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Sensation and Perception
Vision and the eye
13
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
10/22/2007

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Cards

Term
Sensation
Definition
simple experience associated with a stimulus; meaningless (raw data)
Term
perception
Definition
how a sensation is interpretted; meaningful (processed data)
Term
Chain of sensation
Definition
1. physical stimulus impinges upon organism
2. physiological response to physical stimulus
3. sensory experience
Term
cornea
Definition
thin film that covers and protects the eye; also focuses most light
Term
pupil
Definition
hole in the eye that lets light in
Term
iris
Definition
muscle that has ability to make pupil bigger or smaller; provides eye color
Term
lens
Definition
focuses light more; changes shape to adjust to focal length; hardens with age
Term
retina
Definition
photographic film of the eye; detects light and transmits info about light to the brain
Term
photoreceptors
Definition
light sensitive cells that cause transduction (conversion of physical energy into a nueral signal); 2 types- rods and cones
Term
rods
Definition
part of photorecptor; extremely sensitive to light because of rhodopsin (their photochemical)

have poor visual acuity (ability to discriminate fine patterns) because of greater nueral convergence
Term
cones
Definition
type of photoreceptor; photochemical is much less sensitive to light; 3 kinds of photochemicals which are responsible for color vision

has good visual acuity because of less nueral convergence
Term
path of light from the eye to the brain
Definition
light is initially focused through the lens, enters the eye through the pupil (whose size is controlled by the iris), and is again focused by the lense. From here light travels to the retina, where it hits photoreceptors (either rods or cones, depending on brightness of light). Light causes the photochemicals in these photoreptors to "break," and this physical change is converted into a nueral signal. This nueral signal is transmitted through bipolar cells to the retinal ganglion cells, whoses axons form the optical nerve. The optical nerve forms synapses in the thalamus, which then sends the signal to the visual cortex (occipital lobe), which creates the sensory experience
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