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AP Psychology - Sensation and Perception Flashcards

Advanced Placement Psychology
Enterprise High School, Redding, CA
All terms from Myers Psychology for AP (BFW Worth, 2011)

Terms : Hide Images
4806525143sensationthe process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.0
4806525144perceptionthe process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.1
4806525145bottom-up processinganalysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.2
4806525146top-down processinginformation processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.3
4806525147selective attentionthe focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.4
4806525148inattentional blindnessfailing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.5
4806525149change blindnessfailing to notice changes in the environment.6
4806525151absolute thresholdthe minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.7
4806525152signal detection theorya theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.8
4806525155difference thresholdthe minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. Also called the just noticeable difference (jnd).9
4806525156Weber's lawthe principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount).10
4806525157sensory adaptationdiminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.11
4806525158transductionconversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.12
4806525159wavelengththe distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic versions of this vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.13
4806525161intensitythe amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude.14
4806525162pupilthe adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.15
4806525163irisa ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.16
4806525164lensthe transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.17
4806525165retinathe light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.18
4806525166accomodationSensation - the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.19
4806525167rodsretinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond.20
4806525168conesretinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. These detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.21
4806525169optic nervethe nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.22
4806525170blind spotthe point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye and no receptor cells are located there.23
4806525171foveathe central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster.24
4806525174Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theorythe 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.25
4806525175opponent-process theorythe 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.26
4806525176auditionthe sense or act of hearing.27
4806525177frequencythe number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second).28
4806525178pitcha tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.29
4806525179middle earthe 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.30
4806525180cochleaa coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses31
4806525181inner earthe innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.32
4806525186cochlear implanta device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.33
4806525187kinesthesisthe system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.34
4806525188vestibular sensethe sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance.35
4806525189gate-control theorythe 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.36
4806525191gestaltan organized whole. These type of psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes37
4806525193grouping rulesthe perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups (proximity, closure, etc).38
4806525194depth perceptionthe ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.39
4806525196binocular cuesdepth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.40
4806525197retinal disparitya 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.41
4806525198monocular cuesdepth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.42
4806525200perceptual constancyperceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.43
4806525204synesthesiathe controversial claim certain people can combine senses and perceive information through multiple sensations.44

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