AP Psychology- Unit 3- Sensation & Perception Flashcards

Terms from unit on sensation and perception in AP Psychology. (Chapters 5 & 6 in Myers 7e)

512198455	Sensation	the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.
512198456	Perception	the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information; enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.
512198457	Bottom-up processing	analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.
512198458	Top-down processing	information processing guided by higher-level mental process, as when we construct perceptions drawing out our experience and expectation.
512198459	Absolute threshold	the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.
512198460	Signal detection theory	a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimuli ("signal") amid background stimulation ("noise"). Assume that there is no single absolute threshold and that focuses more on the processing of briefly stored information. (e.g. what determines a "hit", "miss," "false alarm" or "correct rejection")
512198461	Difference threshold	the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (also called just noticeable difference or JND.)
512198462	Subliminal Sensation	detection of stimuli below absolute threshold
512198463	Weber's law	the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount).
512198464	Sensory Adaptation	diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.
512198465	Transduction	conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies into neural impulses.
512198466	Wavelength	the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.
512198467	Hue	the dimension of color that is determine by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth.
512198468	Pupil	the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.
512198469	Iris	a ring of muscle tissue that forms the color portions of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.
512198470	Lens	the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.
512198471	Accommodation	the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.
512198472	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.
512198473	Acuity	the sharpness of vision.
512198474	Nearsightedness	a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus right in front of the retina.
512198475	Farsightedness	the condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly that near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina.
512198476	Rods	retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond.
512198477	Cones	receptors cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine details and give rise to color sensation.
512198478	Optic nerve	the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
512198479	Blind spot	the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye; no receptors cells are located there. Creates a gap in our vision that is "filled" by the brain.
512198480	Fovea	the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster.
512198481	Feature detectors	nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimuli, such as shape, angle, or movement.
512198482	Parallel processing	the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrast with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.
512198483	Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic theory	the theory that the retina contains three different colors receptors-one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue-which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color.
512198484	Opponent-Process theory	the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision; useful for explaining the phenomenon of "after-images"
512198485	Color constancy	perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the objects.
512198486	Audition	the sense of hearing
512198487	Frequency	the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time.
512198488	Middle ear	the 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.
512198489	Inner ear	the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
512198490	Cochlea	a coiled bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.
512198491	Place Theory	in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.
512198492	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.
512198493	Gate-Control theory	the theory that the spinal cord contains neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is open by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming form the brain.
512198494	Kinesthesis	the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts; enabled by feedback from proprioceptors (which provide info about the movement of muscles, tendons, joints)
512198495	Vestibular sense	the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance; enabled by feedback from semicircular canals in inner ear
512198496	basilar membrane	area within the cochlea where hair cells are located
512198498	gestalt	a perceptual whole; derived from German word meaning "form" or "whole"
512198499	selective attention	ability to attend to only a limited amount of sensory information at one time
512198501	figure-ground	A gestalt perceptual phenomenon; the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
512198502	grouping	the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
512198507	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
512198508	visual cliff	laboratory device for testing depth perception among infants and young animals; its use demonstrated that, among most species, animals have the ability to perceive depth by the time they are mobile
512198509	binocular cues	depth cues that require the combined input of both eyes
512198510	monocular cues	depth cues that only require input from one eye; often used in 2D art to create illusion of depth
512198512	convergence	a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the more the eyes strain to turn inwards to view an object, the closer the object is (note: only a factor at close ranges)
512198515	interposition	monocular cue for depth perception; if one object partially blocks our view of another object, we perceive it as closer
512198518	relative motion	monocular cue for depth perception; as we move, stationary objects seem to "move" as well. Objects above a fixation point move "with" us, objects below the fixation point move "past" us.
512198521	phi phenomenon	an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in rapid succession
512198522	stroboscopic movement	the brain's perception of continuous movement in a rapid series of slightly varying images; this is how we perceive motion in film and animation
512198523	perceptual constancy	perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change
512198524	perceptual adaptation	the ability to adjust to an altered perceptual reality; in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or inverted visual field (as when wearing visual displacement goggles).
512198525	perceptual set	mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another (for example, due to suggestion or expectations based on prior learning)
512198526	human factors psychology	Branch of psychology that explores how people & machines interact and how physical environment can be adapted to human behaviors
512198527	extrasensory perception (ESP)	the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
512198528	parapsychology	the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis
512198532	visual capture	the phenomenon that occurs when vision overtakes some other, conflicting sensory input
512296998	retinal disparity	a binocular cue for perceiving depth; by comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the close the object
512296999	Inattentional Blindness	failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
512297000	cochlear implant	a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
512297001	Sensorineural Hearing Loss	hearing loss due to failure of the auditory nerve
512297002	Conduction Hearing Loss	hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
512297003	Decibels	measure of loudness of sound
512297004	Pitch	the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
512297005	Intensity	the magnitude of sound (usually in a specified direction)
512297006	Priming	the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response
512297007	Psychophysics	the branch of psychology concerned with quantitative relations between physical stimuli and their psychological effects