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AP Psychology > Unit 3: Sensation Perception > Flashcards

Unit 3: Sensation Perception Flashcards

1
Q

sensation

A

the process by which humans detect physical energy

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2
Q

perception

A

the interpretation of the sensory output

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3
Q

bottom-up processing

A

when your senses influence your opinion

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4
Q

top-down processing

A

when your opinion influences your senses

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5
Q

selective attention

A

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

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6
Q

inattentional blindness

A

failing to see visual objects when our attention is focused elseware

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7
Q

change blindness

A

failing to notice change in the enviroment

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8
Q

psychophysics

A

the study of the relationship between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of the stimuli

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9
Q

absolute threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulation need to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

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10
Q

signal detection theory

A

the theory that there is no absolute threshold and that detection purely depends on a person’s experiences

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11
Q

subliminal

A

below one’s absolute threshold (<50%)

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12
Q

priming

A

the activation of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, and/or response

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13
Q

difference threshold

A

the minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time

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14
Q

Weber’s law

A

to be perceived at different 2 stimuli must differ by consistent and minimum %

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15
Q

sensory adaptation

A

diminished sensitivity as an effect of constant stimulation

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16
Q

transduction

A

conversion of 1 form of energy into another

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17
Q

wavelength

A

the distance from a point of 1 wave to the same point on the next

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18
Q

hue

A

the dimension of colour determined by the wavelength of a light wave

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19
Q

intensity

A

the amount of energy in a wave, perceived as brightness/loudness/heat/etc

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20
Q

pupil

A

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye, which light enters through

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21
Q

iris

A

the ring of coloured muscle tissue that surrounds the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

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22
Q

lens

A

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape in order to focus

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23
Q

retina

A

the light sensitive inner surface of the eye that contains rods, cones, and layers of neurons

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24
Q

accommodation

A

the process of the lens changing shape in order to focus

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25
rods
retinal receptors that detect black, gray, and white; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision
26
cones
retinal receptors concentrated near the center of the retina, detects colour and fine detail
27
optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
28
blind spot
point where the optic nerve exits the eye, where there are no receptor cells
29
fovea
control focus point in the retina
30
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that responds to specific features of the stimulus
31
paralledl processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
32
Young-Helmholz trichromatic theory
the theory that the retina has 3 colour receptors; red, green, and blue
33
opponent-process theory
the theory that opposite retinal processes enable colour vision
34
audition
the sense of/act of hearing
35
frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass in a given time
36
pitch
a tones experienced highness or lowness; dependent on frequency
37
middle ear
the section of the ear between the eardrum and cochlea containing the anvil, hammer, and the stirrup (bones)
38
cochlea
coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear responsible for turning sound waves into neural impulses; fluid reacts to vibrations and sends messages to cilia on nerves
39
inner ear
innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, , semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
40
place theory
the theory that the pitch that we hear is directly linked with where the cochlea is stimulated
41
frequency theory
the theory that the rate of neural impulses matches the frequency of tone, enabling a sense of pitch
42
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the ear
43
sensorinerual hearing loss
hearing loss caused by the deterioration of nerves (also known as 'nerve deafness')
44
cochlea implant
a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes
45
kinesthesis
sense of position and movement
46
vestibular sense
sense of body position in place and in space (includes balance)
47
gate-control theory
the theory that the spinal cord has 'gate' that will allow and block pain signals from traveling t the brains
48
sensory interaction
one sense may influence another sense, despite there being little to no relation between the two
49
gestalt
an organized whole
50
figure-ground organization
organization of the visual field into the object and its surroundings
51
grouping
the tendency to organize stimuli into groups
52
depth perception
the ability to see objects in three-dimensions despite the fact that images strike the retina in two-dimensions
53
visual cliff
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young children
54
binocular cues
depth cues requiring two eyes
55
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 (or difference) between the two images, the closer the object is
56
monocular cues
depth cues requiring one eye
57
phi phenomenon
the illusion of movement when 2 lights flash on and off in quick secession
58
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging, even as illumination and retinal images change
59
colour constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent colour, even during illumination changes
60
perceptual adaptation
the ability to adjust to displaced/inverted vision (and back)
61
perceptual set
mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
62
extrasensory perception (ESP)
claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
63
parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomenon
64
subliminal perception (aka perception w/out awareness)
the registration of sensory input w/out conscious awareness
65
proximity grouping
we perceive nearby figures together
66
continuity grouping
we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
67
closure grouping
we fill gaps to create a 'complete', whole object
68
relative height
we perceive objects higher in our visual field as further away
69
relative size
if we assume 2 objects are similar in size, most people perceive the one that cast the smaller retinal image as further away
70
relative motion
as we move, objects that are actually stable appear to move (objects in front of a fixation point will appear to move backward; the further an object is from a fixation point, the faster it seems to move)
71
interposition
if one object partially blocks our vision of another object, we perceive it as closer
72
linear perspective
parallel lines seem to meet in the distance, and the sharper the angle of convergence, the greater the perceived distance
73
light and shadow depth
shading produces a sense of depth consistent with our assumption that light comes from a fixed source
74
pinna
outer portion of ear; directs sound waves and protects ear
75
auditory canal
sound waves move through this portion
76
ear drum
separates external ear from middle ear; transfers waves
77
hammer (ear bone)
a bone that sends vibrations to the anvil bone
78
anvil (ear bone)
a bone that continues to send vibrations to the stirrup bone
79
stirrup (ear bone)
a bone that transmits vibrations to the inner ear
80
semicircular canals
ear canals that detect rotation of head, makes us dizzy
81
auditory nerve
sends wound waves to the brain
82
olfaction
the act of smelling; physical stimuli emit a chemical substance that evaporates in the air, this is sent into the nose and dissolve into the mucus of the nose, the mucus stimulates the olfactory cilia that send messages to the olfactory bulb and then to the temporal lobe; smell is the only sense that goes directly to the corresponding lobe without making a pitstop in the thalamus
83
amnosia
a disorder in which a person cannot smell
84
pheromones
a chemical or odor that triggers a natural response in the same species
85
gestation
the act of taste; physical stimuli dissolve with saliva which the taste receptors on the tongue send to the brain
86
5 taste receptors
sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami
87
cutaneous
the act of touch; receptors in the skin send messages to the brain
88
kinesthetic sense
monitors positions of various parts of the body
89
vestibular sense
responds to gravity to keep you informed of your body's location in space
90
embodied cognition
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgement

AP Psychology (8 decks)

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