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Sensation and Perception
Vocabulary covering important terms from Unit 3
59
Psychology
12th Grade
10/10/2012

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Term
Sensation
Definition
Process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimuli from the environment
Term
Perception
Definition
Process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Term
Bottom-up Processing
Definition
Analysis that begins with sensory receptors and ends with the brain integrating the information
Term
Top-down Processing
Definition
Higher level information processing; such as when we construct perceptions from our experiences and expectations
Term
Psychophysics
Definition
Study of relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
Term
Absolute Threshold
Definition
Minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Term
Signal Detection Theory
Definition
Prediction of how and when we detect the presence of faint stimulus (signal) against a background stimulation (noise); assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness
Term
Subliminal
Definition
Below the absolute threshold for conscious awareness
Term
Priming
Definition
The unconscious activation of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response
Term
Difference Threshold
Definition
Minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time; experienced as a just noticeable difference (jnd)
Term
Weber's Law
Definition
Principle that to be perceived as different two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum proportion (not by a constant amount)
Term
Sensory Adaptation
Definition
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Term
Transduction
Definition
Conversion of one form of energy to another; transforming stimulus energies (sight, sound, smell)into neural impulses our brains can interpret
Term
Wavelength
Definition
Distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next
Term
Hue
Definition
Color; determined by wavelength of light
Term
Intensity
Definition
Amount of energy in a wave; perceived as brightness or loudness as determined by amplitude
Term
Pupil
Definition
Adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
Term
Iris
Definition
Ring of muscle that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil
Term
Lens
Definition
Transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
Term
Retina
Definition
Light-sensitive inner surface of the ye that contains receptor rods, cones, and neuron layers that begin visual processing
Term
Accommodation
Definition
Process by which the eye's lens change shape to focus on objects that nearby or far away
Term
Rods
Definition
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision
Term
Cones
Definition
Retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and function in daylight; detect fine detail and color
Term
Optic Nerve
Definition
Nerve that carries impulses from the eye to the brain
Term
Blind Spot
Definition
Point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because there are no receptor cells there
Term
Fovea
Definition
Central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
Term
Feature Detectors
Definition
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
Term
Parallel Processing
Definition
Unconscious processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously, such as in vision
Term
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory
Definition
Upholds that the retina contains three different color receptors (blue, red, green) which can combine to produce the perception of any color
Term
Audition
Definition
Sense of hearing
Term
Frequency
Definition
Number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given amount of time
Term
Pitch
Definition
A tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency
Term
Cochlea
Definition
Coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
Term
Inner Ear
Definition
Innermost part of the ear which contains the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
Term
Place Theory
Definition
Links pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated; explains how we hear high-pitches, but not low-pitches
Term
Frequency Theory
Definition
Rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, enabling us to sense pitch; assumes the volley principle (neural cells can alternate firing to achieve a combined frequency)
Term
Conduction Hearing Loss
Definition
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Term
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Definition
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves (nerve deafness)
Term
Cochlear Implant
Definition
Device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
Term
Kinesthesis
Definition
System for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
Term
Vestibular Sense
Definition
Sense of body position and movement, including balance
Term
Gate-control Theory
Definition
Spinal cord contains a neurological gate that blocks or admits pain signals to the brain; the gate is opened by pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and closed by activity in large fibers or suppressing information coming from the brain
Term
Sensory Interaction
Definition
Principle that one sense may influence another
Term
Gestalt
Definition
Organized whole; tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Term
Figure-ground
Definition
Organization of visual field into objects (figures) that stand out from their surroundings (ground)
Term
Grouping
Definition
Perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Term
Depth Perception
Definition
Ability to see objects in three dimensions; allows us to judge distance
Term
Visual Cliff
Definition
Laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
Term
Binocular Cues
Definition
Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
Term
Retinal Disparity
Definition
Binocular cue for perceiving depth: compares images from the retinas of both eyes; the greater the disparity between the two images, the closer the object
Term
Monocular Cues
Definition
Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, that are available to either eye alone
Term
Phi Phenomenon
Definition
Illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
Term
Perceptual Constancy
Definition
Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
Term
Color Constancy
Definition
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
Term
Perceptual Adaptation
Definition
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or inverted visual field
Term
Perceptual Set
Definition
Mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
Term
Human Factors Psychology
Definition
Branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use
Term
Extrasensory Perception (ESP)
Definition
Controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition
Term
Parapsychology
Definition
Study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis
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