ap psych chapter 5/6

108854500	sensation	the process by which we detect physical energy from the environment and encode it as neural signals
108854501	perception	the process by which we select, organize, and interpret, sensory information
108854502	bottom-up processing	analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.
108854503	top-down processing	Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes
108854504	psychophysics	The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychological experience of them
108854505	absolute threshold	The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
108854506	signal detection theory	A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background noise. Detection depends on experience, expectations, motivations, and alertness
108854507	subliminal	Below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness.
108854508	difference threshold	The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time
108854509	Weber's law	The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage
108854510	sensory adaptation	Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
108854511	transduction	Conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies into neural impulses
108854512	pupil	The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
108854513	iris	A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
108854514	lens	The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
108854515	retina	The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
108854516	rods	Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond. (dim light)
108854517	cones	Receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions; detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
108854518	optic nerve	The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eyes to the brain. Comprised of the axons of retinal ganglion cells.
108854519	blind spot	The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
108854520	fovea	The central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster. images focused on it are the clearest
108854521	feature detectors	Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement. They are the basis of visual information processing
108854522	trichromatic theory	The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors (red, green, blue) which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color
108854523	opponent process theory	The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision
108854524	pitch	A tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency
108854525	frequency	The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
108854526	middle ear	The chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window
108854527	inner ear	The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs. Plays a large part in controlling balance and audition.
108854528	cochlea	A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
108854529	place theory	In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
108854530	frequency theory	In hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
108854531	conduction hearing loss	Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
108854532	sensorineural hearing loss	Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves. This is caused by aging, disease or loud noise
108854533	cochlear implant	An electronic device that converts sounds into electrical signals that stimulate the auditory nerve.
108854534	gate-control theory	The 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
108854535	sensory interaction	The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
108854536	kinesthesis	The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
108854537	vestibular sense	The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
108866528	cornea	the transparent layer forming the front of the eye.
108866529	bipolar cells	rods and cones activate these cells first
108866530	ganglion cells	bipolar cells activate these
108866531	afterimages	an impression of a vivid sensation (esp. a visual image) retained after the stimulus has ceased.
108866532	color blindness	unable to distinguish certain colors, or any colors at all
108866533	amplitude	the maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation
108866534	decibel	a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale.
108866535	ear canal	leads from the outer ear to its inner mechanics
108866536	eardrum	a membrane of the middle ear that vibrates in response to sound waves; the tympanic membrane.
108866537	oval window	a membrane-covered opening which leads from the middle ear to the vestibule of the inner ear
108866538	basilar membrane	a membrane in the cochlea that bears the organ of Corti.
108866539	hair cells	the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system
108866540	pain	physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury; people perceive it differently
108866541	four basic taste sensations	Bitter, sweet, sour, salty
108866542	chemical sense	Can distinguish thousands of different odors and flavors. Identification begins at membrane receptors on sensory cells
108866543	olfactory receptor cells	cells that detect smell located in the nose
109211468	selective attention	The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus out of all of those that we are capable of experiencing, as in the cocktail party effect
109211469	gestalt	An organized whole - gestalt psychologists emphasize our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
109211470	figure-ground	The organization of the visual field into the figure, which stands out from its surroundings, and the surroundings, or background
109211471	group	The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups. gestalt psychologists identified various principals of it.
109211472	proximity	we group nearby figures together. we see not six separate lines, but three sets of two lines
109211473	similarity	we group together figures that are similar to each other.
109211474	continuity	we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
109211475	connectedness	when something is uniformed and linked, we perceive them as a single unit
109211476	closure	we will fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object.
109211477	depth perception	The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance
109211478	visual cliff	A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals. In their experiments, Gibson and Walk found strong evidence that depth perception is at least part innate.
109211479	binocular cues	Depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes
109211480	retinal disparity	A binocular cue for perceiving depth; by comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity between the two images, the closer the object
109211481	convergence	A binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object
109211482	monocular cues	Distance cues available to either eye alone
109211483	interposition	If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer.
109211484	relative size	if we assume that two objects ore similar in size, we perceive the one that casts the smaller retinal image as farther away.
109211485	texture gradient	a gradual change from a coarse, distinct texture to a fine, indistinct texture signals increasing distance.
109211486	relative height	we perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away
109211487	relative motion	as we move, objects that are actually stable may appear to move.
109211488	linear perspective	parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, appear to converge with distance
109211489	light and shadow	nearby objects reflect more light to our eyes.
109211490	motion perspective	the ability to process a visual scene based on distance cues.
109211491	phi phenomenon	An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in succession
109211492	perceptual constancy	Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
109211493	perceptual adaptation	In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or inverted visual field. (ex: when using distorted lenses)
109211494	perceptual set	A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
109211495	extrasensory perception	The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input - said to include telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
109211496	parapsychologists	The study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis