Perception and Sensation Flashcards

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1
Q

Accommodation of the lens

A

when you adjust the lens’ focus for objects at different distances

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2
Q

blind spot

A

The retinal area where the optic nerve exits

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3
Q

brightness contrast

A

It is the increase or decrease in an object’s apparent brightness by comparison to the objects around it

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4
Q

colour constancy

A

The tendency of an object to appear nearly the same colour under a variety of lighting conditions

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5
Q

cone

A

adapted for perceiving colour and detail in bright light

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6
Q

cornea

A

a rigid transparent structure on the surface of the eyeball, which refracts the incoming light to focus on the lens

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7
Q

dark adaptation

A

The gradual improvement in the ability to see in dim light

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8
Q

electromagnetic spectrum

A

the continuum of all frequencies of radiated energy

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9
Q

fovea

A

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

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10
Q

ganglion cells

A

Ganglion cells are the projection neurons of the vertebrate retina, conveying information from other retinal neurons to the rest of the brain.

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11
Q

iris

A

The coloured structure on the surface of the eye surrounding the pupil

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12
Q

lens

A

a flexible structure that varies its thickness

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13
Q

negative afterimage

A

Experiences of one colour after the removal of another

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14
Q

opponent-process theory

A

We perceive colour in terms of paired opposites (red VS green, yellow VS blue)

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15
Q

optic nerve

A

The optic nerve is comprised of millions of nerve fibres that send visual messages to your brain to help you see

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16
Q

perception

A

it is the interpretation of that information

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17
Q

periphery

A

after prolonged adaptation to dim light, this sees best
it is the ability to see things out of your direct line of sight

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18
Q

pupil

A

An adjustable opening that widens and narrows to control the amount of light entering the eye

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19
Q

receptor

A

Specialised cells that convert environmental energies into signals for the nervous system

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20
Q

retina

A

A layer of visual receptors covering the back surface of the eyeball

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21
Q

retinex theory

A

The cerebral cortex compares the patterns of light coming from different parts of the retina and synthesises a colour perception for each area

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22
Q

rod

A

they are adapted for vision in dim light

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23
Q

sensation

A

It is the conversion of energy from the environment into a pattern of response by the nervous system

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24
Q

stimulus

A

energies from the world around us affect us in some way

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25
Q

trichromatic theory

A

Colour or vision depends on the relative responses of three types of cones: 1. Short-wavelength, medium-wavelength and long-wavelength

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26
Q

How does colour vision occur?

A

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.

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27
Q

absolute sensory threshold

A

the intensity at which a given individual detects a stimulus 50% of the time

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28
Q

binocular cues

A

Retinal disparity and convergence are called binocular cues as they depend on both eyes

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29
Q

bottom-up process

A

in which tiny elements combine to produce larger items

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30
Q

closure

A

we imagine the rest of the figure when a familiar figure is interrupted

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31
Q

continuation

A

the filling in of the gaps when lines are interrupted

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32
Q

convergence of eyes

A

The degree to which they turn to focus on a close object

33
Q

depth perception

A

It is the perception of distance, and it enables us to experience the world in 3D

34
Q

feature detector

A

They are specialised neurons in the visual cortex and they respond to the presence of simple feature, such as line and angles

35
Q

figure and ground

A

when you distinguish the object from the background

36
Q

Gestalt psychology

A

A field that emphasises perception of overall patterns
Common fate: we perceive objects as part of the same group if they change or move in similar ways at the same time

37
Q

good figure

A

a simple, familiar, symmetrical figure

38
Q

induced movement

A

when you incorrectly perceive the object as moving

39
Q

monocular cues

A

It enables you to judge depth and distance with just one eye, or when both eyes see the same image

40
Q

moon illusion

A

The moon at the horizon appears about 30% larger that it appears when it is higher in the sky

41
Q

motion parallax

A

It is the difference in speed of movement of images across the retina as you travel

