Perception Flashcards
the process by which our sense receptors and nervous system represent our external environment
sensation
the process by which we mentally organize and interpret sensory information
perception
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing
bottom-up processing
information processing that creates meaning from sensory input by drawing on our experiences and expectations/information processing
top-down processing
converting one form of energy into another that our brain can use
transduction
the point at which we detect a stimulus 50% of the time
absolute threshold
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
signal detection theory
that point at which we detect a stimulus less than 50% of the time
subliminal
unconscious activation of certain associations
priming
the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli 50% of the time
difference threshold(just-noticeable Difference)
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percent-age (rather than a constant amount).
Weber’s Law
our diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus
sensory adaptation
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
perceptual set
distance from one wave peak to the next (determines hue)
wavelength
the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
hue
the amount of energy in lightwaves which is determined by amplitude from peak to trough
wave intensity
multilayered tissue lining the back of the eye (RED GREEN BLUE color receptors)
retina
the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
accomodation
detect black, white, grey more light sensitive
rods
the nerve that carries information to the brain “information highway”
optic nerve
where the optic nerve leaves the eye, there are no receptor cells here
blind spot
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster
fovea
the theory that the retina contains three different types of 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
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
opponent-process theory
