain-killing chemicals can cause the brain to dispense real ones.
