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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
5396391281sensationthe process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.0
5396391283bottom-up processinganalysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.1
5396391284top-down processinginformation processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.2
5396391285selective attentionthe focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.3
5396391286inattentional blindnessfailing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.4
5396391287change blindnessfailing to notice changes in the environment.5
5396391288absolute thresholdthe minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.6
5396391289signal 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.7
5396391291difference thresholdthe minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. Also called the just noticeable difference (jnd).8
5396391293sensory adaptationdiminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.9
5396391294transductionconversion 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.10
5396391295wavelengththe 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.11
5396391296huethe dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth.12
5396391297intensitythe amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude.13

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