SLS20 Chapter 4 Flashcards

1
Q

synesthesia

A

The perceptual experience of one sense that is evoked by another sense

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2
Q

sensation

A

Simple stimulation of a sense organ

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3
Q

perception

A

The organization, identification, and interpretation of a sensation in order to form a mental representation

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4
Q

transduction

A

What takes place when many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into encoded neural signals sent to the central nervous system

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5
Q

psychophysics

A

Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observer’s sensitivity to that stimulus

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6
Q

absolute threshold

A

The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus

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7
Q

just noticeable difference (JND)

A

The minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected

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8
Q

Weber’s law

A

The just noticeable difference of a stimulus is a constant proportion despite variations in intensity

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9
Q

signal detection theory

A

An observation that the response to a stimulus depends both on a person’s sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and on a person’s response criterion

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10
Q

sensory adaptation

A

Sensitivity to prolonged stimulation tends to decline over time as an organism adapts to current conditions

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11
Q

visual acuity

A

The ability to see fine detail

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12
Q

retina

A

Light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eyeball

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13
Q

accommodation

A

The process by which the eye maintains a clear image on the retina

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14
Q

cones

A

Photoreceptors that detect color, operate under normal daylight conditions, and allow us to focus on fine detail

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15
Q

rods

A

Photoreceptors that become active under low-light conditions for night vision

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16
Q

fovea

A

An area of the retina where vision is the clearest and there are no rods at all

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17
Q

blind spot

A

A location in the visual field that produces no sensation on the retina because the corresponding area of the retina contains neither rods nor cones and therefore has no mechanism to sense light

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18
Q

receptive field

A

The region of the sensory surface that, when stimulated, causes a change in the firing rate of that neuron

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19
Q

trichromatic color representation

A

The pattern of responding across the three types of cones that provides a unique code for each color

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20
Q

color-opponent system

A

Pairs of visual neurons that work in opposition

21
Q

area V1

A

The part of the occipital lobe that contains the primary visual cortex

22
Q

visual-form agnosia

A

The inability to recognize objects by sight

23
Q

binding problem

A

How features are linked together so that we see unified objects in our visual world rather than free-floating or miscombined features

24
Q

illusory conjunction

A

A perceptual mistake where features from multiple objects are incorrectly combined

25
Q

feature integration theory

A

The idea that focused attention is not required to detect the individual features that comprise a stimulus but is required to bind those individual features together

26
Q

perceptual constancy

A

A perceptual principle stating that even as aspects of sensory signals change, perception remains consistent

27
Q

template

A

A mental representation that can be directly compared to a viewed shape in the retinal image

28
Q

monocular depth cues

A

Aspects of a scene that yield information about depth when viewed with only one eye

29
Q

binocular disparity

A

The difference in the retinal images of the two eyes that provides information about depth

30
Q

apparent motion

A

The perception of movement as a result of alternating signals appearing in rapid succession in different locations

31
Q

change blindness

A

When people fail to detect changes to the visual details of a scene

32
Q

inattentional blindness

A

A failure to perceive objects that are not the focus of attention

33
Q

pitch

A

How high or low a sound is

34
Q

loudness

A

A sound’s intensity

35
Q

timbre

A

A listener’s experience of sound quality or resonance

36
Q

cochlea

A

A fluid filled tube that is the organ of auditory transduction

37
Q

basilar membrane

A

A structure in the inner ear that undulates when vibrations from the ossicles reach the cochlear fulid

38
Q

hair cells

A

Specialized auditory receptor neurons embedded in the basilar membrane

39
Q

area A1

A

A portion of the temporal lobe that contains the primary auditory cortex

40
Q

place code

A

The cochlea encodes different frequencies at different locations along the basilar membrane

41
Q

temporal code

A

The cochlea registers low frequencies via the firing rate of action potentials entering the auditory nerve

42
Q

haptic perception

A

The active exploration of the environment by touching and grasping objects with our hands

43
Q

referred pain

A

Feeling of pain when sensory information from internal and external areas converges on the same nerve cells in the spinal cord

44
Q

gate-control theory

A

A theory of pain perception based on the idea that signals arriving from pain receptors in the body can be stopped, or gated, by interneurons in the spinal cord via feedback from two directions

45
Q

vestibular system

A

The three fluid-filled semicircular canals and adjacent organs located next to the cochlea in each inner ear

46
Q

olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs)

A

Receptor cells that initiate the sense of smell

47
Q

olfactory bulb

A

A brain structure located above the nasal cavity beneath the frontal lobes

48
Q

pheromones

A

Biochemical odorants emitted by other members of its species that can affect an animal’s behavior or physiology

49
Q

taste buds

A

The organ of taste transduction