unit 3: sensation and perception Flashcards
sensation
raw information that comes from the senses
perception
the process through which people take raw sensations from the environment and give them meaning
bottom-up processing
information processing of analyzing raw stimuli then processing it
top-down processing
information processing that draws on experience to interpret new sensory information
absolute threshold
the weakest amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time
signal-detection theory
a theory that predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amidst background noise
subliminal
below your absolute threshold
priming
exposure to one stimulus influencing how one responds to a subsequent stimulus
difference threshold
aka, just noticeable difference. the minimum amount of difference needed to detect a change in stimulus 50% of the time
weber’s law
two stimuli have to differ by a constant minimum percentage to be perceived as different
fechnor’s law
constant increases in physical energy will produce smaller increases in perceived magnitude
sensory adaptation
our diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus
transduction
conversion of one form of energy to another
what does wavelength in light determine?
hue/color
what is the order of longest to shortest wave length colors?
red > orange > yellow > green > blue > indigo > violet
what does amplitude in light determine?
brightness of color
cornea
covers and protects the eye
pupil
opening in the eye behind the cornea which light passes through
iris
gives color to the eye and adjusts the amount of light entering it
lens
behind the pupil that focuses the light into the retina
retina
at the back of the eye which lens focuses light rays into
blind spot
the pint at which the optic nerve leaves the eye because no receptor cells are there
what is the path that light follows when entering the eye?
light ➔ cornea ➔ pupil ➔ lens ➔ retina
visual acuity
the sharpness of vision
accommodation
the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus objects on the retina
rods
retinal receptors that detect monochrome colors. necessary for peripheral and twilight vision
cones
receptor cells concentrate near the center of the retina. functions in daylight and detects color
optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of stimulus
parallel processing
processing of incoming stimulus simultaneously
what two theories explain how we see color?
the young-helmholtz trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory
young-helmholtz trichromatic theory
color theory that the human eye has 3 types of receptors each sensitive to one of the primary colors (red, blue, green)
opponent-process theory
color theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision, the opposites turning on and off (ex. red on, green off, green on, red off)
audition
the sense of hearing
what does amplitude in sound waves determine?
loudness of noise
what does frequency in sound waves determine?
pitch
pinna
ear flap
auditory ear canal
conducts sound through the external ear to the eardrum
ear drum
aka, the tympanic membrane. separates the outer ear from the middle ear, transofmrs pressure waves of sounds into mechanical vibrations
middle ear
made up of the hammer, anvil, and stirrup that transmits sound vibrations from the ear drum to the oval window
oval window
in the wall of the cochlea
semicircular canals
three-looped tubular channels in the inner ear that detects movements of the head and balance
cochlea
filled with fluids and small hairs that vibrates to incoming sounds and generate neural impulses that are transmitted to the brain
basilar membrane
floor of fluid that runs through the cochlea. filled with cilia (hair cells)
auditory nerve
nerves that carry stimuli from hair cells to the temporal lobe
place theory
theory that links the pitch we hear to the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
frequency theory
theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone
conductive deafness
occurs due to damage to the middle ear. can be treated with a hearing aid
sensorineural deafness
occurs due to damage to the inner ear. can be treated with a cochlear implant
gate-control theory
theory stating that there is a “gate” in the spinal cord that either lets pain impulses travel upward to the brain or blocks its progress
gustation
sense of taste
what chemical senses make up taste?
sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami
olfaction
sense of smell
kinesthesis
the system for sensing the position & movement of your body parts
vestibular sense
monitor’s the head’s position and movement. receptors are located in the semi-circular ear canals
selective attention
focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
cocktail-party effect
the ability to attend to one of several speech streams while ignoring others. also being able to hear one’s name in those speech streams
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
change blindness
the inability to notice changes in the visual array between one scene to another
change deafness
the inability to notice changes in auditory stimuli
choice blindness
the inability to notice changes in choices
visual capture
the tendency for vision to dominate all other senses
stroboscopic motion
the illusion of movement produced by showing rapid progression of images or objects that are not moving at all
phi phenomenon
an illusion of apparent movement when two lights flash on and off in quick succession
perceptual constancy
the ability to maintain a perception of the properties of an object regardless of changes to the stimulus
perceptual set
a predisposition to perceive a stimulus in a certain way
