AP Psychology terminology for sensation and perception
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| 6531651 | Sensation | the raw data of experience; sensory stimulation; example are eyes only register light energy and ears only register wave energy | |
| 6531652 | difference threshold | Just Noticeable Difference (JND); the smallest change in stimulation that you can detect 50% of the time; differs from one person to the other (and from moment to moment); tells us the flexibility of sensory systems | |
| 6531653 | perception | the mental process of sorting, identifying, and arranging raw sensory data into meaningful patterns; Ex. how we distinguish between music and crying, how we take light and form a tree | |
| 6531654 | Weber's law | developed the 1930s by Ernst Weber; the principle that accounts for how one notices JND for any cents by noticing a fraction or proportion of a stimulus; change necessary for JND-hearing 0.3%, taste 20%, weight 2% | |
| 6531655 | Cornea | transparent protective coating over the front of the eye | |
| 6531656 | Pupil | small opening in the center of the iris; color part of the eye | |
| 6531657 | Adaptation | process by which our senses adjust to different levels of stimulation; in addition there are two types-light and dark; the sensitivity of rods and cones change accord how much light is available | |
| 6531658 | Iris | the color part of the eye; made of muscle that contracts/relaxes to control the size of the people allowing light to enter the eye | |
| 6531659 | Lens | transparent part of the eye behind the iris; focuses light on the retina; change shape to focus on objects;-if object is closed, muscles attach to the land contract to make lens around,-if object is far away, the muscles pull to flatten the lens | |
| 6531660 | Rods | visual receptor cell; located in retina; 120 million in each eye; respond to varying degrees of light and dark; chiefly responsible for night vision and perception of brightness | |
| 6531661 | Retina | the light-sensitive inner lining of the back of the eyeball; contains receptor cells | |
| 6531662 | Cones | visual receptor cells; located in retina; 8 million in each eye; works best in bright light; chiefly responsible for viewing color; greatest density in the fovea | |
| 6531663 | Fovea | located on retina, directly behind lens; is a depressed spot; Center a visual field; images are sharpest here; contains mostly cones | |
| 6531664 | bipolar cells | specialize neuron located in the eye; as one dendrite and one axon; connects rods/cones to ganglion cells | |
| 6531665 | light | electromagnetic energy; eyes are sensitive to this energy | |
| 6531666 | visual acuity | the ability to distinguish fine details; acuity-Greek word for sharp | |
| 6531667 | wavelengths | physical energy | |
| 6531668 | dark adaptation | process by which rods and cones become more sensitive to light in lower levels of light; maximum sensitivity is achieved in 30 minutes; in dark, there is not enough energy to see colors, therefore only see black, white, gray | |
| 6531669 | light adaptation | process by which rods and cones become less sensitive to light in increased levels of light; takes approximately 1 minute to adjust | |
| 6531670 | optic chiasm | located near the base of the brain; point where some the fibers in the optic nerve crossover to the other side of the brain | |
| 6531671 | afterimage | sensory experience that occurs after a visual experience has been removed; when eyes adjust to stimulation (or lack of) but they do not completely adjust/adapt | |
| 6531672 | hue | color, or aspects of colors; most people can name 150 | |
| 6531673 | ganglion cells | neurons that connect the bipolar cells to the optic nerve; an interneuron; one million in each eye; summarizes and organizes data from rods/cones and sends it to the brain | |
| 6531674 | saturation | how rich or vivid a color is, deep/saturated | |
| 6531675 | optic nerve | bundle of axons from ganglion cells that carries no messages from the eye to the brain | |
| 6531676 | brightness | how bright or dark a color is; based on the strength of light entering your eyes | |
| 6531677 | blind spot | place on the retina out where the ganglion cells axons leads the eye; no receptors fantasy rods/cones) are located here | |
| 6531678 | additive color mixing | mixing light waves to create new hues privacy colors) | |
| 6531679 | subtractive color mixing | mixing of pigments to create hues; depending on the pigment, light may be absorbed or reflected | |
| 6531680 | dichromats | people who only see two of the three primary colors; blind to read-green or blue-yellow; colorblind individuals | |
| 6531681 | trichromatic theory | created by Hermann von Helmholtz; theory of color vision based on additive color mixing; suggest that the retina contains three types of color receptors, cones: red, green, blue | |
| 6531682 | opponent-process theory | created by Edward Hering; alternative theory used to explain after images; suggest that the retina contains three pairs color receptors or cones-yellow-blue, red-green, black-white; pairs work in opposition | |
