unit 3 : sensation & perception Flashcards
sensation
process when your sensory receptors & nervous system receive & represents stimulus from the environment
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
selective attention
focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another. sights, sounds, smells into neural impulses
psychophysics
the study of the relationship between characteristics of stimuli (ex: intensity) & our psychological experience of them
absolute threshold
minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
signal detection theory
predicts how & when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus. assumes there is no absolute threshold, depends on experience, alertness, & expectation
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
priming
the unconscious activation of certain associations, predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response
difference threshold
minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time
gustav fechner
one of the founders for psychophysics
sensory adaption
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
habituation vs. sensory adaption
habituation involves learning to ignore a stimulus. sensory adaption involves your senses becoming less responsive
receptor cells
specialized cells for each sense
perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing & not another
context effects
when our perception of something is influenced by the surrounding environment or conditions.
cornea
clear outer layer of the eye that helps focus light onto the retina
pupil
adjustable opening in the middle of the eye that lets light in
iris
colored portion around the pupil, controls the size of the pupil opening
lens
transparent structure behind pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
fovea
small central part of the retina where vision is the sharpest, high concentration of cone cells = high color
optic nerve
nerve that carries neural impulses from the eyes to the brain
accommodation
process where the eye’s lenses changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white, gray. necessary for peripheral & twilight vision when cones don’t respond
cones
retinal receptor cells that in daylight detects fine detail & gives rise to color sensations
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously
blindsight
response to visual stimuli without consciously perceiving them
young-helmholtz trichromatic theory
theory that the retina contains 3 different color receptors (red green blue) when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any colors
color deficient vision
absence of specific cones in the retina that detects red, green, & blue
opponent process theory
vision theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
opponent process theory
vision theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
explain afterimages
when the cones in your eyes become overstimulated it has a temporary fatigue & shows the opposing color
figure ground
organization of the visual field into objects (figure) that stand out from their surroundings (ground)
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
proximity
grouping nearby figures together
similarity
items that are similar to each other are perceived to be a unified group
continuity
perceiving smooth continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
closure
we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object
common fate (connectedness)
items moving in the same direction are perceived to be a unified group
ear canal
tubular structure that channels sound waves from the outer ear to the ear drum, amplifies and transmits sound
eardrum
vibrates in response to sound waves & converts into mechanical vibrations that are transmitted to the bones of the middle ear
ossicles: hammer, anvil, stirrup
transmits & amplifies sound vibrations from the ear drum to the inner ear
oval window
transmits vibrations into the cochlea
hairs on basilar membrane
hair cells are sensory receptors that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals
auditory nerve
transmits electrical signals generated by hair cells to the brain
cochlea
coiled fluid-filled tube that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves. (disease, aging)
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
