Test 3: Hearing Flashcards
Audition
The sense or act of hearing
Sound Location
the ability to identify the location of a sound source in a sound field
Pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
Pinna
the visible portion of the outer ear. It collects sound waves and channels them into the ear canal where the sound is amplified
eardrum
tight membrane that vibrates when struck by sound waves
cochlea
coild body, fluid filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
auditory nerve
nerve which sends the auditory message to the brain via the thalamus
basilar membrane
when vibrating in responder to sound, the hair cells lining the cochlea produce an electrical signal
cochlear implant
a device for converting sounds into electrical signal and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
place theory
the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
frequency theory
the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory never matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
Gate-control theory
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in large fibers or by information coming from the brain.
vestibular sense
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
kinesthesia
the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
sensory interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
embodied cognition
in psychological science, the influence of bodily sensations gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments.
Pupil
adjustable opening that controls the amount of light to pass through
iris
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls size of the pupil opening
lens
focuses incoming light rays into an image on the retina
retina
tissue on the eyeball’s sensitive inner surface, contains receptor rods and cones
fovea
central focal points in the retina around which the eye’s cones cluster
rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight visions, when cones don’t respond
cones
retinal receptors that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions; detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
parallel processing
the brain’s ability to do many things at once rather than step by step.
- to analyze a visual scene the brain divides it into subdimensions - motion, form, depth, color - and works on each aspect simultaneously.
optic nerve
carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
opponent process theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
difference thresholds
the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time. Also known as the just noticeable difference
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation (like background noise)
priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response.
weber’s law
the principle that to be perceived as different, two stimuli must be offered by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
absolute thresholds
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus (light, sound, pressure, taste, or order) 50% of the time.
transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells into neural impulses our brain can interpret.
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.
sensations
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information
top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
selective attention
the focus of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
perceptual set
a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that greatly affect what we perceive. This can influence what we hear, taste, feel, smell, and see
phi phenomenon
the apparent motion of two stimuli that are presented to a view in rapid succession (an optical illusion that leads the brain to see a moving object from a series of images.)
accommodation
process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
Young-helmholtz trichromatic (three color) theory
the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue - which when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color
Extrasensory perception (ESP)
the faculty of perceiving things by means other than the known senses, e.g., by telepathy or clairvoyance.
parapsychology
the study of mental phenomena which are excluded from or inexplicable by orthodox scientific psychology (such as hypnosis, telepathy, etc.).
wavelength
the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.
hue
the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light, what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
intensity
the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude.
Gestalt
an organized whole - gestalt psychologist emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.(figure ground, grouping)
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
depth perception
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimension; allows us to judge distance
visual cliff
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals (babies on the glass above the checkered floor)
binocular cues
depths cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes (fingers floating image)
retinal disparity
a binocular cue for perceiving depth, by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.
monocular cues
depth cues such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.
