Modules 18-19 Vocab

Question 1

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

Answer 1

wavelength

Question 2

the dimension of color that is determined by wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue,green, and so forth

Answer 2

hue

Question 3

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 3

intensity

Question 4

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

Answer 4

pupil

Question 5

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Answer 5

iris

Question 6

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Answer 6

lens

Question 7

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 7

retina

Question 8

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

Answer 8

accommodation

Question 9

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

Answer 9

rods

Question 10

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 10

cones

Question 11

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Answer 11

optic nerve

Question 12

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a ‘blind’ spot because no receptor cells are located there

Answer 12

blind spot

Question 13

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

Answer 13

fovea

Question 14

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

Answer 14

feature detectors

Question 15

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

Answer 15

parallel processing

Question 16

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Answer 16

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory

Question 17

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision

Answer 17

opponent-process theory

Question 18

an organized whole. Psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

Answer 18

Gestalt

Question 19

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Answer 19

figure-ground

Question 20

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

Answer 20

grouping

Question 21

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

Answer 21

depth perception

Question 22

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Answer 22

visual cliff

Question 23

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes

Answer 23

binocular cues

Question 24

a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance- the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object

Answer 24

retinal disparity

Question 25

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

Answer 25

monocular cues

Question 26

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

Answer 26

phi phenomenon

Question 27

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change

Answer 27

perceptual constancy

Question 28

Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

Answer 28

color constancy

Question 29

in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

Answer 29

perceptual adaption