Psychology Ch. 5: Sensation
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| process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment | ||
| process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events | ||
| analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up the brain's integration of sensory information | ||
| information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations | ||
| minimum stimulus needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time | ||
| predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation | ||
| below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness | ||
| activation, often unconsciously, of certain association, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response | ||
| minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time | ||
| principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage | ||
| diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation | ||
| conversion of one form of energy into another. | ||
| distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next | ||
| dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; blue, green, etc. | ||
| amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness | ||
| adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters | ||
| a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening | ||
| transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina | ||
| process by which the eye's lens change shape to focus near or far objects on the retina | ||
| light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones | ||
| sharpness of vision | ||
| condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina | ||
| condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina | ||
| retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray | ||
| retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations | ||
| nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain | ||
| point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot | ||
| central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster | ||
| processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; contrasts with the step-by-step processing of most problem solving | ||
| theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- red, green, and blue | ||
| theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision | ||
| perceiving familiar objects as having consisten color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object | ||
| sense or act of hearing | ||
| number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time | ||
| tone's experienced hightness or lowness; depends on frequency | ||
| 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 | ||
| innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs | ||
| in hearing, theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated | ||
| in hearing, the theory that the rate of impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch | ||
| hearing loss caused by the damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea | ||
| hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves | ||
| device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve | ||
| theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain | ||
| principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste | ||
| system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts | ||
| sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance |