Vocab Flashcards
Absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.
Accommodation
The process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.
Aerial perspective
Monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that more distant objects are likely to appear hazy and blurred.
DISTANT OBJECTS APPEAR BLURRY AND BLUISH IN NATURE
Amplitude
Height of a wave. Loudness. The maximum distance the wave moves up or down from its rest position.
Audition
The sense or act of hearing
Auditory canal
channel that leads from the pinna to the eardrum
Basilar membrane
A structure that runs the length of the cochlea in the inner ear and holds the auditory receptors, called hair cells.
Binocular cues
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.
Bipolar cells
A type of retinal cells that accepts electric (nerve) impulses from the photoreceptors and passes them to the ganglion cells
Blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot because no receptor cells are located there.
Bottom up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information.
Change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment.
Cilia
are microscopic, hair-like structures on the surface of cells that beat in unison to create movement. In our ears, sound waves stimulate motion of the structure, which sends a message to our brain that we are hearing sound. They also keep our airways clean by removing mucus and dust from the nose and lungs.
Cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses. Has 16,000 hair cells.
Cochlear implant
a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.
Cocktail party effect
The ability to focus on one auditory message and ignore others; also refers to the tendency to notice when your name suddenly appears in a message that you’ve been actively ignoring
Color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.
Conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.
Cones
retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.
Context effects
a given stimulus may trigger radically different perceptions, partly because of our differing set, but also because of the immediate context. Culture or previous experiences can influence how we perceive our situations.
Córnea
Anatomy of the eye: outermost transparent layer protecting the eye; assists in light refraction
Depth perception
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.
SEE THREE DIMENSION OBJECTS (length width height) and judge how far it is
EX: a person walking towards you or putting your finger farther and farther
Difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (or jnd).
Feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.
Figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).
holds that we tend to separate images into figure, or object, and ground, or background
Fóvea
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster.
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second).
Frequency theory (volley principle)
in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch.
Ganglion cells of the eye
In the retina, the specialized neurons that connect to the bipolar cells; the bundled axons of the ganglion cells form the optic nerve.
Gate-control theory
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The “gate” is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.
Gestalt
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
Grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.
Hue (color)
the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth.
Inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.
Inner ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
Intensity
the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave’s amplitude.
Interposition
monocular visual cue in which two objects are in the same line of vision and one patially obscures the other, indicating that the first object concealed is further away
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.
Kinesthesia
the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.
Part of semicircular and balance
Law of closure
the tendency to fill in the gaps in an incomplete image.
Law of proximity
Elements located close to one another are perceived as belonging to the same figure
Law of similarity
The Gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects together in our perceptions.
Lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.
Linear perspective
A monocular cue for perceiving depth; the more parallel lines converge, the greater their perceived distance.
Location detection
if a sound occurs right in front of you it hits both your ears at the same time. Otherwise it hits one before the other. Using that time difference the body can determine the location of the sound. Called Coincidence Detection. Neurons can also detect difference in volume. These both work for LEFT RIGHT locating. Cells in the superior olive.
Middle ear
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.
Monocular cues
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.
Allows us to see depth through one eye
Moon ilusión
The Moon looks up to 50% larger when near the horizon than when it is high in the sky.
Motion parallax
A depth cue whereby a difference in the apparent rate of movement of different objects provides information about the relative distance of those objects
If the object is far then it’s slow
If the object is close then it’s fast
Nociceptors
sensory receptors that detect hurtful temperatures, pressure, or chemicals
Olfaction
Sense of smell
Opponent- process theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
Optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
Papillae
Bumps on the tongue that contain taste buds, the receptors for taste.
Parralel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.
Parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis.
Perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.
Perceptual adaptation
in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.
Perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.
Perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another. The interpretation of ambiguous sensory information in terms of how our past experiences have set us to perceive it.
A tendency to view things only a certain way
Phantom limb
sensations that appear to originate in a limb that has been amputated after an amputation, the person continues to experience the felt presence of the amputated limb. what happens is the region of the parietal lobe that normally receives signals from the amputated limb is no longer getting that input so neurons form connections with neurons in adjacent regions of the body map and because of this neuroplastic reorganization, the phantom limb is born.
Phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.
An image disappears and reappears
Pitch
a tone’s experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.
Place theory
in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated.
We know where the sound is coming from
Ponzo illusion
An illusion of size in which two objects of equal size that are positioned between two converging lines appear to be different in size. Also called the railroad track illusion.
Priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response.
Psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.
Pupil
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.
Relative size
The monocular cue that states that if an object seems larger, it is probably closer, and if an object is smaller, it is probably distant.
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.
Retinal disparity
a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.
the fact that the left and right fields of vision provide slightly different visual images when focusing on a single object
As you move a pencil closer to your face it will get blurry
Rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond.
Selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.
Semicircular canal
Passages in the inner ear associated with maintaining equilibrium
Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.
Sensorineural hearing loss (nerve deafness)
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves. (Also called nerve deafness.)
Sensory adaption
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.
Sensory interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.
Signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
Stroboscopic movement
the brain’s perception of continuous movement in a rapid series of slightly varying images; this is how we perceive motion in film and animation
Subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.
Subliminal perception
Perception below the threshold of awareness.
Top down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.
Transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret.
Umami
a fifth taste sensation added to the list, a savory flavor
Vestibular sense
the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance.
Visual cliff
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals. Indicates some depth perception is innate. Babies between 6.5 and 12 month of age were reluctant to crawl over the “cliff” edge, even when called by their mothers, suggesting that they perceived the drop created by the check pattern.
Wavelength
the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.
Webers law
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount).
JUST NOTICIABLE DIFFERENCE
Young-Helmholtz theory
the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors—one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue—which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color.
