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ap psych > unit 3 vocab > Flashcards

unit 3 vocab Flashcards

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1
Q

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

A

sensation

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2
Q

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

A

sensory receptors

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3
Q

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

A

perception

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4
Q

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

A

bottom up processing

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5
Q

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

A

top down processing

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6
Q

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

A

selective attention

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7
Q

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

A

inattentonal blindness

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8
Q

failing to notice changes in the environment

A

change blindness

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9
Q

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.

A

transduction

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10
Q

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

A

psychophysics

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11
Q

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

A

absolute threshold

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12
Q

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

A

signal detection theory

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13
Q

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

A

subliminal

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14
Q

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time

A

difference threshold

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15
Q

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response

A

priming

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16
Q

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

A

webers law

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17
Q

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

A

sensory adaptation

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18
Q

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

A

perceptual set

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19
Q

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

A

extrasensory perception

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20
Q

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

A

parapsychology

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21
Q

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of gamma rays to the long pulses of radio transmission

A

wavelength

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22
Q

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

A

hue

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23
Q

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude

A

intensity

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24
Q

the eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris

A

cornea

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25
Q

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

A

pupil

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26
Q

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

A

iris

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27
Q

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

A

lens

28
Q

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

A

retina

29
Q

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

A

accomodation

30
Q

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond

A

rods

31
Q

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.

A

cones

32
Q

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

A

optic nerve

33
Q

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there

A

blind spot

34
Q

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

A

fovea

35
Q

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors—one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue—which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color.

A

young helmholtz trichromatic theory

36
Q

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

A

opponent process theory

37
Q

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision.

A

parallel processing

38
Q

an organized whole. psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

A

gestalt

39
Q

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

A

figure ground

40
Q

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

A

gruping

41
Q

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

A

depth perception

42
Q

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

A

visual cliff

43
Q

a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes

A

biocular cue

44
Q

a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing retinal images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance- the greater the disparity(difference) between the two images, the closer the object

A

retinal disparity

45
Q

a depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone

A

monucular cue

46
Q

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

A

phi phenomenon

47
Q

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent lightness, color, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change

A

perceptual constancy

48
Q

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

A

color constancy

49
Q

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

A

perceptual adaptation

50
Q

the sense or act of hearing

A

audition

51
Q

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

A

frequency

52
Q

a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

A

pitch

53
Q

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window

A

middle ear

54
Q

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

A

cochlea

55
Q

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

A

inner ear

56
Q

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

A

sensorineural hearing loss

57
Q

less common form of hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

A

conduction hearing loss

58
Q

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

A

cochlear implant

59
Q

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

A

place theory

60
Q

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

A

frequency theory

61
Q

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.

A

gate control theory

62
Q

sense of smell

A

olfaction

63
Q

our movement sense - our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

A

kinesthesia

64
Q

the sense of body movement and position that enable our sense of balance

A

vestibular sense

65
Q

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

A

sensory interaction

66
Q

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

A

embodied cognition

67
Q

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

A

feature detectors

ap psych (15 decks)

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