Key Terms 4

Question 1

binocular cues

Answer 1

visual input from two eyes, which allows perception of depth or distance

Question 2

blind spot

Answer 2

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, which contains no receptor cells for vision- thus creating a “blind spot”

Question 3

bottom-up processing

Answer 3

information processing that starts at the “bottom” with an analysis of smaller features, and then builds on them to create complete perceptions; data-driven processing that moves from the parts to the whole

Question 4

cochlea

Answer 4

the fluid-filled, coiled tube in the inner ear that contains the receptors for hearing

Question 5

conduction hearing loss

Answer 5

a type of hearing loss that results from damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea; also called conduction deafness

Question 6

cones

Answer 6

retinal receptor cells with high sensitivity to color and detail, but low sensitivity in dim light

Question 7

depth perception

Answer 7

the ability to perceive three-dimensional space and to accurately judge distance

Question 8

feature detectors

Answer 8

neurons in the brain’s visual system that respond to specific characteristics of stimuli, such as shape, angle, or movement

Question 9

fovea

Answer 9

a tiny pit in the center of the retina that is densely filled with cones; it is responsible for sharp vision

Question 10

frequency theory for hearing

Answer 10

the theory that pitch perception depends on how often the auditory nerve fires

Question 11

illusion

Answer 11

a false or misleading perception shared by others in the same perceptual environment

Question 12

inner ear

Answer 12

the semicircular canals, vestibular sacs, and cochlea, which generate neural signals that are sent to the brain

Question 13

kinesthesis

Answer 13

the sense that provides information about the location, orientation, and movement of individual body parts relative to each other; receptors are located in muscles, joints, and tendons

Question 14

middle ear

Answer 14

the hammer, anvil, and stirrup structures of the ear, which concentrate eardrum vibrations onto the cochlea’s oval window

Question 15

monocular cues

Answer 15

visual input from a single eye alone that contributes to perception of depth or distance

Question 16

opponent-process theory of color

Answer 16

the theory that all color perception is based on three systems, each of which contains two color opposites (red vs green, blue vs yellow, and black vs white)

Question 17

perception

Answer 17

the process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting sensory information into meaningful objects and events

Question 18

perceptual constancy

Answer 18

the tendency to perceive the environment as stable, despite changes in the sensory input

Question 19

perceptual set

Answer 19

the readiness to perceive in a particular manner, based on expectations

Question 20

place theory for hearing

Answer 20

the theory that pitch perception is linked to the particular spot on the cochlea’s basilar membrane that is most stimulated

Question 21

retina

Answer 21

the light-sensitive inner surface of the back of the eye, which contains the receptor cells for vision (rods and cones)

Question 22

rods

Answer 22

retinal receptor cells with high sensitivity in dim light, but low sensitivity to details and color

Question 23

selective attention

Answer 23

the process of focusing conscious awareness onto a specific stimulus, while filtering out a range of other stimuli occurring simultaneously

Question 24

sensation

Answer 24

the process of detecting, converting, and transmitting raw sensory information from the external and internal environments to the brain

Question 25

sensorineural hearing loss

Answer 25

a type of hearing loss resulting from damage to the cochlea’s receptor (hair) hearing cells or to the auditory nerve; also called nerve deafness

Question 26

sensory adaptation

Answer 26

the sensory receptors’ innate tendency to fatigue and stop responding to unchanging stimuli; an example of bottom-up processing

Question 27

top-down processing

Answer 27

information processing that starts at the top with higher level analysis(prior knowledge and expectations), and then works “down” to recognize individual features as a unified whole; conceptually driven processing that moves from the whole to the parts

Question 28

transduction

Answer 28

the process of converting sensory stimuli into neural impulses that are sent along to the brain (for example, transforming light waves into neural impulses)

Question 29

trichromatic theory of color

Answer 29

the theory that color perception results from three types of cones in the retina, each most sensitive to either red, green, or blue; other colors result from a mixture of these three

Question 30

vestibular sense

Answer 30

the sense that provides information about balance and movement; receptors are located in the inner ear

Question 31

amplitude

Answer 31

the maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation, measured from the position of equilibrium

Question 32

chemical senses

Answer 32

The chemical senses are the senses of smell (olfaction) and taste (gustation). Smell is a distant chemical sense, providing information about the chemical composition of substances before you come into the direct contact with them

Question 33

closure

Answer 33

Gestalt psychologists believe that the brain tends to perceive forms and figures in their complete appearance despite the absence of one or more of their parts, either hidden or totally absent.

Question 34

decibels

Answer 34

a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale

Question 35

figure-ground

Answer 35

relating to or denoting the perception of images by the distinction of objects from a background from which they appear to stand out, especially in contexts where this distinction is ambiguous

Question 36

pitch

Answer 36

the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.

Question 37

umami

Answer 37

a category of taste in food (besides sweet, sour, salt, and bitter), corresponding to the flavor of glutamates, especially monosodium glutamate.

Question 38

wave length(color)

Answer 38

The visible colors from shortest to longest wavelength are: violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Ultraviolet radiation has a shorter wavelength than the visible violet light. Infrared radiation has a longer wavelength than visible red light. The white light is a mixture of the colors of the visible spectrum

Question 39

gestalt principles

Answer 39

set of principles in psychology, first proposed by Gestalt psychologists to account for the observation that humans naturally perceive objects as organized patterns and objects, a principle known as Prägnanz.

Question 40

receptors

Answer 40

an organ or cell able to respond to light, heat, or other external stimulus and transmit a signal to a sensory nerve.

Question 41

negative afterimage

Answer 41

a visual afterimage in which light portions of the original sensation are replaced by dark portions and dark portions are replaced by light portions