AP Psychology terminology for sensation and perception
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| 10390377157 | Sensation | the raw data of experience; sensory stimulation; example are eyes only register light energy and ears only register wave energy |  | 0 |
| 10390377158 | 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 |  | 1 |
| 10390377159 | 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 | 2 | |
| 10390377160 | 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% |  | 3 |
| 10390377161 | Cornea | transparent protective coating over the front of the eye |  | 4 |
| 10390377162 | Pupil | small opening in the center of the iris; color part of the eye |  | 5 |
| 10390377163 | 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 | 6 | |
| 10390377164 | 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 |  | 7 |
| 10390377165 | 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 |  | 8 |
| 10390377166 | 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 |  | 9 |
| 10390377167 | Retina | the light-sensitive inner lining of the back of the eyeball; contains receptor cells |  | 10 |
| 10390377168 | 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 |  | 11 |
| 10390377169 | Fovea | located on retina, directly behind lens; is a depressed spot; Center a visual field; images are sharpest here; contains mostly cones |  | 12 |
| 10390377170 | bipolar cells | specialize neuron located in the eye; as one dendrite and one axon; connects rods/cones to ganglion cells | 13 | |
| 10390377171 | light | electromagnetic energy; eyes are sensitive to this energy |  | 14 |
| 10390377172 | visual acuity | the ability to distinguish fine details; acuity-Greek word for sharp |  | 15 |
| 10390377173 | wavelengths | physical energy | 16 | |
| 10390377174 | 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 | 17 | |
| 10390377175 | light adaptation | process by which rods and cones become less sensitive to light in increased levels of light; takes approximately 1 minute to adjust | 18 | |
| 10390377176 | 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 |  | 19 |
| 10390377177 | 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 |  | 20 |
| 10390377178 | hue | color, or aspects of colors; most people can name 150 |  | 21 |
| 10390377179 | 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 | 22 | |
| 10390377180 | saturation | how rich or vivid a color is, deep/saturated | 23 | |
| 10390377181 | optic nerve | bundle of axons from ganglion cells that carries no messages from the eye to the brain |  | 24 |
| 10390377182 | brightness | how bright or dark a color is; based on the strength of light entering your eyes |  | 25 |
| 10390377183 | blind spot | place on the retina out where the ganglion cells axons leads the eye; no receptors fantasy rods/cones) are located here |  | 26 |
| 10390377184 | additive color mixing | mixing light waves to create new hues privacy colors) |  | 27 |
| 10390377185 | subtractive color mixing | mixing of pigments to create hues; depending on the pigment, light may be absorbed or reflected |  | 28 |
| 10390377186 | dichromats | people who only see two of the three primary colors; blind to read-green or blue-yellow; colorblind individuals |  | 29 |
| 10390377187 | 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 |  | 30 |
| 10390377188 | 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 |  | 31 |
| 10390377189 | colorblindness | inability to see certain color combinations: red-green or blue-yellow; 10% are male and 1% are female |  | 32 |
| 10390377190 | sound | brains interpretation to changes in air pressure purposely soundwaves) as it passes through the ear |  | 33 |
| 10390377191 | trichromats | individuals with normal color vision |  | 34 |
| 10390377192 | soundwaves | changes in air pressure caused when the molecules of air or fluid collide with one another and move apart again |  | 35 |
| 10390377193 | monochromats | individuals who see no color at all; respond only to shades of light and dark; very rare |  | 36 |
| 10390377194 | 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 |  | 37 |
| 10390377195 | frequency | the number of cycles per second in a soundwaves; the primary determinant of page; expressed in hertz (Hz) unit |  | 38 |
| 10390377196 | Hertz (Hz) | unit that measures frequency a soundwaves or cycles per second |  | 39 |
| 10390377197 | Timbre | the quality or texture of sound; caused by overtones | 40 | |
| 10390377198 | 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 | 41 | |
| 10390377199 | 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 |  | 42 |
| 10390377200 | 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 |  | 43 |
| 10390377201 | amplitude | the magnitude of the way; combined with frequency, it determines loudness; measured in decibels |  | 44 |
| 10390377202 | 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 |  | 45 |
| 10390377203 | decibel (dB) | unit of measurement; measures loudness |  | 46 |
| 10390377204 | round window | located just below the oval window; equalize pressure in the inner ear |  | 47 |
| 10390377205 | overtones | tones that result from soundwaves that are multiples of the basic town; primary determinant of timbre; created by musical instruments | 48 | |
| 10390377206 | cochlea | snail-shaped structure in the inner ear; contains fluid that vibrate; attach the oval window and basilar membrane |  | 49 |
| 10390377207 | 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 |  | 50 |
