Modules 19-21 Flashcards
audition
The sense or act of hearing.
binocular cues
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.
cochlea
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.
cochlear implant
A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.
color constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.
conduction hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.
depth perception
The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.
embodied cognition
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements
figure-ground
The organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).
frequency
The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second).
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
The 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.
gestalt
An organized whole. These type of psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
grouping
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.
inner ear
The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
kinesthesis
The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
middle ear
The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.
monocular cues
Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.
olfaction
sense of smell
perceptual adaptation
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.
perceptual constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.
phi phenomenon
An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.
pitch
A tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.
place theory
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.
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 disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.
sensorineural hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness.
sensory interaction
The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.
vestibular sense
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance.
visual cliff
A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals.
