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Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception
Discovering Psychology, 5th edition, Hockenbury&Hockenbury
82
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
07/08/2012

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Term
Sensation
Definition
Refers to the detection and basic sensory experience of environmental stimuli, such as sounds, images and odors. The process of detecting a physical stimulus such as light, sound, heat ot pressure. All sensation is a result of the stimulation of sensory receptors by some form of energy.
Term
Perception
Definition

Occurs when we integrate, organize or interpret sensory information i a way that is meaningful.

The process of integrating, organizing, and interpriting sensations.

Term
Sensory Receptors
Definition

Specialized cells unique to each sense organ that respond to a particular form of sensory stimulation.

They convert the different forms of physical energy into electrical impulses that are transmitted via neurons to the brain.

Term
Transduction
Definition
The process by which a form of physical energy is converted into a coded neural signal that can be processed by the nervous system.
Term
Absolute Threshold
Definition

The smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected *half the time*.

The minimum level of stimulation that can be detected varied from person to person and study to study.

Term
Subliminal Perception
Definition

The detection of stimuli that are below the threshold of conscious perception or awareness.

Can still evoke a brain response.

Term
Mere Exposure Effect
Definition
The well-documented finding that repeated exposure to a particular stimulus leads to increased liking for that stimulus.
Term
Difference Threshold
Definition

The smallest possible difference between tow stimuli that can be detected *half of the time*.

Also called the "just noticible difference" (jnd).

Term
Weber's Law
Definition
A principle of sensation that holds that the size of the just noticible difference will vary depending on it's relation to the strength of the original stimulus.
Term
Sensory Adaptation
Definition
The decline in sensitivity to a constant stimulus.
Term
Wavelength
Definition
The distance from one wave peak to another.
Term
Cornea
Definition
A clear membrane covering the visible part of the eye that helps gather and direct incoming light.
Term
Pupil
Definition
The opening in the middle of the iris that changes size to let in different amounts of light.
Term
Iris
Definition
The colored part of the eye, which is the muscle that controls the size of the pupil.
Term
Lens
Definition
A transparent structure located behind the pupil that actively focuses, or bends, light as it enters the eye.
Term
Accomodation
Definition
The process by which the lens changes shape to focus incoming light so that it falls on the retina.
Term
Retina
Definition
A thin, light-sensitive membrane located at the back of the eye that contains the sensory receptors for vision.
Term
Rods
Definition
The long, thin, blunt sensory receptors of the eye that are highly sensitive to light, but not to color, and that are primarily responsible for peripheral vision and night vision.
Term
Cones
Definition
The short, thick, pointed sensory receptors of the eye that detect color and are responsible for color vision and visual acuity.
Term
Fovea
Definition
A small area in the center of the retina, composed entirely of cones, where visual information is most sharply focused.
Term
Optic Disk
Definition
Area of the retina without rods or cones, where the optic nerve exits the back of the eye.
Term
Blind Spot
Definition
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, producing a small gap in the field of vision.
Term
Ganglion Cells
Definition
In the retina, the specialized neurons that connect to the bipolar cells; the bundled axons of the ganglion cells form the optic nerve.
Term
Bipolar Cells
Definition
In the retina, the specialized neurons that connect the rods and cones with the ganglion cells.
Term
Optic Nerve
Definition
The thick nerve that exits from the back of the eye and carries visual information to the visual cortex in the brain.
Term
Optic Chiasm
Definition
Point in the brain where the optic nerve fibers from each eye meet and partly cross over to the opposite side of the brain.
Term
Color
Definition
The perceptual experience of different wavelengths of light, involving hue, saturation (purity), and brightness (intensity).
Term
Hue
Definition
The property of wavelengths of light known as color; different wavelenghts correspond to our subjective experience of different colors.
Term
Saturation
Definition
The property of color that corresponds to the purity of the lightwave.
Term
Brightness
Definition
The perceived intensity of a color, which corresponds to the amplitude of the lightwave.
Term

Trichromatic Theory

of Color Vision

Definition
The theory that the sensation of color results because cones in the retina are especially sensitive to red light (long wavelengths), green light (medium wavelengths), or blue light (short wavelengths).
Term
Color Blindness
Definition
One of several inherited forms of color deficiency or weakness in which an individual cannot distinguish between certain colors.
Term
Afterimage
Definition
A visual experience that occurs after the original source of stimulation is no longer present.
Term

