Unit 3 - Vision, Hearing, and Other Senses Flashcards
Wavelength
Short wavelength: bluish (darker) colors and high pitched sounds; Long wavelength: reddish (brighter) colors and low pitched sounds.
Hue
The dimension of color determined by the wavelength of light. Ex. red, blue, green.
Intensity
Amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which as we perceive as brightness of loudness, is determined by the wave’s amplitude.
Pupil
The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.
Iris
Dilates or constricts in response to changing light intensity.
Lens
Transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.
Accomodation
Process by which the lens changes shape.
Retina
The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones, plus layers of neurons that behind the processing of visual information.
Rods
Peripheral retina; detects black, white, and gray; works well in twilight or low light.
Cones
Located near the center of the retina; fine detail and color vision; works well in daylight and well-lit environments.
Bipolar Cells
Neurons that connect rods and cones to the ganglion cells.
Ganglion Cells
Neurons that connect to the bipolar cells, their axons form the optic nerve.
Blind Spot
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there.
Fovea
The central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster.
Optic Nerve
The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
Feature Detectors
Nerve cells located in the brain that respond to specific features; includes shape, angle, and movement.
Parallel Processing
Ability to simultaneously process several aspects of a stimulus at once.
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
Theory that states that the retina contains three different color receptors (red, blue, and green) which when stimulated in combination can produce any perception of color.
Opponent Process Theory
Opposing retinal processes enable color vision; cells located in the thalamus; red-green, yellow-blue, white-black.
Audition
The sense of hearing.
Frequency
The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time.
Pitch
A tone’s highness or lowness; depends on frequency.
Middle Ear
Chamber between eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.
Inner Ear
Innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
Cochlea
Coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear tat transforms sound vibrations to auditory signals (transduction).
Organ of Corti
A structure in the cochlea of the inner ear which produces nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations.
Place Theory
Sound frequencies stimulate the basilar membrane at specific places resulting in perceived pitch. This best explains high pitched sounds.
Frequency Theory
The rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch. This best explains low pitched sounds.
Localization of Sounds
Sounds that reaches one ear faster than the other ear cause us to localize the sound
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; also called nerve deafness.
Conduction Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.
Cochlear Implant
A decide for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.
Sense of Touch
A mix of four distinct skin senses: pressure, warmth, cold, and pain.
Gate-Control Theory
The spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain.
Taste
Consists of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami tastes.
Papillae
Term for small bulbs on tongue that contains receptor cells (taste buds)
Smell (Olfaction)
A chemical sense; odorants enter the nasal cavity to stimulate 5 million receptors to sense smell.
Kinesthesis
System for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
Vestibular Sense
Sense of body movement and position including the sense of balance.
Sensory Interaction (McGurk Effect)
Principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.
