Perception Flashcards
Psychophysics
Scientific method for investigation of relationships between physical stimuli and psychological experience /sensitivity to that stimulus
Synaethesia
The perceptual experience of one sense that is evoked by another sense
Modalities
Sensory brain regions that process different components of the perceptual world
Sensation
the subjective awareness of a stimulus; the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information; enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events; helping us make sense of the world around us
Transduction
What takes place when many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into neural signals sent to the central nervous system
Absolute threshold
The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus
the smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected in half the time
Just noticeable difference/difference threshold (JND)
- minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected (to tell to stimulus apart)
Weber’s law
To be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage. (Light-8%, Weight-2%, Tones-3%)
Signal detection theory
Our ability to notice a stimulus is varied due to psychological factors including motivation, past experience, and expectations.
D- prime (D’)
A statistic that gives a relatively pure measure of the observers sensitivity or ability to detect signals
Sensory adaption
Sensitivity to prolonged stimulation tends to decline over time as an organism adapts to current conditions
Visual acuity
Ability to see fine detail
Retina
- Light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eyeball
- 125 million photoreceptors
The eye
- iris regulates the amount of light that enters the eye through the pupil
- cornea and Lens focus the light on the retina
Cones
- photoreceptors that detect colour, operate under normal daylight conditions and allow us to focus on fine detail
Rods
Photoreceptors that become active only under low light conditions for night vision
Fovea
An area of the retina where vision is the clearest and there are no rods at all
Central focal point of the retina
Blind spot
An area of the retina that contains neither rods nor cones and therefore has no mechanism to sense light
Receptive field
- the region of the sensory surface that, when stimulated, causes a change in the firing rate of that neuron
Hubel & Wiesel
Single unit recording in cats and monkeys
bottom-up processing
analysis begins withe 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 experiences and expectations
selective attention
The ability to focus on only one stimulus from among all sensory input
inattentional blindness
failure to see visible objects when our attention in directed elsewhere
change blindness
Failing to notice changes in the environment/scenes, even when you appear to be attending to the information
choice blindness
the phenomenon of subjects not realizing that they had been given something that was not “their choice”
Cocktail party effect
the ability to attend to only one voice among many
subliminal
existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness
Brightness
the dimension of visual experience related to the amount (intensity) of light emitted from or reflected by an object
Cornea
Outer covering of the eye
Pupil
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Iris
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
Lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
Cones
Visual receptors involved in color vision
Thalamus
Relay center of the brain
Visual cortex
Located in the occipital lobe, it is the part of the brain responsible for interpreting visual information
Occipital lobe
Part of the cerebral cortex that contains the visual cortex. One of the four major lobes. Located in the back of your head
Sensory adaption
The reduction or disappearance of sensory responsiveness when stimulation is unchanging or repetitious
Sense receptors
Specialized cells that convert physical energy in the environment or the the body to electrical energy that can be transmitted as nerve impulses to the brain
Synethesia
A condition in which stimulation of one sense also evokes another
Sensory deprivation
the absence of normal levels of sensory stimulation
Ganglion cells
Neurons in the retina of the eye, which gather information from receptor cells; their axons make up the optic nerve
Feature detectors
Cells in the visual cortex that are sensitive to specific features of the environment
Trichromatic theory
a theory of color perception that proposes three mechanisms in the visual system, each sensitive to a certain range of wavelengths; their interaction is assumed to produce all the different experiences of hue
Opponent-process theory
a theory of color perception that assumes that the visual system treats pairs of colors as opposing or antagonistic
Gestalt principles
principles that describe the brain’s organization of sensory information into meaningful unites and patterns
Proximity
a Gestalt principle that things that are near each other tend to be grouped together
Closure
a Gestalt principle that the brain tends to fill in gaps in order to perceive complex forms
Similarity
a Gestalt principle that things that are alike in some way tend to be perceived as belonging together
Continuity
a Gestalt principle that lines and patterns tend to be perceived as continuing in time or space
Binocular cues
visual clues to depth or distance requiring two eyes
Convergence
the turning inward of the eyes, which occurs when they focus on a nearby object
Retinal disparity
the slight difference in lateral separation between tow objects as seen by the left eye and the right eye
Monocular cues
visual cues to depth or distance, which can be used by one eye alone
Perceptual constancy
the accurate perception of objects as stable or unchanged despite changes in the sensory patterns they produce
Interposition
a monocular cue where an object that partly blocks another one must be in front of the other
Motion parallex
a monocular cue where an observer is moving and objects appear to move at different speeds. the closer an object, the faster it moves
Relative size
a monocular cue where the smaller an object is on the retina, the farther away the object appears
Relative clarity
a monocular cue where because of particles in the air from dust, fog, or smog, distant objects tend to look hazier, dull, or less detailed
Texture gradients
a monocular cue where distant parts of a uniform surface appear denser; that is its elements seem spaced more closely together
Linear perspective
A monocular cue where parallel lines will appear to be converging in the distance; the greater the apparent convergence, the greater the perceived distance
Pitch
determined by the wavelength of sound; high frequency = high ______; low frequency = low ______.
Wavelength
the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next
Intensity (of sound)
Amount of energy in a wave; determined by the amplitude, relates to perceived loudness
85 Decibels
Prolonged exposure to sound above _______ can lead to hearing loss
Auditory canal
a part of the outer ear, it funnels sound waves to the ear drum
Eardrum
a tight membrane of the middle ear that vibrates when struck by sound waves
Hammer, Anvil, and Stirrup
Three bones of the middle ear
Oval window
where the stirrup connects to the cochlea
Cochlea
Located in the inner ear; a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
Hair cells
Located within the cochlea, the basilar membrane’s ________ are the sensory receptors of both the auditory and vestibular system
Auditory nerve
nerve that is connected to the cochlea which sends the auditory message to the brain via the thalamus
Place theory
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
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
Conduction hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves
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
Semi- circular canals
connected to the cochlea, they contain fluid that moves when your head moves or tilts. Involved in kinesthesis
Gustation
The sense of taste
Papillae
The tiny bumps on your tongue that are lined with taste buds
Taste buds
Line the papillae and house taste receptors
Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Umami
The 5 Basic Tastes
Sensory interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
Olfaction
The sense of smell
4 basic skin senses
Pressure, warmth, cold, pain
Phantom limb syndrome
the perception of sensations, including pain, in a limb that has been amputated
ESP (Extra-sensory Perception)
perception occurring independently of sight, hearing, or other sensory processes. The scientific consensus does not view ______________ as a real phenomenon
Parapsychology
a field of study concerned with the investigation of paranormal and psychic phenomena which include telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, reincarnation, apparitional experiences, and other paranormal claims. It is often identified as pseudoscience
Gate- control theory of pain
Theory that asserts that non-painful input closes neural pathways to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system.
Pinna
The outer part of the ear. Also referred to as the auricle
Phi Phenomenon
the optical illusion of perceiving continuous motion between separate objects viewed rapidly in succession
Supertaster
a person who experiences the sense of taste with far greater intensity than average. Women are more likely to be ___________, as are those from Asia, South America and Africa.
Priming
is an implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus.
Bipolar cells
is a type of neuron which has two extensions. __________ are specialized sensory neurons for the transmission of special senses. As such, they are part of the sensory pathways for smell, sight, taste, hearing and vestibular functions.
Negative afterimage
is a non-specific term that refers to an image continuing to appear in one’s vision after the exposure to the original image has ceased.
Audition
The ability to hear
Müller-Lyer illusion
The top line looks longer than the bottom one
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Perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
