Weeks 7-12 Flashcards
Sensation
the physical processing of environmental stimuli by the sense organs
Transduction
the conversion of one form of energy to another
Perception
the psychological process of interpreting sensory information
Absolute threshold
the smallest amount of stimulation needed for detection by a sense
Signal detection
- the method we use to measure absolute thresholds
- like someone will listen to increasingly louder tones starting from silence to determine when they begin to hear the sound (their absolute threshold)
Differential threshold
the smallest difference needed in order to differentiate two stimuli (same as just noticeable difference (JND))
Just noticeable difference (JND)
the smallest difference needed in order to differentiate two stimuli (same as differential threshold)
Weber’s Law
- bigger stimuli require larger differences to be notice (EX: it is harder to tell between 10 and 11 pounds than 1 and 2 pounds)
Bottom-up processing
- building up to perceptual experience from individual pieces
- happens with new experiences (like the first time you hear a certain band)
Top-down processing
experience influencing the perception of stimuli
Sensory adaptation
decrease in sensitivity of a receptor to a stimulus after constant stimulation
Retina
cell layer in the back of the eye containing photoreceptors
Binocular disparity
difference in images processed by the left and right eyes
Binocular vision
our ability to perceive 3D and depth b/c of the difference between the images on each of our retinas
Rods
photoreceptors of the retina sensitive to low levels of light. Located around the fovea
Cones
photoreceptors of the retina sensitive to colour. Located primarily in the fovea
Primary visual cortex
area of the cortex involved in processing visual stimuli
Agnosia
loss of the ability to perceive stimuli
Ventral pathway
pathway of visual processing. The ‘what’ pathway.
carries information from the primary visual cortex to the temporal lobe
Dorsal pathway
pathway of visual processing. The ‘where’ pathway.
stretches from the primary visual cortex to the parietal lobe
Dark adaptation
adjustment of eye to low levels of light
Light adaptation:
adjustment of eye to high levels of light
Trichromatic theory
theory proposing colour vision as influenced by three different cones responding preferentially to red, green, and blue
Opponent-process theory
theory proposing colour vision as influenced by cells responsive to pairs of colours