Unit 4- Sensation and Perception Flashcards
Sensation
the way we take in information from the world around us
Perception
the way that we can process the information taken in through our senses
Bottom up processing
small details to big picture
top down processing
big picture and ignore small details
ex. scrambled letters
Selective Attention
the idea that our brain focuses its perception on what it believes to be most important at the time
Cocktail Party Effect
in a crowded space we will switch our attention to alert us to information that pertains to us
ex. name call
psychophysics
study of science behind how our senses work
Absolute Threshold
smallest amount of sensory stimulus that we can perceive
ex. candle 30 miles out
signal detection theory
idea that absolute threshold is dependent on many factors
e. experience, motivation, attention
subliminal messages
pieces of sensory information that exists below threshold
ex. primes but doesnt force
difference threshold
smallest amount we need to increase or decrease of a sense in order to notice the difference
ex. change in volume of music
Weber’s Law
The difference depends on a percentage range of the overall sensory stimulant
ex. by 10%
Sensory Adaptation
after perceiving a sense for an extended period of time we no longer notice it
ex. house no longer smells
Wavelength
effects the color visible to the eye
Optic Nerve
branch of neurons that connect our eye to our brain
Fovea
center for cones
retina
reflective covering of the back of the eye that contains rods and cones
Iris
- muscle
- colored
- contracts and expands to light
pupil
hole that allows the light and image to enter the eye
cornea
protective covering of the eye
Lens
disk that changes shape to reflect the image into our eye
Blind Spot
where the optic nerve connects to the retina
small gap with no nerves
Rods
Receptors on ur Retina that help u see
Black & White/ Dark/ Peripheral
Cones
Color/ Light/ Central
Feature Detectors
neurons in the occipital lobe that allows us to see angles, shapes, and movement
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
we see color because of 3 main color cones in our retina
Opponent Process Theory
color vision depends on opposing sets in the OCCIPITAL LOBE
Pinna
- outer ear
- collects sound
Ear Canal
passageway
Ear Drum
membrane that vibrates to amplify sound
3 tiny bones
hammer, anvil, stirrup
hammer, anvil, stirrup purpose
amplify sound