Perception & Sensation Flashcards
The colored ring of muscles that regulate pupil size
Iris
Most prevalent in the periphery of the retina and enables us to see at night
Rods
Visual information is more sharply focused here
Fovea
Black, adjustable opening in the eye’s center
Pupil
Focuses incoming rays into an image on the retina
Lens
Are where the optic nerve leaves the eye in which their are no receptor cells, resulting in a blind spot
Optic disk
Adapts quickly to bright light and enables us to see in color
Cons
Human eyes only perceive three colors: red, blue, and green. Three varieties of cones are sensitive to certain wavelengths. This explains color blindness
Trichromatic theory
Suggests that looking at one color for a long period causes those receptor cells to become fatigued. Color vision is the product of opposing pairs of color receptors. Provides an explanation for after image effects
Opponent-process theory
Neurotransmitter involved in transmission of pain messages
Substance P
Depth cue requiring the use of one eye
Monocular cues
Depth cues requiring the use of both eyes
Binocular cues
Previous knowledge and expectations influence perception
Top-down processing
Analysis that moves from the parts to the whole: data-drive processing
Bottom-up processing
Process of detecting a physical stimulus
Process of detecting a physical stimulus. The process of detecting a physical stimulus, such as light, sound, heat or pressure.
Minimum amount of physical energy needed to produce a sensation 1/2 the time
Absolute threshold
Minimum difference a person can detect between 2 stimuli 1/2 the time
Difference threshold
The size of the just noticeable difference will vary depending on its relation to the strength of the original stimulus
Weber’s law
Receptor located under the skin that converts pressure and vibration stimulation into neural messages. An encapsulated ending of a sensory.
Pacinian corpuscle
The process of integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensations.
Perception
Our sensitivity to a stimulus declines after constant exposure
Sensory adaptation
Sensory neurons in muscles, joints, and the inner ear that communicate information about body position and movement
Proprioceptors
Conversion of physical energy to coded neural signals
Transduction
Parallel lines seem to meet in the distance
Linear perspective
