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Ch.4 Psych
Chapter 4 Vocabulary Terms
47
Psychology
12th Grade
09/19/2008

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Term
Absolute threshold
Definition
the level of sensory stimulation necessary for sensation to occur
Term
Adaptation
Definition
the gradual loss of attention to unneeded or unwanted sensory information
Term
Sensation
Definition
the process of receiving information from the environment
Term
Perception
Definition
the process of assembling and organizing sensory information to make it meaningful
Term
White light
Definition
light as it originates from the sun or a bulb before it is broken into different frequencies
Term
Cornea
Definition
clear outer covering of the eye, behind which is a fluid
Term
Iris
Definition
a colored circular muscle that opens and closes, forming larger and smaller circles to
control the amount of light getting into the eye
Term
Lens
Definition
the part of the eye that focuses an image on the retina
Term
Pupil
Definition
the opening in the eye
Term
Retina
Definition
back of the eye which contains millions of receptors for light
Term
Blind spot
Definition
the portion of the retina through which the optic nerve exits and where there
are not receptors for light waves
Term
Rod
Definition
a visual receptor most sensitive to the violet-purple wavelengths; very sensitive for
night vision; “sees” only black and white
Term
Cone
Definition
a visual receptor that responds during daylight; “sees” color
Term
Color blindness
Definition
inability to perceive certain colors, such as red and green
Term
Afterimage
Definition
image that remains after stimulation of the retina has ended. Cones not used
fire to bring the visual system back in balance.
Term
Subliminal perception
Definition
stimulation presented below the level of consciousness
Term
Audition
Definition
the sense of hearing
Term
Pitch
Definition
how high or low a sound is
Term
Timbre
Definition
the complexity of a sound
Term
Intensity
Definition
how loud a sound is
Term
Decibels
Definition
a measure of how loud a sound is (its intensity
Term
Eardrum
Definition
a piece of skin stretched over the entrance to the ear; vibrates to sound
Term
Cochlea
Definition
a snail-shaped part of the ear, filled with fluid and small hairs that vibrate to
incoming sound
Term
Hair cells
Definition
receptor cells for hearing found in the cochlea
Term
Cilia
Definition
hair-like extensions on cells
Term
Auditory nerve
Definition
bundle of nerves carrying sound to the brain
Term
Cutaneous receptors
Definition
nerve receptors in the skin that respond to pressure, temperature, or
pain
Term
Olfaction
Definition
sense of smell
Term
Olfactory bulbs
Definition
units that receive odor molecules and communicate their nature to the
brain
Term
Pheromones
Definition
odor chemicals that communicate a message
Term
Taste receptors
Definition
chemical receptors on the tongue that decode molecules of food or drink to
identify them
Term
Size constancy
Definition
the ability to retain the size of an object regardless of where it is located
Term
Color constancy
Definition
the ability to perceive an object as the same color regardless of the
environment
Term
Brightness constancy
Definition
the ability to keep an object’s brightness constant as the object is
moved to various environments
Term
Shape constancy
Definition
the ability to perceive an object as having the same shape regardless of
the angle at which it is seen
Term
Space constancy
Definition
the ability to keep objects in the environment steady by perceiving either
ourselves or outside objects as moving
Term
Depth perception
Definition
the ability to see the relation of objects in space
Term
Visual cliff
Definition
an apparatus used to demonstrate depth perception
Term
Retinal disparity
Definition
the difference between the images provided by the two retinas. When the
images are brought together in the brain, they provide a sense of depth.
Term
Texture gradient
Definition
how rough or smooth objects appear; used in depth perception
Term
Gestalt
Definition
an organized whole, shape, or form
Term
Similarity
Definition
a perceptual cue that involves grouping like things together
Term
Proximity
Definition
a perceptual cue that involves grouping together things that are near one
another
Term
Closure
Definition
the process of filling in the missing details of what is viewed
Term
Illusions
Definition
inaccurate perceptions
Term
Muller-Lyer illusion
Definition
illusion in which one line in a picture with two equal-length lines
seems longer
Term
Reversible figure
Definition
illusion in which the same object is seen as two alternating figures—first
one, then the other
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