| 6531683 | colorblindness | inability to see certain color combinations: red-green or blue-yellow; 10% are male and 1% are female | |
| 6531684 | sound | brains interpretation to changes in air pressure purposely soundwaves) as it passes through the ear | |
| 6531685 | trichromats | individuals with normal color vision | |
| 6531686 | soundwaves | changes in air pressure caused when the molecules of air or fluid collide with one another and move apart again | |
| 6531687 | monochromats | individuals who see no color at all; respond only to shades of light and dark; very rare | |
| 6531688 | ossicles | the middle ear; contains the hammer, anvil, and stirrup which are the smallest three bones the body; when the eardrum quivers it causes the hammer, anvil, and stirrup to hit each other in sequence, then carry the vibrations to the inner ear; stirrup catch the oval window | |
| 6531689 | frequency | the number of cycles per second in a soundwaves; the primary determinant of page; expressed in hertz (Hz) unit | |
| 6531690 | Hertz (Hz) | unit that measures frequency a soundwaves or cycles per second | |
| 6531691 | Timbre | the quality or texture of sound; caused by overtones | |
| 6531692 | Pitch | auditory experience corresponding to the frequency of sound vibrations, resulting in a higher or lower tone; humans respond to 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz | |
| 6531693 | absolute threshold | minimal amount of energy required to produce any sensation; taste-1 g salt and 500 L of water, smell-one draw perfume in a three room apartment, touch-wing of the bee at 1 cm, hearing-pick of the watch 20 feet in a quiet room, vision-candle flame 30 miles on a clear night | |
| 6531694 | Hammer, anvil, and stirrup | middle ear; free tiniest bones in the body; quivering of eardrum causes these bounds to hate in sequence and carry vibrations to the oval window | |
| 6531695 | amplitude | the magnitude of the way; combined with frequency, it determines loudness; measured in decibels | |
| 6531696 | oval window | membrane between the middle and inner ear; attach to stirrup of middle ear and cochlea of the inner ear; since vibrations to the cochlea | |
| 6531697 | decibel (dB) | unit of measurement; measures loudness | |
| 6531698 | round window | located just below the oval window; equalize pressure in the inner ear | |
| 6531699 | overtones | tones that result from soundwaves that are multiples of the basic town; primary determinant of timbre; created by musical instruments | |
| 6531700 | cochlea | snail-shaped structure in the inner ear; contains fluid that vibrate; attach the oval window and basilar membrane | |
| 6531701 | basilar membrane | part of the inner ear; divides the cochlea lengthwise; stiff near the oval window but becomes flexible by the other end; as the fluid in the cochlea begins to move, the basilar membrane ripples in response | |
| 6531702 | volley principle | a modified or refined frequency theory; suggest that the auditory neurons fire in the sequence increasing to a rapid series of impulses; the complete pattern corresponds to the frequency of a soundwave | |
| 6531703 | organ of Corti | part of the inner ear; structure on service and basilar membrane that connects thousands of tiny hair cells (receptor cells) for hearing; each hair is taught by fibers that push and pull the vibrations of the basilar membrane and brain pools the information | |
| 6531704 | olfactory epithelium | patch of tissue in nasal cavity that contains receptor cells | |
| 6531705 | auditory nerve | bundle of axons from the organ of Corti to the brain | |
| 6531706 | olfactory bulb | axons of olfactory epithelium connects to olfactory bulb, which is considered the smell center of the brain; olfactory bulb records messages and send them to the temporal lobe and brain core | |
| 6531707 | Place theory | one unto basic views of pitch discrimination; brain determines pitch by the place on the basilar membrane with the messages strongest; the highest frequency sounds cause the greatest vibrations at the stiff base of the basilar membrane | |
| 6531708 | pheromones | often considered a nonfunctional relic of human past; it animals, it provides information about another animals identity or status (i.e. stress); secreted by glands or in urine that has effects on other animals behavior; stimulates vomeronasal organ (VNO); colorless molecules | |
| 6531709 | vomeronasal organ (VNO) | located in the root of the nasal cavity; stimulated by pheromones; sends messages to a second olfactory bulb (and animals) that is designed to enter their mobile communication; activates hypothalamus and amygdala; dismissed as nonfunctional in humans | |
| 6531710 | taste buds | receptor cells onsides, depth, and back of tongue; pairs with smell to determine flavors; recognizes for basic taste qualities: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter; adults have 10,000 but they decrease with age; research looking at umami<-- sensitivity to MSG and proteins | |