Opponent-Process

Theory of Color Vision

Definition
The theory that color vision is the product of opposing pairs of color receptors, red/green, blue/yellow, black/white; when one member of a color pair is stimulated, the other member is inhibited.
Term
Audition
Definition
The technical term for the sense of hearing.
Term
Loudness
Definition
The intensity (or amplitude) of a sound wave, measured in decibels.
Term
Amplitude
Definition
The intensity or amount of energy of a wave, reflected in the height of the wave; the amlitude of a sound wave determines a sound's loudness.
Term
Decibel
Definition
The unit of measurement for loudness.
Term
Pitch
Definition
The relative highness or lowness of a sound, determined by the frequency of a sound wave.
Term
Frequency
Definition
The rate of vibration, or the number of sound waves per second.
Term
Timbre
Definition
The distinctive quality of a sound, determined by the complexity of the sundwave. (How we can tell the difference between the same note on a piano versus a violin)
Term
Outer Ear
Definition
The part of the ear that collects sound waves; consists of the pinna, the ear canal, and the ear drum.
Term
Eardrum
Definition
A tightly stretched membrane at the end of the ear canal that vibrates when hit by sound waves.
Term
Middle Ear
Definition
The part of the ear that amplifies sound waves; consists of three small bones: the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup.
Term
Inner Ear
Definition
The part of the ear where sound is tranduced onto neural impulses; consists of the cochlea and semicircular canals.
Term
Cochlea
Definition
The coiled, fluid-filled inner ear structure that contains the basilar and hair cells.
Term
Basilar Membrane
Definition
The membrane within the cochlea of the ear that contains the hair cells.
Term
Hair Cells
Definition
The hair-like sensory receptors for sound, which are embedded in the basilar membrane of the cochlea.
Term
Frequency Theory
Definition
The view that the basilar membrane vibrates at the same frequency as the sound wave.
Term
Place Theory
Definition
The view that different frequencies cause larger vibrations at different locations along the basilar membrane.
Term
Olfaction
Definition
Technical name for the sense of smell.
Term
Gustation
Definition
Technical name for the sense of taste.
Term
Olfactory Bulb
Definition
The enlarged ending of the olfactory cortex at the front of the brain where the sensation of smell is registered.
Term
Pheromones
Definition
Chemical signals released by an animal that communicate information and affect the behavior of other animals of the same species.
Term
Taste Buds
Definition
Specialized sensory receptors for taste that are located on the tongue and inside the mouth and throat.
Term
Pain
Definition
The unpleasant sensation of physical discomfort or suffering that can occur in varying degrees of intensity.
Term
Nociceptors
Definition
Specialized sensory receptors for pain that are found in the skin, muscles, and internal organs.
Term
Substance P
Definition
A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain. 
Term
Gate-Control Theory of Pain
Definition
The theory that pain is a product of both physiological and psychological factors that cause spinal gates to open and relay patterns of intense stimulation to the brain, which percieves them as pain.
Term
Kinesthetic Sense
Definition
The technical name for the sense of location and position of body parts in relation to one another.
Term
Proprioceptors
Definition
Sensory receptors, located in the muscles and joints, that provide information about body position and movement. 
Term
Vestibular Sense
Definition
The technical name for the sense of balance, or equilibrium.
Term

Bottom-Up

Processing

Definition
Information processing that emphasizes the importance on the sensory receptors in detecting the basic features of a stimulus in the process of recognizing a whole pattern; analysis that moves from the parts to the whole; also called "data driven processing".
Term

Top-Down

Processing

Definition
Information processing that emphasizes the importance of the observers knowledge, expectations, and other cognitive processes in arriving at meaningful perceptions; analysis that moves from the whole to the parts; also called "conceptually driven processing".
Term
Max Wertheimer
Definition

1880-1943

Arguing that the whole is always greater than the sum of it's parts, founded Gestalt Psychology. He and other Gestalt Psychologists began by studying the principle of perception, but later extended their approach to other areas of psychology.

Term
Gestalt Psychology
Definition
A school of psychology founded in Germany in the early 1900's that maintained that our sensations are actively processed according to consistent perceptual rules that result in meaningful whole perceptions, or "gestalts".
Term

Figure-Ground

Relationship

Definition
A gestalt principle of perceptual organization that states we automatically seperate the elements of a perception into the feature that clearly stands out (the figure) and it's less distinct background (the ground).
Term

ESP

Extrasensory Perception

Definition
Perception of information by some means other than through the normal process of sensation.
Term
Parapsychology
Definition
The scientific investigation of claims of paranormal phenomena and abilities. 
Term
Depth Perception
Definition
The use of visual cues to percieve the distance or three-dimensional characteristics of objects. 
Term
Monocular Cues
Definition
Distance or depth cues that can be processed by either eye alone.
Term
Binocular Cues
Definition
Distance or depth cues that require the use of both eyes.
Term
Perceptual Constancy
Definition
The tendency to percieve objects, especially familiar objects, as constant and unchanging despite changes in sensory imput.
Term
Size Constancy
Definition
The perception of an object as maintaining the same size despite changing images on the retina.
Term
Shape Constancy
Definition
The perception of a familiar object as maintaining the same shape regardless of the image produced on the retina.
Term
Perceptual Illusion
Definition
The misperception of the true characteristics of an object or an image. 
Term

Muller-Lyer

Illusion

Definition
A famous visual illusion involving the misperception of the identical length of two lines, one with arrows pointing inward, one with arrows pointed outward. 
Term
Moon Illusion
Definition
A visual illusion involving the misperception that the moon is larger when it is on the horizon than when it is directly overhead. 
Term
Perceptual Set
Definition
The tendency to percieve objects or situations from a particular frame of reference. 
Term
Biofeedback
Definition
A technique that involves using auditory or visual feedback to learn to exert voluntary control over involuntary body functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow, and muscle tension.
Term
Accupuncture
Definition
Ancient Chinese medical procedure involving the insertion and manipulation of fine needles into specific locations on the body to alleviate pain and treat illness; modern accupuncture may involve sending electrical current through the needles rather than manipulating them.
Term
Karl Duncker
Definition
Gestalt psychiatrist. Studied Induced Motion.
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