Sense and Perception Flashcards
Sensation
Activation of receptors in various sense organs
Subliminal Sensation
Sensation occurring below the level of conscious awareness
Sensory Receptors
Specialized forms of neurons
Stimulus: Activated by different kinds of energy, not neurotransmitters
Transduction
Conversion of external stimuli (energy) to neural activity
Subliminal Stimuli
Stimuli that activate sensory receptors but are not strong enough for conscious awareness
Note: Below any just noticeable difference
Subliminal Perception
Process by which subliminal stimuli influence behavior through the unconscious mind
Example: Implicit association cues
Habituation
The brain’s tendency to stop attending to constant, unchanging information
Nature: A learned process; often described as ‘tuning it out’
Sensory Adaptation
Decreased responsiveness of sensory receptor cells to a constant, unchanging stimulus
Nature: A biological shift in sensory perception
Retina
Final stop for light in the eye
Layers:
1. Ganglion cells
2. Bipolar cells
3. Photoreceptors (respond to light waves)
Surgical Techniques- Cornea
PRK: Photoreactive keratectomy
LASIK: Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis
Both techniques involve incisions in the cornea to improve vision
Cornea
Definition: Clear membrane covering the eye’s surface
Functions:
-Protects the eye
-Focuses most incoming light
Cones
Responsible for color vision and visual sharpness
Rods
Give us good vision in low-level light.
Afterimages
Visual sensations that persist briefly after the original stimulus is removed
Blind Spot
Area in the retina where axons exit to form the optic nerve
Characteristic: Insensitive to light
Trichromatic Theory
Color vision based on three types of cones
Cone Types:
1. Red
2. Blue
3. Green
Opponent-Process Theory
Color vision theory with four primary colors arranged in pairs
Color Pairs:
1. Red and Green
2. Blue and Yellow
Monochrome Color Blindness
A condition where a person has no functioning cones or has cones that do not work at all
Conduction Hearing Impairment
Impairment resulting from problems in the outer or middle ear.
Causes:
Damaged Eardrum: Prevents sound waves from being carried into the middle ear properly.
Damage to Middle Ear Bones: Sound cannot be conducted from the eardrum to the cochlea.
Place Theory
Theory stating that different pitches are experienced by the stimulation of hair cells in different locations on the organ of Corti.
Pitch
The perceived frequency of a sound, determining how high or low it sounds.
Red-Green Color Blindness
A condition where either the red or the green cones are not functioning
Frequency Theory
Theory suggesting that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane.