Unit 3 Sensation and Perception Flashcards
The light-sensitive, inner surface of the eye, containing rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.
Retina
The brain’s ability to process many things at once.
Parallel Processing
The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain.
Gate Control Theory ex- small nerve fiber open when you hit your head , close by a large nerve ( blocking)
The theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, and white-black) enable color vision.
Opponent process theory ex- afterimage of staring at black for long is white
The process by which our sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environments.
Sensation
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.
Cochlea
This refers to a stimulus that is below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.
Subliminal Stimulation , so weak we don’t notice, does not persuade ex-
The minimum difference a person can detect between two stimuli. We experience it as a just noticeable difference.
Difference threshold ex-how much louder you have to turn music on to hear difference
A condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because the lens focuses the image of distant objects in front of the retina.
Near sighted , distant image focuses before hitting retina
The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
Optic Nerve
The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. It determines color with respect to light waves and pitch with respect to sound waves.
Wavelength
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray. They are necessary for peripheral and twilight vision.
Rods , light sensitive
The central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster.
Fovea
The part of the ear containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
Inner ear
The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.
Sensory interaction ex- vision+hearing, closed captions while hearing movie
The process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus the image of an object on the retina.
Accommodation
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.
Feature detectors
The theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.
Place theory , location
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.
absolute threshold
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea (i.e. damage to the tiny bones in the ear or the eardrum).
Conductive hearing loss, inability to conduct vibrations is gone, muffled hearing
The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
Kinesthetic, ex-driving with foot on pedal and knowing foot is on pedal but not looking at it
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.
Sensory adaption , ex- new room with strong smell doesn’t feel strong anymore
In hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch.
Frequency theory
The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors-one most sensitive to red, one to blue, and one to green-which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color.
Young Helmholtz trichromatic theory
Receptor cells that are concentrated in the fovea of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. They detect fine detail and give rise to the perception of color.
Cones
The conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies into neural impulses.
Transduction
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the back of the eye. No receptor cells are located there.
Blind spot
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes.
Binocular Depth cues ex- holding marble in front of your face and moving it
The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect.
Selective attention , cocktail party effect- people attend to to mentions of their named even though they are in a loud enviroment and wasnt listening before
A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals.
Visual cliff
The tendency to fill in gaps in order to create a complete, whole object. (This is one of the Gestalt principles of grouping).
Closure
If we assume that two objects are the same size, we perceive the one that casts the smaller retinal image as farther away.
Relative size cues, objects appear smaller if they are far away
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.
Perceptual Adaptation
ex- new glasses when playing tnennis
Parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, appear to converge with distance. The more the lines converge, the greater their perceived distance.
Linear Perspective
If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer.
interposition
We perceive objects higher in our visual field as farther away.
Relative height ex-painting with mountain behind and trees in front
If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer.
interposition
A binocular cue for perceiving depth: The greater the difference between the two images the retina receives of an object, the closer the object is to the viewer.
Retinal disparity, left and right vision field see slight different images when focusing on a single object, ex- focus on an object and close on eye and then the other
The organization of the visual field into objects (figures) that stand out from their surroundings (ground).
Figure ground , separating objects from background, main object
Distance cues, such as linear perspective and overlap, available to either eye alone.
Monocular cues
