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AP Psych > Unit 4 Sensation & Perception > Flashcards

Unit 4 Sensation & Perception Flashcards

1
Q

Sensation

A

process by which a stimulated receptor creates a pattern of neural messages that represent the stimulus in the brain giving rise to our initial experience of the stimulus

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2
Q

Photoreceptors

A

light-sensitive cells (neurons) in the retina that convert light energy into neural energy

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3
Q

Fovea

A
  • Area of sharpest vision
  • Central focal point in the retina which has the highest concentration of cones
  • Clearest, most detailed point of vision
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4
Q

Optic Nerve

A

bundle of bipolar and ganglion cells which carry the visual information from the retina to the brain. Where the stimulus, once changed into a neural impulse, gets passed onto the brain (thalamus→ occipital lobe) (processed by visual cortex)

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5
Q

Perception

A

a mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to the incoming sensory patterns

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6
Q

Bottom up processing

A

analysis that emphasizes the characteristics of the stimuli rather than our concepts and expectations

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7
Q

bottom up processing is _____________ and top down processing is _____________

A

sensation; perception

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8
Q

Top down processing

A

analysis that emphasizes the perceiver’s expectations, concept memories, and other cognitive factors rather than individual factors

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9
Q

Binocular cues

A

rely on info from both eyes

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10
Q

Sensory Adaptation

A

diminishing responsiveness of our sensory systems to prolonged stimulation.

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11
Q

Absolute threshold

A

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

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12
Q

Operational definition of absolute threshold

A

The presence or absence of a stimulus is detected correctly half the time over many trials.

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13
Q

Difference thresholds

A

The smallest amount by which a stimulus can be changed and the difference be detected, half of the time

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14
Q

Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

A

The minimal amount of change in the signal that is still recognizable

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15
Q

Weber’s Law, Weber-Fechner Law of JND

A

The law states that the change in a stimulus that will be just noticeable is a constant ratio of the original stimulus

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16
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

Detecting a weak stimulus not only depends on the signals strength, but also on our psychological state

experience and motivation can affect our ability to detect a stimulus aka your absolute threshold changes depending on situation

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17
Q

Subliminal Threshold

A

stimuli received below our conscious level of awareness

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18
Q

Selective Attention

A

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

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19
Q

Cocktail party effect

A

the ability to attend to one voice out of many around you

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20
Q

Inattentional Blindness

A

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

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21
Q

Change Blindness

A

Failing to notice change in the environment around us

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22
Q

Transduction

A

The sensory process that converts energy, such as light or sound waves, into the form of neural messages

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23
Q

Cornea

A

The clear tissue that covers the front of the eye

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24
Q

Pupil

A

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

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25
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
26
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
27
Lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
28
Accomodation
process by which lens changes shape to focus light on retina
29
Blind Spot
The point where the optic nerve exits the eye and where there are no photoreceptors
30
Trichromatic theory
theory of color vision that proposes three types of cones: red, blue, and green
31
Perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
32
Feature receptors
nerve cells in the visual cortex that respond to lines, edges, angles, ands movement
33
sound waves
expanding and contracting air molecules
34
3 components of the outer ear
pinna, external auditory canal, tympanic membrane
35
3 components of the middle ear
hammer, anvil, stirrup
36
3 components of the inner ear
cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals
37
Gestalt Psychologists
argue that the brain forms a perceptual whole that is more than the mere sum of its sensory parts
38
transduction occurs in the ____________
basilar membrane
39
eardrum
a membrane that vibrates in response to sound waves; the tympanic membrane
40
Middle Ear
the air-filled central cavity of the ear which transmits the eardrums vibrations through a piston made of three tiny bones: hammer, anvil, stirrup (auditory ossicles)
41
Law of Similarity (Gestalt)
objects that are similar tend to be grouped together
42
Inner ear
inner most part of the ear containing cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
43
Cochlea
snail shaped, fluid filled tube of the inner ear which produces nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations
44
law of proximity
The Gestalt principle that we tend to group objects together when they are near each other
45
law of continuity
The Gestalt principle that we prefer perceptions of connected and continuous figures to disconnected and disjointed ones
46
law of common fate
The Gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects together that share a common motion or destination
47
Oval Window
membrane that covers the opening between the middle ear and inner ear
48
basilar membrane
A structure that runs the length of the cochlea in the inner ear and holds the auditory receptors, called hair cells
49
semicircular canals
three fluid-filled canals in the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance
50
auditory nerve
transmits information from the inner ear (cochlea) to the brain in the form of sound
51
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
52
Amplitude
Height of a wave
53
Audition
sense of hearing
54
Place theory
perception of pitch depends on what area of the basilar membrane is vibrating
55
Frequency theory
perception of pitch depends on the rate at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates. The whole basilar membrane vibrates in response to sound
56
Conduction deafness
inability to hear, resulting from damage to the structures of the middle or inner ear
57
Nerve deafness
inability to hear, linked to a deficit in the body's ability to transmit impulses from the cochlea to the brain
58
Vestibular sense
sense of body orientation with respect to gravity
59
kinesthetic sense
keeps track of body parts, relative to each other
60
Gate-control theory
explanation for pain control that proposes we have a neural "gate" that can, under some circumstances, block incoming pain
61
Gustation
sense of taste
62
tastebuds
bitter, sour, salt, sweet, umani
63
olfaction
sense of smell
64
Depth perception
enables us see things in 3 dimension and judge distances
65
Retinal disparity
the differences between the images stimulating each eye- binocular
66
convergence
eyes turn inward as object gets closer- binocular
67
binocular cues
rely on info from both eyes
68
Monocular Cues
lets us judge depth using info from 1 eye
69
Relative Size
If two objects are similar in size, we perceive the one that casts a smaller retinal image to be farther away-monocular
70
relative clearness
clear, more detailed objects are perceived as closer- monocular
71
Interposition/Overlay
Objects that block other objects tend to be perceived as closer- monocular
72
Relative Height
objects placed higher in a picture relative to the ground are perceived as being farther away and objects placed lower on page are perceived as closer- monocular
73
Relative motion
As we move, objects which are stable may appear to move- monocular
74
Linear Perspective
Parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, appear to converge in the distance- monocular
75
Light and Shadow
Nearby objects reflect more light into our eyes than more distant objects- monocular
76
perceptual constancy
The ability to recognize the same object as remaining "constant" under changing conditions is called perceptual consistency
77
Size constancy
Perception of objects as unchanging in size despite their changing retinal images
78
Light constancy
perceiving an object with constant lightness even if illumination changes
79
color constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color even when changing illumination filters the light reflected by the object
80
shape constancy
perceiving an object as unchanging in shape despite its changing retinal image
81
perceptual set
readiness to detect a particular stimulus in a given situation
82
Gestalt Theory
Gestalt Psychologists argue that the brain forms a perceptual whole that is more than the mere sum of its sensory parts
83
Figure (Gestalt)
part of a pattern that commands attention...stands out
84
Ground (Gestalt)
part of the pattern that does not command attention...background
85
closure
filling in the blanks

AP Psych (8 decks)

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