Chapter Three Flashcards

1
Q

Sensation

A

The activation of the sense organs by a source of physical energy

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2
Q

Perception

A

The sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli by the sense organs and brain

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3
Q

Stimulus

A

Energy that produces a response in a sense organ

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4
Q

Psychophysics

A

The study of the relationship between the physical aspects of stimuli and our psychological experience of them

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5
Q

Absolute Threshold

A

The smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected

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6
Q

Difference threshold

A

The smallest level of added or reduced stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred

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7
Q

Weber’s Law

A

A basic law of psychophysics stating that a just noticeable difference is a constant proportion to the intensity of an initial stimulus (rather than a constant amount

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8
Q

Adaptation

A

An adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure to unchanging stimuli

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9
Q

Retina

A

The part of the eye that converts the electromagnetic energy of light to electrical impulses for transmission to the brain

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10
Q

Rods

A

Thin, cylindrical receptor cells in the retina that are highly sensitive to light

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11
Q

Cones

A

Cone-Shaped, light-sensitive receptor cells in the retina that are responsible for sharp focus and color perception, particularly in bright light

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12
Q

Optic Nerve

A

A bundle of ganglion axons that carry visual information to the brain

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13
Q

Feature Detector

A

Specialized neurons that are activated only by visual stimuli having specific features, such as a particular shape or pattern

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14
Q

Trichromatic theory of color vision

A

The theory that there are three kinds of cones in the retina, each of which responds primarily to a specific range of wavelengths

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15
Q

Opponent-Process theory of color vision

A

The theory that receptor cells for color are linked in pairs, working in opposition to each other

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16
Q

Sound

A

The movement of air molecules brought about by a source of vibration

17
Q

Eardrum

A

The part od the ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it

18
Q

Cochlea

A

A Coiled tube in the ear filled with fluid that vibrates in response to sound

19
Q

Basilar membrane

A

A vibrating structure that runs through the center of the cochlea, diving it into an upper chamber and a lower chamber and containing sense receptors for sound

20
Q

Hair cells

A

Tiny cells covering the basilar membrane that, when bent by vibrations entering the cochlea, transmit neural messages to the brain

21
Q

Place theory of hearing

A

The theory that different areas of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies

22
Q

Frequency theory of hearing

A

The theory that the entire basilar membrane acts like a microphone, vibrating as a whole in response to a sound

23
Q

Semicircular Canals

A

Three tube-like structures of the inner ear containing fluid that sloshes through them when the head moves, signaling rotational or angular movement to the brain

24
Q

Skin Senses

A

The senses of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

25
Q

Gate-control theory of pain

A

The theory that particular nerve receptors in the spinal cord lead to specific areas of the brain related to pain

26
Q

Gestalt laws of organization

A

A series of principles that describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes

27
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

Perception that consists of the progression of recognizing and processing information from individual components of a stimuli and moving to the perception of the whole

28
Q

Top-Down Processing

A

Perception that is guided by higher-level knowledge, experience, expectations, and motivations

29
Q

Depth perception

A

The ability to view the world in three dimensions and to perceive distance

30
Q

Perceptual constancy

A

Our understanding that physical objects are unvarying and consistent even though sensory input about them may vary

31
Q

Visual illusions

A

Physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception