Unit 8 - Sensation and Perception Flashcards
Sensation
The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information
Bottom-up processing
Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information
Top-down processing
Information processing guided by higher level mental processes
Absolute Threshold
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Signal Detection Theory
A theory predicting how and when we can detect a certain stimulus amongst other background stimulation
Subliminal
Below the absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Priming
The activation of certain associations (unconsciously) that can alter someone’s perception, memory, or response
Difference Threshold
Absolute Threshold but it is the difference between two stimuli
Weber’s Law
To be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ proportionally, not just by an amount
Sensory Adaptation
Having a diminished sensitivity to a stimulus after constant stimulation
Transduction
Stimulus energies —-> neural impulses
Hue
The color of a thing
Intensity
How bright a thing is
Cornea
Protective layer of the eye
Pupil
The adjustable opening on the eye
Iris
the colored muscle that controls the pupil
Lens
The transparent part that focuses light on the Fovea
Retina
The inner surface of the eye
Accommodation
The process by which the lens changes shape to focus on far/near objects
Rods
Detect black/white
Cones
Detect colors
Bipolar cells
Rods+Cones —-> Bipolar cells —-> Ganglion cells —-> Optic nerve
Ganglion cells
Rods+Cones —-> Bipolar cells —-> Ganglion cells —-> Optic nerve
Optic nerve
The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
Blind spot
The spot where the optic nerve leaves the eye and where no receptor cells are found
Fovea
Point of central focus on the retina
Feature Detectors
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of something, like shape, depth, movement
Parallel processing
The processing of multiple aspects of a stimuli simultaneously
Trichromatic Theory
The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors that together can produce any color
Opponent-Process Theory
The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision
Afterimages
The image that results from seeing an opposing color after staring at an image for a super duper long time
Audition
The sense/act of hearing
Eardrum
A tight membrane that vibrates with noises
Cochlea
A tube with a fluid that vibrates, bending small hairs that create a neural impulse
Place Theory
The theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated
Frequency Theory
The theory that the rate of nerve impulses on the auditory nerve match the frequency of a tone, allowing us to sense pitch
Volley Principle
Neural cells can alternate firing patterns, allowing us to hear very high frequencies
Kinesthesia
The sense of the position and movement of your body parts
Vestibular Sense
The sense of the position and movement of your body as a whole (basically kinesthesia but better)
Gate-Control Theory
The theory that the spinal cord can block or allow pain signals to go to the brain with small and large nerve fibers
Sensory interaction
The principle that one sense may influence another
Gestalt
An organized whole formed from integration
Figure-ground
The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
Grouping
the tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
