Exam 2 Flashcards
Sensation
The process where our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
process of organizing and interpreting sensory info, allowing us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Bottom-up processing
Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information
Top-down processing
Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
Transduction
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 brain can interpret
Absolute Threshold
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Subliminal
Below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Priming
Being show a picture of a pear and the a few minutes later spelling pear not pair
Sensory Adaptation
Diminished sensitivity as a result of constant stimulation
Difference Threshold
The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference
Weber’s law
The principle that to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than a constant amount
Cochlea
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses
Conduction Hearing Loss
Hearing loss that is caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Wavelength
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
Hue
The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
Intensity
The amount of energy in light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude
Accommodation
1) In developmental psych, adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.
2) In sensation in perception, 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 are 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 the 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 brain’s natural mode of info processing for many functions, including vision; contrasts with the step by step (serial) processing of most computers
Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three color) theory
The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors, one sensitive to red, blue, and green, which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color
Opponent-process theory
The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision.
Ex: some cells are stimulated by green and others are inhibited by red and vice versa
Grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Depth Perception
the ability to see objects in thee dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance
Visual Cliff
A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
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 the two eyes, the brain computes distance–the greater the difference between the two images, the closer the object
Monocular Cues
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
Middle ear
The chamber between between the eardrum between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones, hammer, anvil, stirrup that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window
Inner ear
the innermost part of the ear containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
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
Gate-control Theory
Theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The gate is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain
Kinesthesis
The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
Vestibular Sense
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
