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AP Psychology > Unit 4 - Sensation and Perception > Flashcards

Unit 4 - Sensation and Perception Flashcards

1
Q

Snesation

A

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

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2
Q

perception

A

conscious sensory experience. The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

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3
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

aka data based analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory info

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4
Q

top-down processing

A

aka knowledge based information processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations

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5
Q

selective attention

A

when we shift our gaze, we aren’t just looking somewhere else, but shifting our attention there as well

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6
Q

divided attention

A

everyday life we have to pay attention to a number of things at once (ex: driving a car)

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7
Q

inattentional blindness

A

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

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8
Q

change blindness

A

failing to notice changes in the environment

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9
Q

transduction

A

receive sensory stimulation, transform stimuli into neural impulses, and deliver neural info to our brain

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10
Q

psychophysics

A

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

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11
Q

absolute threshold

A

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

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12
Q

signal detection theory

A

predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amind background stimulation (depends partly on experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness)

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13
Q

submiminal

A

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

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14
Q

priming

A

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

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15
Q

difference threshold

A

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time (just noticeable difference)

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16
Q

Weber’s law

A

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

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17
Q

sensory adaptation

A

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

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18
Q

perceptual set

A

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not the other

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19
Q

emotions and motivation

A

Perceptions are influenced not only by expectations and context but also by emotions and motivation

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20
Q

extra sensory perception (ESP)

A

controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input (ex: telepathy, clairvoyance, and recognition)

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21
Q

parapsychology

A

study of paranormal phenomena including esp and psychokinesis

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22
Q

vision

A

we see objects in the environment because light is reflected from these objects into the eye

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23
Q

electromagnetic spectrum

A

continuum of electromagnetic energy which is produced by electric charges that is radiated as waves

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24
Q

wavelengths

A

distance between peaks of waves - vary in distance and pusles

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25
Hue
dimension of color
26
Intensity
amount of energy in light/sound wave (brightness or loudness)
27
eye
focusing mechanism, lens and cornea, and the retina
28
pupil
adjustable opening in the center of the eye
29
iris
ring of muscle tissue that forms the coloured portion of the eye (controls the pupil opening)
30
lens
transparent structure behind pupil changes shape to adjust for distances for the retina (accommodation)
31
cornea
fixed in place - covers the front of the eye
32
retina
light sensitive inner surface of the eye containing the receptor rods and cones
33
rods
detect black white and gray necessary for peripheral and twilight vision
34
cones
detect fine detail and color sensations, daylight (cluster around fovea)
35
optic nerve
nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
36
blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there.
37
fovea
central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster
38
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus such as shape, angle, or movement
39
parallel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
40
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
theory that the retina contains three different color receptors (red, green, blue)
41
Opponent Process Theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. (Herring)
42
Gestalt Theory
an approach to psychology that focuses on developing principles of perceptual organization proposing that “the whole differs from the sum of its parts”
43
Figure-Ground
the organization of the visual field into the objects that stand out from their surroundings
44
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
45
proximity
things that are near to each other often appear to be grouped together
46
continuity
points that, when connected, result in straight or smoothly curving lines (smoothest path)
47
closure
we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object
48
Depth perception
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two dimensional (judge distance)
49
Visual Cliff
lab device used to test depth perception in infants and young animals
50
Binocular Cues
depth cues such as retinal disparity that depend on the use of two eyes
51
retinal disparity
binocular cue for perceiving depth. Brain computes the distance in disparity (distance).
52
monocular cues
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone (ex. Relative height and size Relative motion - things that are stable seem to move Linear perspective - parallel lines appear to meet in the distance Light and shadow - shading produces a sense of depth)
53
phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
54
amblyopia
lazy eye (brain favors one eye over the other) treatments include vision therapy, eye exercises, and patching
55
strabismus
eye turns (the eyes look in different directions = focusing on different things in each eye) treatments include vision therapy, eye exercises, and patching
56
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
57
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
58
perceptual adaptation
in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
59
audition
the sense of hearing
60
frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
61
pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness based on frequency
62
middle ear
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
63
cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlea trigger nerve impulses
64
inner ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
65
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves (nerve deafness)
66
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sounds waves to the cochlea
67
cochlear implant
device for converting sounds into electrical signals and signaling the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
68
place theory
in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear to the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
69
frequency theory
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 pitch
70
hairy skin
contains hair cells, which detect movement and pressure
71
glabrous skin
contain no hair cells, more sensitive (palms, feet, lips)
72
gate control theory
spinal cord contains a neurological gate that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain
73
Dennis Turk
defined 3 subtypes Dysfunctional - high levels of pain and psychological distress (highly inactive) Interpersonally distressed - little social support and significant others don't take pain seriously Adaptive copers - less pain and social distress (function at relatively high levels)
74
Taste and smell
Sweet salty bitter umami and sour 20 mill olfactory receptor cells 350 receptor proteins
75
odor molecules
trigger combinations of receptors in patterns that the olfactory cortex interprets
76
kinesthesia
system for sensing and movement of individual body parts
77
vestibular sense
sense of body movement and position including balance
78
propioception
loss of the ability to move unless they can see themselves move. In the dark such individuals become limp and collapse
79
sensory interaction
one sense may influence another
80
embodied cognition
influence of body sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgments

AP Psychology (8 decks)

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