Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
49 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
sensation
|
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
|
p. 139
|
|
bottom-up processing
|
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
|
p. 139
|
|
perception
|
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling usto recognize meaningful events and objects
|
p. 139
|
|
top-down processing
|
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
|
p. 139
|
|
psychophysics
|
the study of relationships between the physical charcteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
|
p. 140
|
|
absolute threshold
|
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
|
p. 140
|
|
subliminal
|
below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
|
p. 140
|
|
priming
|
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response
|
p. 141
|
|
difference threshold
|
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time(just noticeable difference)
|
p. 142
|
|
Weber's law
|
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than a constant amount
|
p. 142
|
|
sensory adaptation
|
diminsihed sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
|
p. 142
|
|
wavelength
|
the distance from the peak of one light or sound waveto the peak of the next
|
p. 144
|
|
hue
|
the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names "blue," "green," etc.
|
p. 144
|
|
intensity
|
the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as dtermined by the wave's amplitude
|
p. 144
|
|
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
|
p. 145
|
|
accomodation
|
the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
|
p. 145
|
|
rods
|
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray;necessary for perihperal and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
|
p. 145
|
|
cones
|
retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions;detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
|
p. 145
|
|
optic nerve
|
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
|
p. 146
|
|
blind spot
|
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
|
p. 146
|
|
fovea
|
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
|
p. 146
|
|
feature detectors
|
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, suchas as shape, angle, or movement
|
p. 147
|
|
parallel processing
|
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision
|
p. 148
|
|
Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) 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
|
p. 150
|
|
opponent-process theory
|
the theory that opposing retinal processes(red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
|
p. 150
|
|
audition
|
the sense or act of hearing
|
p. 151
|
|
frequency
|
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a in a given time
|
p. 152
|
|
pitch
|
a tone's experienced highness or lowness, depends on frequency.
|
p. 152
|
|
middle ear
|
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones(hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that conentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window
|
p. 153
|
|
cochlea
|
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
|
p. 153
|
|
inner ear
|
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semiciruclar canals, and vestibular arcs
|
p. 153
|
|
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 large fibers or by information coming from the brain
|
p. 157
|
|
sensory interaction
|
the principle that one sense may influence another, as whn the smell of food influences its taste
|
p. 159
|
|
kinesthesis
|
the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
|
p. 161
|
|
vestibular sense
|
the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
|
p. 162
|
|
gestalt
|
an organized whole
|
p. 163
|
|
figure-ground
|
the organization of the visual field in to objects that stand out from their surroundings
|
p. 163
|
|
grouping
|
the perceptual theory to organize stimuli into coherent groups
|
p. 163
|
|
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
|
p. 165
|
|
visual cliff
|
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
|
p. 165
|
|
binocular cues
|
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
|
p. 165
|
|
monocular cues
|
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone
|
p. 166
|
|
perceptual constancy
|
perceiving objects as unchanging(having consistent lightness, color, shape, size) even as illumination and retinal images change
|
p. 167
|
|
color constancy
|
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
|
p. 167
|
|
perceptual adaptation
|
in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
|
p. 172
|
|
perceptual set
|
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not the other
|
p. 173
|
|
extrasensory perception(ESP)
|
the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input. Said to include telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
|
p. 176
|
|
parapsychology
|
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis
|
p. 176
|
|
retinal disparity
|
a binocular cue for perceiving depth; By comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain computes distance-the greater the disparity(difference) between the two images, the closer the object
|
p. 165
|