1
Q
Transduction
A
Converting outside stimuli (light) into neural activity
2
Q
Sensation
A
When special receptors in the sense organs are activated; allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural signs in the brain
3
Q
Sensory receptors
A
Specialized form of neurons; stimulated by different kinds of energy (e.g) light for eye, vibration for ear etc
4
Q
Just noticeable difference (jnd or the difference threshold)
A
Smallest difference between two stimuli that is detectable 50% of the time
5
Q
Absolute threshold
A
Lowest level of stimulation that a person can consciously detect 50% of the time the stimulation is present
(One drop of perfume diffuses through there rooms, tick of watch 20ft away in quiet room)
6
Q
Signal detection theory
A
- Provides method for assessing accuracy of judgements/decisions under certain conditions;
- used in perception research and other areas
7
Q
Habituation
A
Tendency of brain to stop attending to constant, unchanging information (heater)
8
Q
Sensory adaption
A
Tendency of sensory receptor cells to become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging (food taste, smell)
9
Q
Photons
A
“Wave packets” (light)
10
Q
Brightness
A
How high/low wave is (the higher the wave, the brighter the light)
11
Q
Color (hue)
A
- Determined by length of waves
- short waves: blue end of visible spectrum
- longer waves: red end
12
Q
Saturation
A
- purity of color
Mixtures of wavelengths
13
Q
How light enters eye
A
- light enters (sun)
- travels through structures of eye and ends on retina as single point
- light bends as it passes through substances of different densities (process known as refraction)
14
Q
Cornea
A
- Clear membrane that covers surface of eye
- protects eye
- fixed curvature (camera without option to adjust focus)
- bends light waves so the image can be focused on retina
15
Q
Aqueous humor
A
- Fluid that continually replenishes and supplies nourishment to eye
16
Q
Pupil
A
- Iris opening that changes size depending on amount of light in environment
17
Q
Iris
A
- Round muscle that controls size of pupil
- colored part of eye
- can change size of pupil, letting more or less light into eye
- this can help focus image (like squinting)
18
Q
Lens
A
- behind iris
- changes shape to bring objects into focus
19
Q
Visual accommodation
A
Change of thickness of lens as eye focuses on objects that are far away or close
20
Q
Vitreous humor
A
Clear jelly-like fluid, nourishes/shapes eye
21
Q
Retina
A
- contains photoreceptor cells
- light sensitive area of eye containing 3 layers: ganglion cells, bipolar cells, rods and cones, special receptor cells (photoreceptors)
22
Q
Rods
A
Visual sensory receptors found at back of retina, responsible for non-color sensitivity to low levels of light
23
Q
Cones
A
Visual sensory receptors found at back of retina, responsible for color vision/sharpness of vision
24
Q
Blind spot
A
- where optic nerve leaves eye
- no photoreceptor cells
25
Dark adaption
The recovery of the eye’a sensitivity to visual stimuli in darkness after exposure to bright lights
26
Light adaption
The recovery of the eye’s sensitivity to visual stimuli in light after exposure to darkness
27
Trichromatic theory (three colors)
Red cones, blue cones, green cones
28
Original 3 corresponding colors
- short wavelength cones: blue violet (420nm)
- medium wavelength cones: green (530nm)
- long wavelength cones: green yellow (560nm)
29
Afterimages
Images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after original stimulus is removed
30
Opponent-process theory
Visual neurons are stimulated by light of one color and inhibited by light of another color
31
Color blindness
Caused by defective cones in retina
32
Hertz (Hz)
Cycles or waves per second, a measurement of frequency
| Humans limits: 20-20000
33
Pinna
Visible part of ear
34
Auditory canal
Short tunnel that runs from the pinna to the eardrum
35
Cochlea
Snail-shaped structure of inner ear that is filled with fluid
36
Auditory nerve
Bundle of axons from the hair cells in the inner ear
37
Pitch
Psychological experience of sound that corresponds to the frequency of the sound waves; higher frequencies are perceived as higher pitches
38
Place theory
Different pitches are experienced by the stimulation of hair cells in different locations on the organ of corti
39
Frequency theory
Pitch is related to speed of Vibrations the basilar membrane
40
Volley principle
Frequencies from about 400 hz to 4000 hz cause the hair cells to fire in volley pattern, or take turns in firing
41
Conduction hearing impairment
Problems with mechanics of outer or middle ear; sound vibrations cannot be passed from eardrum to cochlea
42
Nerve hearing impairment
Problem either in inner ear or or auditory pathways in cortical areas of brain; aging or loud noises can be cause
43
Gustation
Sensation of a taste
44
Taste buds
Taste receptor cells, special kinds of neurons found in mouth, responsible for gustation
45
Taste buds and papillae
Taste buds are located inside papillae of tongue, composed of small cells that send signals to brain when stimulated by molecules of food