42
Q

optical illusion

A

it is the misinterpretation of a visual stimulus

43
Q

proximity

A

it is the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as belonging to a group

44
Q

retinal disparity

A

It is the difference in the apparent position of an object as seen by the left and right retinas

45
Q

reversible figure

A

it can be perceived in more than one way

46
Q

signal-detection theory

A

It is the study of people’s tendencies to make hits, correct rejections, misses and false alarms

47
Q

similarity

A

the tendency to perceive similar things as being a group

48
Q

stroboscopic movement

A

An illusion of movement created by a rapid succession of stationary images

49
Q

subliminal perception

A

It is the phenomenon that a stimulus can influence behaviour even when it is presented so faintly or briefly that the observer has no conscious perception of it

50
Q

top-down process

A

where you apply your experience and expectations to interpret each item in context

51
Q

visual constancy

A

Perception illustrates this and it is our tendency to perceive objects as keeping their shape, size and colour, despite distortions in the actual pattern reaching the retina

52
Q

waterfall illusion

A

If you stare at a waterfall for a minute or more and then turn your eyes to nearby cliffs, the cliffs appear to flow upward

53
Q

Detecting rare stimuli

A

when people are trying to detect some item, they are more likely to overlook it if it occurs rarely

54
Q

perception of minimal stimuli

A

No sharp dividing line distinguishes sensory stimuli that can be perceived and sensory stimuli that cannot be perceived

55
Q

capsaicin

A

it is a chemical that stimulate receptors that respond to painful heat

56
Q

cochlea

A

it contains the receptors for hearing and it is a snail-shaped organ

57
Q

conduction deafness

A

It results when the bones connected to the eardrum fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea

58
Q

cutaneous senses

A

It means skin senses, also known as the somatosensory system (body-sensory system)

59
Q

endorphin

A

Are neurotransmitters that weaken pain sensations

60
Q

frequency

A

The frequency of a sound wave is the number of cycles (vibrations) per second

61
Q

frequency principle

A

At low frequencies (about 100hz), a sound wave through the fluid of the cochlea vibrates all the hair cells, which produce action potentials in synchrony with the sound waves

62
Q

Gate theory

A

The idea that pain messages must pass through a gate, presumably in the spinal cord, that can block the messages

63
Q

hertz

A

the unit for frequency

64
Q

loudness

A

It is a perception of the intensity of sound waves

65
Q

nerve deafness

A

Resulting from damage to the cochlea, hair cells, or auditory nerve

66
Q

olfaction

A

the sense of smell

67
Q

phantom limb

A

Continuing sensations, including pain, in a limb long after it has been amputated

68
Q

pitch

A

It is a perception closely related to frequency

69
Q

Place Principle

A

The highest frequency sounds vibrate hair cells near the stirrup end, and lower frequency sounds (about 100-200hz) vibrate hair cells at points farther along the membrane

70
Q

sound waves

A

vibrations of the air, water, or other medium

71
Q

synesthesia

A

A condition in which a stimulus of one type, such as sound, also elicits another experience, such as colour

72
Q

taste

A

it detects chemicals on the tongue

73
Q

taste bud

A

Taste receptors, located in the folds on the surface of the tongue, mainly along the edge of the tongue in adults

74
Q

timbre

A

tone complexity

75
Q

vestibular sense

A

It detects the tilt and acceleration of the head, and the orientation of the head with respect to gravity

76
Q

Volley Principle

A

Volleys of hair cells which responds to each vibration with an action potential

77
Q

Localising sounds

A

We localise a sound source by detecting differences in the time and loudness of the sounds in the two ears. We localise the distance of a sound source primarily by the amount of reverberation following the main sound

78
Q

individual differences in sensation and perception

A

Some people have three times as many taste buds as others do, giving them greater sensitivity to taste. People vary in their genes for olfactory receptors, causing certain odours to seem stronger.