Sensation and Perception Flashcards
protects the eye
Cornea
black hole, lets light in
Pupil
muscle that regulates pupil size
iris
focus light onto retina
Lens
Light sensitive receptors
Retina
Rods
black, white, and grey
cones
color
Central focus point, cluster of cones
Fovea
Carries neural impulse to brain
Optic nerve
Where optic nerve connects, no rods/cones
Blind spot
Process of receiving info from body sent to brain (physical)
sensation
Little details to big picture
Bottom-Up Processing
Organizing and interpreting info in brain (mental)
Perception
big picture to analyze details
Top-Down Processing
minimum amount of stimulation needed to fire
Absolute Threshold
when neurons fire to minimum change
Difference Threshold
How/when we detect things
Signal Detection Theory
Neurons stop firing to same message
Sensory Adaptation
What we focus on
Selective Attention
Process light with 3 receptors (red, green, and blue)
Trichromatic (three-color) Theory
lack one of three types of cones
Color Deficiency
Opponent-Process Theory
Process color with 3 pairs of receptors (red/green, yellow/blue, black/white)
Sound waves
hearing
Sounds high or low based on frequency (wave length)
Pitch
Sounds loud or soft based on amplitude (wave height)
Decibels
Chemical Sense
Smell and Taste
Project from brain to process smell, taste buds do the same on tongue
Olfactory Cells
Mechanical sense 4 things we sense- pain, warm, cold, pressure
gate control theory- pain travels on its own neural pathways
Touch
Mechanical sense
Body Senses
Sense of body orientation and balance located in the semicircular canals
Vestibular Sense
Organizing and interpreting information
Perception
Organizing pieces into a whole (gestalt cube)
Gestalt
Figure equals what we focus on, ground equals everything else
Figure-Ground
How we organize information
Grouping
Clump things that are alike together
Similarity
How close they are distance wise
Proximity
Brain fills in gaps
Closure
Object appears to move in the same direction continually
Continuity
Ability to see 3D and judge distance
Depth Perception
Experiment testing baby’s depth perception (nature & nurture)
Visual Cliff
Depth cues requiring both eyes
Binocular Cues
Slightly different different images from both eyes confuse things
Retinal Disparity
Tension in eye muscles focusing on close objects
Convergence
Depth cues requiring only one eye
Monocular Cues
Closer equals bigger farther equals smaller
Relative Size
Closer equal faster farther equals slower
Relative Motion
Closer = blocking farther objects
Interposition
closer = lower, farther = higher
Relative Height
closer = more detail, farther = less detail
Texture Gradient
closer = more clear, farther = less clear
Relative Clarity
closer = parallel lines, farther = point
Linear Perspective
Perceiving size, shape, and lightness as unchanging
Perceptual Constancy
Distance actually changes
Size Constancy
Angle actually changes
Shape Constancy
Lighting conditions actually change
Lightness Constancy
only see things one way
Perceptual Set
Controversial claim of perception without sensation
Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
Tricking into misinterpreting sensory info
Illusions