| 6531711 | vestibular sense | sense of equilibrium-orientation and/or position in space; originates in inner ear-movement of fluid in the semicircular canals relays messages about speed and direction of body rotation | |
| 6531712 | papillae | small bulbs on tongue that contain taste buds; the eye and replace every seven days | |
| 6531713 | semicircular canals | three circular-like canals attached to the cochlea their relays messages about speed and direction of body rotation (vestibular sense) | |
| 6531714 | kinesthetic senses | sense of muscle movement, posture, and strain on muscles/joints; provides information on speed and direction of movement; works with vestibular sense | |
| 6531715 | vestibular sacs | two sacks in the inner ear by the semicircular canals that since gravitation forward, backward, and vertical movement | |
| 6531716 | stretch receptors | works with kinesthetic senses; specialized nerve endings that are attached to muscle fibers that sense of muscle stretches and contractions | |
| 6531717 | gate control theory | theory of pain sensitivity; suggest that there is a "neurological gate" in spinal cord that controls transmission of pain impulses to the brain; individual differences vary the control of the gate | |
| 6531718 | golgi tendon organs | works with kinesthetic senses; specialized nerve endings attached to tendon (attaches muscles and bones) and sense movement | |
| 6531719 | placebo effect | pain relief that occurs when a person believes that a pill or procedure will reduce pain; most likely caused by endorphin release | |
| 6531720 | figure/ground | a gestalt-like illusion; an illusion where a figure of merges from the background (ground) using perceptual cues | |
| 6531721 | shape constancy | tendency to see an object as the same shape no matter the angle it is viewed from; example-closed door collusion | |
| 6531722 | brightness constancy | tendency to see an object | |
| 6531723 | feature detectors | specialized brain cells that respond to particular elements such as movement or lines; discovered by David Hubel and Torsten Weisel | |
| 6531724 | color constancy | tendency to perceive familiar objects as a color despite changes in sensory information; example-blue under fluorescent lights but not so blue and natural light--> it is still blue | |
| 6531725 | perceptual constancy | tendency to see/perceive objects as stable and unchanging; example-a white house is still white no matter the elimination or angle | |
| 6531726 | binocular cues | visual messages/cues that only require one eye | |
| 6531727 | size constancy | the perception of an object as the same size regardless of the distance from which it is viewed; example someone height | |
| 6531728 | binoculars cues | visual messages/cues that require the use of two eyes | |
| 6531729 | superposition | an object appears closer because the images superimposed on the top of the other image; example-one card laying on top of another card | |
| 6531730 | shadowing | illusion that gives depth to spherical objects to give it a three-dimensional quality | |
| 6531731 | linear perspective | binocular cue; used to cue distance in depth by allowing two parallel lines to come together at a horizon | |
| 6531732 | motion parallex | binocular distance cubed; objects close to you seem to move in the direction opposite from the way in which your head is moving; objects far away seem to move in the same direction; example-when you're driving in the car | |
| 6531733 | aerial perspective | binocular cue; just distance and death; distant objects appear hazy and blurred | |
| 6531734 | stereoscopic vision | combination of two retinal images to give a 3-D perceptual experience | |
| 6531735 | elevation | suggestion of depth because one object is appreciatively smaller; vestibular | |
| 6531736 | retinal disparity | binocular distance cue; based on the overlay of two retinal fields when both eyes focus on one object | |
| 6531737 | texture gradient | binocular cue; judges distance and death in the objects in the foreground are large and clear but distant objects are smooth and less textured | |
| 6531738 | convergence | binoculars cue; visual depth cue; muscles controlling eye movement as the eyes turned inward to view a nearby stimulus | |
| 6531739 | monaural cues | cues sound location that requires just one ear | |
| 6531740 | binaural cues | cues sound location that requires both ears | |
| 6531741 | autokinetic illusion | illusion of apparent movement; when a stationary object is perceived to move | |
| 6531742 | stroboscopic motion | illusion of apparent movement; result from flashing a series of still pictures in rapid succession; example-motion picture | |
| 6531743 | phi phenomenon | illusion of apparent movement; caused by flashing lights in the sequence; example-neon lights | |
| 6531744 | physical illusion | optical phenomenon; illusion produced by reflection of light into hot air; example-mirage | |
| 6531745 | perceptual illusion | illusion due to misleading cues in stimuli; inaccurate or impossible perceptions |
