unit 3 (20-25) Flashcards
sensation
process that our sensory receptor and nervous system receive and represent stimulus from our environment
sensory receptors
sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli
perception
process of our brain organizing and interpreting sensory input
bottom up processing
sensory receptors –> higher processing
top down processing
using models, ideas, and expectations to try and interpret sensory information
selective attention
focusing 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 (type of inattentional blindness)
transduction
conversion of one energy form into another. ex: stimulus energies (sight, sound, smells) into neural impulses
psychophysics
studies physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them
absolute threshold
minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
signal detection theory
predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus
subliminal
below ones absolute threshold
difference threshold
minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. just noticeable difference
priming
introduction of one stimulus influences how people respond to a subsequent stimulus
webers law
to be perceived as different, 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum
sensory adaptation
when constantly exposed to an unchanging stimulus, we become less aware of it.
extrasensory perception
claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input. (telepathy, clairvoyance, etc)
parapsychology
study of paranormal phenomena, like ESP
wavelength
sight: hue (color)
hearing: pitch
hue
color we experience
intensity
amount of energy the wave contains
sight: brightness
hearing: decibel (loudness)
cornea
eyes clear, protective outer layer. bends light to help focus
pupil
small adjustable opening, light enters through.
iris
ring of colored muscle that controls size of pupil opening.
lens
transparent structure behind pupil, changes shape to help focus images on retina
retina
light-sensitive inner surface of eye, contains receptor rods+cones that begin the processing of visual info
accommodation
process which eyes lens changes to focus retina on near or far objects
rods
detect black, white, gray. sensitive to movement. necessary for twilight vision and peripheral.
cones
concentrated near center of retina, function in daylight or well lit conditions. detect fine detail, give rise to color.
optic nerve
carries neural impulses from eye to brain
blind spot
point where optic nerve leaves eye. no receptor cells located there, spot filled in by brain.
fovea
retina central focal point, where cones cluster
3 color theory (young-helmholtz trichromatic)
retina contains 3 different color receptors sensitive to: red, green, blue.
feature detectors
nerve cells in visual cortex that respond to stimulus like shape, angle, or movement
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously
gestalt
organized whole
figure ground
organization of visual fields into objects that stand out from surroundings
grouping
tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
depth perception
ability to see objects in 3 dimesion
visual cliff
device used to test depth perception in young animals/babies
binocular cue
depth cue that depends on use of both eyes
retinal disparity
binocular cue for perceiving depth. compares retinal images from each eye. greater distance between images = closer object
monocular cue
depth cue needing only 1 eye
phi phenomenom
illusion of movement when 2+ lights blink on and off in quick succession
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as constant even as illumination and retinal images change
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if illumination alters it
audition
sense of hearing
frequency
of wavelengths in a period
pitch
highness or lowness of a tone
middle ear
chamber between eardrum and cochlea; contains HAS that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window
cochlea
coiled, bony, fluid filled tube that sound waves pass through to trigger neural impulses
inner ear
innermost part of ear. contains cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
sensoineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to auditory nerve or damage to cochlea receptor cells. most common hearing loss
conduction hearing loss
caused by damage to mechanical system in ear (eardrum, middle ear bones). less common
cochlear implant
device for converting sounds into electrical signals. stimulates auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into cochlea
place theory
theory that links pitch we hear with place where cochlea membrane is stimulated
frequency theory
theory that rate of nerve impulses traveling via auditory nerve matches frequency of tone. allows us to sense pitch
gate-control theory
theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological gate that controls transmission of pain messages to brain
olfaction
sense of smell
kinesthesia
movement sense. system of sensing the position and movement of our body parts
vestibular sense
sense of body movement + position that enables sense of balance. located within semicircular canals; fluid in it moves with our body
sensory interaction
principle that one sense may influence another (ex: smell and taste)
embodied cognition
influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive prefs and judgments
perceptual set
set of mental tendencies and assumptions that affects top-down what we hear, taste, feel, see. mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
opponent process theory
opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision.
relative height
higher in vision field = farther
lower = closer
relative size
smaller = farther
bigger = closer
interposition
if one object partially blocks another, we perceive it as closer
relative motion
as we move, objects that are stable look like their moving. objects in front of a fixation point will appear to move backwards. closer = faster object moves
linear perspective
parallel lines appear to meet in the distance
light and shadow
shading produces a sense of depth consistent with our assumption that light comes from above.
