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psychology > unit 4: sensation and perception (16-21) > Flashcards

unit 4: sensation and perception (16-21) Flashcards

1
Q

sensation

A

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

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2
Q

perception

A

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory info

enables us to recognize meaningful events & objects

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3
Q

bottom-up processing

A

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

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4
Q

top-down processing

A

info processing guided by higher level mental processes as we construct perceptions drawing on experience and expectation

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5
Q

selective attention

A

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

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6
Q

inattention blindness

A

failing to see visible objects when our attention is elsewhere

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7
Q

change blindness

A

failing to notice changes in the environment

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8
Q

out of sight

A

out of mind

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9
Q

transduction

A

conversion of one energy form into another

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10
Q

psychophysics

A

the study of the relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them

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11
Q

threshold

A

the lowest point at which a stimulus causes a response

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12
Q

absolute threshold

A

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular response 50%

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13
Q

signal detection theory

A

a theory predicting how/when we detect stimuli amid background stimuli
assumes there’s no single absolute threshold and that detection partially depends on one’s psychological state

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14
Q

subliminal

A

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

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15
Q

priming

A

the activation, often unconscious, of certain associations which predispose one’s perception, memory, or response

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16
Q

difference threshold

A

minimum difference between 2 stimuli required for 50% detection

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17
Q

weber’s law

A

principle stating 2 stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (not a constant amount) to perceive change

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18
Q

sensory adaptation

A

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

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19
Q

perpetual set

A

mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

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20
Q

ESP

A

controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input

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21
Q

parapsychology

A

the study of paranormal behavior

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22
Q

parapsychology concepts

A

telepathy
clairvoyance
precognition

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23
Q

telepathy

A

mind to mind communication

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24
Q

clairvoyance

A

perceiving remote events

ex. house fire in another state

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25
precognition
perceiving future events | ex. unexpected death next month
26
light wave measurement
wavelength amplitude intensity hue
27
wavelength
distance from one peak to the next | determines hue
28
long wavelength
low frequency | red or low pitch
29
short wavelength
high frequency | blue or high pitch
30
intensity/amplitude
the amount of energy | brightness or loudness
31
short amplitude
dull colors | quiet sounds
32
tall amplitude
bright colors | loud sounds
33
parts of the eye
``` pupil iris lens retina cornea fovea blind spot optic nerve ```
34
pupil
adjustable opening in the center of the eye where light enters
35
iris
ring of colored muscle tissue that controls the size of the pupil
36
lens
transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to focus images on the retina
37
retina
sensitive inner surface of the eye in charge of beginning the processing of visual informaton contains rods and cones
38
accommodation
the process of the lens changing shape to focus on near/far objects on the retina
39
rods
retinal receptors that pick up black, white, and grey work in the dark - peripheral and twilight vision dim light
40
cones
retinal receptors that pick up color work in well-lit conditions detect fine detail and color sensation
41
optic nerve
nerve carrying neural impulses from eye to brain
42
blind spot
the point where the optic nerve leaves the eye | creates a blind spot because no receptor cells are here
43
fovea
the center focal point in the retina
44
right visual cortex
inner left & outer right eye
45
left visual cortex
outer left & inner right eye
46
feature detectors
nerve cells respond to specific features of stimuli such as shape, angle, and movement
47
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously
48
brain divides visual scenes into
motion depth form color
49
Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory
theory that the retina contains 3 color receptors | red / green / blue
50
opponent-process theory
theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision | red-green / yellow-blue / black-white
51
gestalt
an organized whole
52
fundamental truth
our brain does more than register information about the world
53
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (figure) that stand out from the background (ground)
54
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
55
types of grouping
``` proximity continuity similarity simplicity closure ```
56
proximity
grouping nearby figures
57
continuity
perceiving continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
58
similarity
grouping similar figures
59
simplicity
the mind interprets in the simplest way possible
60
closure
we fill in gaps to perceive complete, whole objects
61
depth perception
the ability to perceive 2D objects as 3D
62
Gibson and Walk experiment
visual cliff - cliff jumping babies
63
binocular cues
cues on depth that depend on both eyes
64
retinal disparity
the brain computes distance by comparing images from each retina big disparity = close up small disparity = far away
65
monocular cues
cues on depth that depend on one eye
66
phi phenomenon
illusion of movement from 2+ light blink in quick successions
67
perpetual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination & retinal images change
68
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color even if illumination alters the wavelength reflected
69
perpetual adaptation
in vision: the ability to adjust an artificially displaced/inverted field
70
audition
the sense/act of hearing
71
frequency
``` # of complete wavelengths that pass at a time usually measured per second ```
72
pitch
a tone's experienced highness or lowness
73
middle ear
chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window contains: hammer, anvil, stirrup (malleus, incus, stapes)
74
cochlea
coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear | sound waves travel through the cochlear fluid to trigger nerve impulses
75
inner ear
the inner most part of the ear | contains: cochlea, semicircular canals, and vesticular sacs
76
sensorineural hearing loss
caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or auditory nerves nerve deafness
77
conduction hearing loss
caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
78
cochlear implant
device that converts sound to electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
79
place theory
theory linking the pitch we hear to a place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
80
frequency theory
theory that rates nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone enables us to register its pitch
81
gate-control theory
theory that the spinal cord has a neurological gate that blocks or allows pain signals to pass to the brain
82
4 skin sensations
pressure hot cold pain
83
5 main tastes
``` sweet salty sour bitter umami ```
84
kinesthesia
system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
85
vestibular sense
the sense of body movement, position, and balance
86
sensory interaction
the principle that one sense might affect/influence another | smell + taste + texture = flavor
87
embodied cognition
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states have on cognitive preferences and judgment
88
vision
light waves striking the eye | rods and cones in the retina
89
hearing
sound waves striking the outer ear | cochlear hair cells in the inner ear
90
touch
pressure, warmth, coldness, pain on skin | skin receptors detect sensation
91
taste/gustation
chemical molecules in the mouth | basic tongue receptors for the 5 tastes
92
smell
chemical molecules breathed into the nose | millions of receptors in the nasal cavity
93
body position/kinesthesia
any change in position of a body part | kinesthetic sensors all over the body
94
body movement
movement of fluid in the inner ear caused by movement | hair-like receptors in the semicircular canals and the vestibular sacs

psychology (4 decks)

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