sensation and perception - terms and definitions

Question 1

absolute threshold

Answer 1

the minimum amount of stimulation that an organism can detect.

Question 2

additive colour mixing

Answer 2

works by superimposing lights, putting more light in the mixture than exists in any one light by itself

Question 3

afterimage

Answer 3

a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed

Question 4

auditory localization

Answer 4

locating the source of a sound in space.

Question 5

basilar membrane

Answer 5

which runs the length of the spiralled cochlea, holds the auditory receptors.

Question 6

binocular depth cues

Answer 6

are clues about distance based on the differing views of the two eyes.

Question 7

bottom-up processing

Answer 7

a progression from individual elements to the whole

Question 8

cochlea

Answer 8

a fluid-filled, coiled tunnel that contains the receptors for hearing.

Question 9

colour-blindess

Answer 9

encompasses a variety of deficiencies in the ability to distinguish among colours.

Question 10

complementary colours

Answer 10

are pairs of colours that produce grey tones when mixed together.

Question 11

cones

Answer 11

are specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and colour vision.

Question 12

depth perception

Answer 12

involves interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are.

Question 13

distal stimuli

Answer 13

are stimuli that lie in the distance (i.e., in the world outside the body).

Question 14

door-in-the-face technique

Answer 14

technique involves making a large request that is likely to be turned down as a way to increase the chance that people will agree to a smaller request later

Question 15

feature analysis

Answer 15

is the process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form.

Question 16

feature detector

Answer 16

neurons that respond selectively to very specific features of more complex stimuli.

Question 17

fovea

Answer 17

is a tiny spot in the centre of the retina that contains only cones; visual acuity is greatest at this spot.

Question 18

frequency theory

Answer 18

holds that perception of pitch corresponds to the rate, or frequency, at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates.

Question 19

gate-control theory

Answer 19

holds that incoming pain sensations must pass through a “gate” in the spinal cord that can be closed, thus blocking ascending pain signals.

Question 20

gustatory system

Answer 20

the sensory system for taste

Question 21

just noticeable difference (JND)

Answer 21

is the smallest difference in the amount of stimulation that a specific sense can detect.

Question 22

kinesthetic system

Answer 22

monitors the positions of the various parts of the body.

Question 23

lens

Answer 23

is the transparent eye structure that focuses the light rays falling on the retina.

Question 24

monocular depth cues

Answer 24

are clues about distance based on the image in either eye alone.

Question 25

olfactory system

Answer 25

the sensory system for smell

Question 26

opponent process

Answer 26

colour perception depends on receptors that make antagonistic responses to three pairs of colours.

Question 27

optic chiasm

Answer 27

the point at which the optic nerves from the inside half of each eye cross over and then project to the opposite half of the brain.

Question 27

optic disk

Answer 27

a place in the retina where the optic nerve fibres exit the eye

Question 28

perceptual constancy

Answer 28

is a tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input.

Question 29

perceptual hypothesis

Answer 29

is an inference about which distal stimuli could be responsible for the proximal stimuli sensed.

Question 30

perceptual set

Answer 30

a readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.

Question 31

pheromones

Answer 31

are chemical messages, typically imperceptible, that can be sent by one organism and received by another member of the same species.

Question 32

phi phenomenon

Answer 32

is the illusion of movement created by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession.

Question 33

pictorial depth cues

Answer 33

clues about distance that can be given in a flat picture.

Question 34

place theory

Answer 34

holds that perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different portions, or places, along the basilar membrane.

Question 35

primary colours

Answer 35

colour can be matched by the additive mixture of three primary colours.

Question 36

proximal stimuli

Answer 36

the stimulus energies that impinge directly on sensory receptors.

Question 37

psychophysics

Answer 37

the study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience.

Question 38

pupil

Answer 38

is the opening in the centre of the iris that helps regulate the amount of light passing into the rear chamber of the eye.

Question 39

receptive field

Answer 39

of a visual cell is the retinal area that, when stimulated, affects the firing of that cell.

Question 40

retina

Answer 40

is the neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye; it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain.

Question 41

retinal disparity

Answer 41

which refers to the fact that objects project images to slightly different locations on the right and left retinas, so the right and left eyes see slightly different views of the object.

Question 42

reversible figure

Answer 42

a drawing that is compatible with two interpretations that can shift back and forth.

Question 43

rods

Answer 43

are specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision.

Question 44

saccades

Answer 44

These eye movements are referred to as saccades.

Question 45

sensation

Answer 45

is the stimulation of sense organs. Perception is the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input

Question 46

signal-detection theory

Answer 46

proposes that the detection of stimuli involves decision processes as well as sensory processes, which are both influenced by a variety of factors besides stimulus intensity

Question 46

sensory adaption

Answer 46

is a gradual decline in sensitivity due to prolonged stimulation.

Question 46

subliminal perception

Answer 46

the registration of sensory input without conscious awareness

Question 47

subtractive colour

Answer 47

works by removing some wavelengths of light, leaving less light than was originally there.

Question 48

synesthesia

Answer 48

a condition in which perceptual or cognitive activities (e.g., listening to music, reading) trigger exceptional experiences (e.g., of colour, taste)

Question 49

threshold

Answer 49

point between energy levels that do and do not have a detectable effect.

Question 50

top-down processing

Answer 50

a progression from the whole to the elements

Question 51

trichromatic theory

Answer 51

of colour vision holds that the human eye has three types of receptors with differing sensitivities to different light wavelengths.

Question 52

vestibular system

Answer 52

which responds to gravity and keeps you informed of your body’s location in space.

Question 53

visual illusion

Answer 53

involves inexplicable discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulus and its physical reality.

Question 54

weber's law

Answer 54

states that the size of a just noticeable difference is a constant proportion of the size of the initial stimulus.