| 10390377208 | 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 | 51 | |
| 10390377209 | 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 |  | 52 |
| 10390377210 | olfactory epithelium | patch of tissue in nasal cavity that contains receptor cells | 53 | |
| 10390377211 | auditory nerve | bundle of axons from the organ of Corti to the brain |  | 54 |
| 10390377212 | 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 |  | 55 |
| 10390377213 | 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 | 56 | |
| 10390377214 | 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 |  | 57 |
| 10390377215 | 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 |  | 58 |
| 10390377216 | 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 |  | 59 |
| 10390377217 | 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 |  | 60 |
| 10390377218 | papillae | small bulbs on tongue that contain taste buds; the eye and replace every seven days |  | 61 |
| 10390377219 | semicircular canals | three circular-like canals attached to the cochlea their relays messages about speed and direction of body rotation (vestibular sense) |  | 62 |
| 10390377220 | kinesthetic senses | sense of muscle movement, posture, and strain on muscles/joints; provides information on speed and direction of movement; works with vestibular sense |  | 63 |
| 10390377221 | vestibular sacs | two sacks in the inner ear by the semicircular canals that since gravitation forward, backward, and vertical movement |  | 64 |
| 10390377222 | stretch receptors | works with kinesthetic senses; specialized nerve endings that are attached to muscle fibers that sense of muscle stretches and contractions | 65 | |
| 10390377223 | 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 | 66 | |
| 10390377224 | golgi tendon organs | works with kinesthetic senses; specialized nerve endings attached to tendon (attaches muscles and bones) and sense movement | 67 | |
| 10390377225 | placebo effect | pain relief that occurs when a person believes that a pill or procedure will reduce pain; most likely caused by endorphin release |  | 68 |
| 10390377226 | figure/ground | a gestalt-like illusion; an illusion where a figure of merges from the background (ground) using perceptual cues |  | 69 |
| 10390377227 | shape constancy | tendency to see an object as the same shape no matter the angle it is viewed from; example-closed door collusion |  | 70 |
| 10390377228 | brightness constancy | tendency to see an object | 71 | |
| 10390377229 | feature detectors | specialized brain cells that respond to particular elements such as movement or lines; discovered by David Hubel and Torsten Weisel | 72 | |
| 10390377230 | 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 |  | 73 |
| 10390377231 | perceptual constancy | tendency to see/perceive objects as stable and unchanging; example-a white house is still white no matter the elimination or angle | 74 | |
| 10390377232 | monocular cues | visual messages/cues that only require one eye |  | 75 |
| 10390377233 | size constancy | the perception of an object as the same size regardless of the distance from which it is viewed; example someone height |  | 76 |
| 10390377234 | binoculars cues | visual messages/cues that require the use of two eyes |  | 77 |
| 10390377235 | 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 | 78 | |
| 10390377236 | shadowing | illusion that gives depth to spherical objects to give it a three-dimensional quality | 79 | |
| 10390377237 | linear perspective | binocular cue; used to cue distance in depth by allowing two parallel lines to come together at a horizon |  | 80 |
| 10390377238 | 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 |  | 81 |
| 10390377239 | aerial perspective | binocular cue; distance and depth; distant objects appear hazy and blurred |  | 82 |
| 10390377240 | stereoscopic vision | combination of two retinal images to give a 3-D perceptual experience | 83 | |
| 10390377241 | elevation | suggestion of depth because one object is appreciatively smaller; vestibular | 84 | |
| 10390377242 | retinal disparity | binocular distance cue; based on the overlay of two retinal fields when both eyes focus on one object | 85 | |
| 10390377243 | texture gradient | binocular cue; judges distance and depth in the objects in the foreground are large and clear but distant objects are smooth and less textured |  | 86 |
| 10390377244 | convergence | binoculars cue; visual depth cue; muscles controlling eye movement as the eyes turned inward to view a nearby stimulus | 87 | |
| 10390377245 | monaural cues | cues sound location that requires just one ear |  | 88 |
| 10390377246 | binaural cues | cues sound location that requires both ears |  | 89 |
| 10390377247 | autokinetic illusion | illusion of apparent movement; when a stationary object is perceived to move |  | 90 |
| 10390377248 | stroboscopic motion | illusion of apparent movement; result from flashing a series of still pictures in rapid succession; example-motion picture |  | 91 |
| 10390377249 | phi phenomenon | illusion of apparent movement; caused by flashing lights in the sequence; example-neon lights |  | 92 |
| 10390377250 | physical illusion | optical phenomenon; illusion produced by reflection of light into hot air; example-mirage | 93 | |
| 10390377251 | perceptual illusion | illusion due to misleading cues in stimuli; inaccurate or impossible perceptions |  | 94 |
