Sensation (AP Psychology) Flashcards

6086463133	Sensation	The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.	0
6086463134	Perception	The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.	1
6086466164	Bottom-Up Processing	analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information	2
6086466165	Top-Down Processing	information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations	3
6086470584	Psychophysics	the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them	4
6086472230	Absolute Threshold	the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time	5
6086472231	Difference Threshold	also called the jnd; smallest distinction between two stimuli that can consistently be detected	6
6086474967	Signal Detection Theory	a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.	7
6086474968	Weber's Law	(difference threshold) The change needed is proportional to the original intensity of the stimulus. (5% for sound, 8% vision)	8
6086477469	Sensory Adaptation	diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation	9
6086477470	Transduction	Conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.	10
6086477471	Wavelength	Horizontal distance between the crests or between the troughs of two adjacent waves	11
6086480759	Hue	A particular shade of a given color	12
6086480760	Intensity	The brightness of a light.	13
6086482251	Pupil	The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.	14
6086482252	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.	15
6086482253	Lens	The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.	16
6086485399	Accommodation	The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.	17
6086485400	Retina	Contains sensory receptors that process visual information and sends it to the brain	18
6086487455	Acuity	sharpness	19
6086487456	Nearsightedness	A condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina	20
6086488858	Farsightedness	a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina	21
6086488859	Rods	Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond.	22
6086488860	Cones	Color vision	23
6086491465	Fovea	The central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster.	24
6086493740	Blind Spot	the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there	25
6086497600	Feature Detectors	nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement	26
6086499329	Parallel Processing	The processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.	27
6086501945	Trichromatic Theory	Visual theory, stated by Young and Helmholtz that all colors can be made by mixing the three basic colors: red, green, and blue; a.k.a the Young-Helmholtz theory.	28
6086505749	Opponent Process Theory	The theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green	29
6086510046	Audition	the sense of hearing	30
6086515391	Place Theory	in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated	31
6086517799	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	32
6086517800	Conduction Hearing Loss	hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea	33
6086519946	Nerve Hearing Loss	Sensorineural: hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerve, caused by aging or prolonged exposure to loud noises	34
6086521860	Gate Control Theory	Peripheral nerve fibers can have their input modified at the spinal cord level before transmission to the brain. This is the basis of many pain intervention strategies, especially nonpharmacologic interventions.	35
6086521861	Kinethesis	sense of balance and of one's physical position	36
6086525316	Vestibular Sense	the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance	37
6086528880	ear drum	tympanic membrane	38
6086528881	auditory canal	the area that sound waves pass through to reach the eardrum	39
6086537555	occicles	Malleus, incus and stapes - series of bones that connect the eardrum to the oval window.	40
6086537556	semicircular canals	three canals within the inner ear that contain specialized receptor cells that generate nerve impulses with body movement	41
6086546893	vestibular nerve	nerve that conducts impulses related to maintaining balance to the brain	42
6086550776	cochlear nerve	Sends auditory information to the brain	43
6086552843	cochlea	A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses	44
6086554800	tympanic cavity	middle ear	45
6086562768	cornea	The clear tissue that covers the front of the eye	46