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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
Q

rods

A

retinal receptors that detect black, gray, and white; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision

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26
Q

cones

A

retinal receptors concentrated near the center of the retina, detects colour and fine detail

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27
Q

optic nerve

A

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

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28
Q

blind spot

A

point where the optic nerve exits the eye, where there are no receptor cells

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29
Q

fovea

A

control focus point in the retina

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30
Q

feature detectors

A

nerve cells in the brain that responds to specific features of the stimulus

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31
Q

paralledl processing

A

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

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32
Q

Young-Helmholz trichromatic theory

A

the theory that the retina has 3 colour receptors; red, green, and blue

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33
Q

opponent-process theory

A

the theory that opposite retinal processes enable colour vision

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34
Q

audition

A

the sense of/act of hearing

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35
Q

frequency

A

the number of complete wavelengths that pass in a given time

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36
Q

pitch

A

a tones experienced highness or lowness; dependent on frequency

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37
Q

middle ear

A

the section of the ear between the eardrum and cochlea containing the anvil, hammer, and the stirrup (bones)

38
Q

cochlea

A

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
Q

inner ear

A

innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, , semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

40
Q

place theory

A

the theory that the pitch that we hear is directly linked with where the cochlea is stimulated

41
Q

frequency theory

A

the theory that the rate of neural impulses matches the frequency of tone, enabling a sense of pitch

42
Q

conduction hearing loss

A

hearing loss caused by damage to the ear

43
Q

sensorinerual hearing loss

A

hearing loss caused by the deterioration of nerves (also known as ‘nerve deafness’)

44
Q

cochlea implant

A

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes

45
Q

kinesthesis

A

sense of position and movement

46
Q

vestibular sense

A

sense of body position in place and in space (includes balance)

47
Q

gate-control theory

A

the theory that the spinal cord has ‘gate’ that will allow and block pain signals from traveling t the brains

48
Q

sensory interaction

A

one sense may influence another sense, despite there being little to no relation between the two

49
Q

gestalt

A

an organized whole

50
Q

figure-ground organization

A

organization of the visual field into the object and its surroundings

51
Q

grouping

A

the tendency to organize stimuli into groups

52
Q

depth perception

A

the ability to see objects in three-dimensions despite the fact that images strike the retina in two-dimensions

53
Q

visual cliff

A

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young children

54
Q

binocular cues

A

depth cues requiring two eyes

55
Q

retinal disparity

A

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
Q

monocular cues

A

depth cues requiring one eye

57
Q

phi phenomenon

A

the illusion of movement when 2 lights flash on and off in quick secession

58
Q

perceptual constancy

A

perceiving objects as unchanging, even as illumination and retinal images change

59
Q

colour constancy

A

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent colour, even during illumination changes

60
Q

perceptual adaptation

A

the ability to adjust to displaced/inverted vision (and back)

61
Q

perceptual set

A

mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

62
Q

extrasensory perception (ESP)

A

claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

63
Q

parapsychology

A

the study of paranormal phenomenon

64
Q

subliminal perception (aka perception w/out awareness)

A

the registration of sensory input w/out conscious awareness

65
Q

proximity grouping

A

we perceive nearby figures together

66
Q

continuity grouping

A

we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones

67
Q

closure grouping

A

we fill gaps to create a ‘complete’, whole object

68
Q

relative height

A

we perceive objects higher in our visual field as further away

69
Q

relative size

A

if we assume 2 objects are similar in size, most people perceive the one that cast the smaller retinal image as further away

70
Q

relative motion

A

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
Q

interposition

A

if one object partially blocks our vision of another object, we perceive it as closer

72
Q

linear perspective

A

parallel lines seem to meet in the distance, and the sharper the angle of convergence, the greater the perceived distance

73
Q

light and shadow depth

A

shading produces a sense of depth consistent with our assumption that light comes from a fixed source

74
Q

pinna

A

outer portion of ear; directs sound waves and protects ear

75
Q

auditory canal

A

sound waves move through this portion

76
Q

ear drum

A

separates external ear from middle ear; transfers waves

77
Q

hammer (ear bone)

A

a bone that sends vibrations to the anvil bone

78
Q

anvil (ear bone)

A

a bone that continues to send vibrations to the stirrup bone

79
Q

stirrup (ear bone)

A

a bone that transmits vibrations to the inner ear

80
Q

semicircular canals

A

ear canals that detect rotation of head, makes us dizzy

81
Q

auditory nerve

A

sends wound waves to the brain

82
Q

olfaction

A

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
Q

amnosia

A

a disorder in which a person cannot smell

84
Q

pheromones

A

a chemical or odor that triggers a natural response in the same species

85
Q

gestation

A

the act of taste; physical stimuli dissolve with saliva which the taste receptors on the tongue send to the brain

86
Q

5 taste receptors

A

sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami

87
Q

cutaneous

A

the act of touch; receptors in the skin send messages to the brain

88
Q

kinesthetic sense

A

monitors positions of various parts of the body

89
Q

vestibular sense

A

responds to gravity to keep you informed of your body’s location in space

90
Q

embodied cognition

A

the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgement

AP Psychology (8 decks)

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