46
The five basic tastes
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, “brothy”/umami (from glutamate)
47
Olfaction
Sensation of smell
48
Gustatory cortex
Found in front part of insula/Frontal Opercultum; involved in conscious perception of taste
49
Olfactory bulbs
Two bulb-like projections of brain located just above the sinus cavity and just below Frontal lobes that receive information from olfactory receptor cells
50
Somesthetic senses
The body senses consisting of the skin senses, the kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses and the vestibular senses
51
Pacinian corpuscles
Just beneath skin, respond to changes in pressure
52
Gate-control theory
Pain signals must pass through “gate” located in spinal cord
53
Kinesthesia
Awareness of body movement
54
Proprioception
Awareness of where body and body parts are located in relation to each other in space and to the ground
55
Vestibular sense
The awareness of the balance, position and movement of the head and body through space in relation to gravity’s pull
56
Sensory conflict theory
Explanation of motion sickness min which information from eyes conflicts with information of vestibular senses, resulting in dizziness, nausea, and other physical discomfort
57
Perception
Method by which experienced sensations are interpreted and organized in meaningful fashion
58
Size consistency
Tendency to interpret an object as always being same actual size, regardless of distance
59
Shape consistency
Tendency to interpret the shape of an object as being constant, even when it’s shape changes on retina
60
Brightness consistency
The tendency to perceive the apparent brightness of an object as the same, even when the Light conditions change
61
Figure-ground relationships
Tendency to perceive objects or figures as existing on a background
62
Proximity
A gestalt principle if perception; the tendency to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping; physical or geographical nearness
63
Similarity
Gestalt principle of perception; tendency to perceive things that look similar to each other as being part of the same group
64
Closure
Gestalt principle; tendency to complete figures that are incomplete
65
Continuity
Gestalt principle; tendency to perceive things as simply as possible with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up pattern
66
Contiguity
Gestalt principle, tendency to perceive two things that happen close together in time as being related
67
Depth perception
Ability to perceive works in three dimensions
68
Monocular cues
Cues for perceiving depth based on one eye only
69
Fovea
Central area of retina, greatest density of photoreceptors
70
Optic nerve
Sends visual information to the brain
71
Subliminal stimuli
Stimuli just below level of conscious awareness
72
Olfaction (olfactory sense)
Sensation of smell
73
Somesthetic senses
body senses consisting of skin senses, kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses and vestibular senses
74
Binocular cues
Cues for perceiving depth based on both eyes
75
Linear perspective
Monocular depth perception cue; tendency for parallel lines to appear to converge on each other
76
Relative size
Monocular depth perception clue; perception that occurs in her objects that a person expects to be a certain size appear to be small and are, therefore, assumed to be much further away
77
Overlap (interposition)
Monocular depth perception cue; The assumption that an object that appears to be blocking part of another object is in front of the second object and closer to the viewer
78
Aerial (atmospheric) perspective
Monocular depth perception cue; the haziness that surrounds objects that are farther away from viewer, causing distance to be perceived as greater
79
Monocular cues
Often referred to as pictorial depth cues, can be used to to give illusion of depth to paintings and drawings
80
Texture gradient
Tendency for textured surfaces to appear to become smaller and diner as distance from viewer increases
81
Motion parallax
Perception of motion of objects in which close objects appear to move more quickly than objects that are farther away
82
Accommodation
Brain’s use of information about the changing thickness of lens of eye in response to looking at objects that are close or far away
83
Convergence
Binocular depth perception cue; the rotation of the two eyes in their sockets to focus on a single object
84
Binocular disparity
Difference in images between the two eyes, which is greater for objects that are close and smaller for distant objects
85
Müller-Lyer Illusion
2 lines that appear to be different lengths
86
Perceptual sag
Tendency to perceive things a certain way because previous experiences or expectations influence those perceptions
87
Top-down Processing
Use of preexisting knowledge to Organize individual features into an unfinished whole
88
Bottom-up Processing
Analysis of smaller features to build up to a complete perception
Psychology
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