Perception and Sensation Flashcards
Accommodation of the lens
when you adjust the lens’ focus for objects at different distances
blind spot
The retinal area where the optic nerve exits
brightness contrast
It is the increase or decrease in an object’s apparent brightness by comparison to the objects around it
colour constancy
The tendency of an object to appear nearly the same colour under a variety of lighting conditions
cone
adapted for perceiving colour and detail in bright light
cornea
a rigid transparent structure on the surface of the eyeball, which refracts the incoming light to focus on the lens
dark adaptation
The gradual improvement in the ability to see in dim light
electromagnetic spectrum
the continuum of all frequencies of radiated energy
fovea
The central area of the human retina, and is adapted for detail vision
best for colour vision
it has the greatest proportion of cones relative to rods
ganglion cells
Ganglion cells are the projection neurons of the vertebrate retina, conveying information from other retinal neurons to the rest of the brain.
iris
The coloured structure on the surface of the eye surrounding the pupil
lens
a flexible structure that varies its thickness
negative afterimage
Experiences of one colour after the removal of another
opponent-process theory
We perceive colour in terms of paired opposites (red VS green, yellow VS blue)
optic nerve
The optic nerve is comprised of millions of nerve fibres that send visual messages to your brain to help you see
perception
it is the interpretation of that information
periphery
after prolonged adaptation to dim light, this sees best
it is the ability to see things out of your direct line of sight
pupil
An adjustable opening that widens and narrows to control the amount of light entering the eye
receptor
Specialised cells that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system
retina
A layer of visual receptors covering the back surface of the eyeball
retinex theory
The cerebral cortex compares the patterns of light coming from different parts of the retina and synthesises a colour perception for each area
rod
they are adapted for vision in dim light
sensation
It is the conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system
stimulus
energies from the world around us affect us in some way
trichromatic theory
Colour or vision depends on the relative responses of three types of cones: 1. Short-wavelength, medium-wavelength and long-wavelength
How does colour vision occur?
Colour vision depends on three types of cones, each sensitive to a particular range of light wavelengths. Cones transmit messages so that later cells in the visual system indicate one colour (e.g., blue) by an increase in activity and another colour (e.g., yellow) by a decrease. The cerebral cortex compares responses from different parts of the retina to determine colour experiences.
absolute sensory threshold
the intensity at which a given individual detects a stimulus 50% of the time
binocular cues
Retinal disparity and convergence are called binocular cues as they depend on both eyes
bottom-up process
in which tiny elements combine to produce larger items
closure
we imagine the rest of the figure when a familiar figure is interrupted
continuation
the filling in of the gaps when lines are interrupted