Unit 7: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
Sensation
The process in which we receive information from our environment (taste, touch, sight, sound, smell)
Perception
Process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
Bottom-Up Processing
Building up our understanding by combining sensory information (part to a whole)
Top-Down Processing
We build perceptions based on expectations and experiences (schemas) then check the details to see if we are correct.
Selective Attention
we can only pay attention to a limited number of stimuli (we miss things)
Inattentional Blindness
we can only pay attention to a limited number of stimuli we miss things on accident by paying attention to other stimuli
Priming
when we are exposed to certain stimuli, it affects our perception (can create a perceptual set)
Opponent Process Theory
opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) work like switcher
Sensory Interaction
When one sense influences another
Ex. smell influences taste, sight influences touch, etc.
Kinesthesis
Sensation of movement
Vestibular Sense
sense of balance, controlled by the semicircular canals in the inner-ear
Sensory Adaptation
When you stop sensing something after constant exposure
ex- Jumping in a cold swimming pool, cold sensation goes away
Trichromatic Theory (Young-Helmholtz)
Our retinas contain 3 colors of cones (red, green, blue) which mix to allow us to see any color
Conduction hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the middle ear structures (ear drum, tympanic bones, etc)
Sensorineural Hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea (can be treated with a cochlear implant)
Cocktail-Party Phenomenon
we can pay attention to a conversation even in a crowded room (also allows us to hear our name across a room)
Depth Perception
we see the distance of objects (how far or how close something is)
Retinal Disparity
binocular cue (two eyes) that compares the images we see with each eye to judge distance
Habituation
We get used to recurring stimuli over time
Ex. sounds that bothered us in a new house no longer distract or bother us.
Similarity (Gestalt)
we group similar objects together
Proximity (Gestalt)
we group information that is close together
Closure (Gestalt)
we mentally fill gaps to complete objects
Continuity (Gestalt)
we perceive smooth continuous patterns rather then broken up ones
Linear Perspective
parallel lines converge in the distance
Relative Size/height
smaller objects are further away, larger objects are closer
Motion Parallax
stationary object move as we move (objects closer move faster, objects further away move slower)
Interposition
if one object blocks the view of another, it is perceived as closer
Perceptual set
mental predispositions to perceive one thing (based on expectations or suggestions)
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus (50 percent of the time)
difference threshold/ Just-noticeable difference
the minimum difference between 2 stimuli in order to detect the difference (follows Weber’s Law)
pupil
allows light to enter the eye (black center of eye)
iris
Muscle that controls the size of the pupil (colored part of the eye)
lens
behind the pupil, focuses the image onto the retina
retina
inner coating of the eye, contains rods and cones that processes visual information
Rods
receptors that detect low light images (black/white)- mostly in our peripheral vision
cones
receptors that allow us to see color- mostly in our fovea vision
Optic nerve
transmits information from our eye to our brain
Fovea
centerpoint of the retina where our vision is the sharpest (best)
Cochlea
part of the inner ear that transmits sound into nerve impulses that can be interpreted by the brain
Weber’s Law
A perceptible difference must differ by PROPORTION, not amount
Ex. You notice a volume change of 2 at 40, you would need a volume change of 4 at 80 to notice the difference
