Unit 4 Sensation And Perception Flashcards
Sensation
The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.
Bottom-up processing
Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information.
Top-down processing
Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions of things
Selective attention
The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.
Inattentional blindness
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Change blindness
Failing to notice changes in the environment
Absolute threshold
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time (ex. How loud a noise has to be for u to hear it)
Signal detection theory
A theory predicting how, and when we detect the presence of the faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise).
Subliminal
It is below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.
Difference threshold
The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time.
Webers Law
The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount).
Sensory adaptation
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Transduction
The conversion of one form of energy into another
Wavelength
The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next.
Hue
The dimension of color, determined by wavelength
Intensity
The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude
Pupil
The adjustable opening in the center of the eye, through which light enters
Iris
A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
Lens
The transparent structure behind the pupil, that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Retina
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
Accommodation
The process by which the eyes lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
Rods
Retinal receptors, that detect black, white, and gray; for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond
Cones
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
Optic nerve
The nerve that Carrie’s neural impulses from the eye to the brain