AP Psych Modules 16, 18, 20-21

Cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlea trigger nerve impulses.

Cochlea Implant

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.

iris

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Pitch

a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness.

Conduction Hearing Loss

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Place Theory

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.

Frequency Theory

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch.

Embodied Cognition

in psychological science, the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states of cognitive preferences and judgments.

feature detectors

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shapes, angles, or movement

cones

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well lit conditions. the _____ detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones dont respond

blind spot

te point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a ____ because no receptor cells are located there

pupil

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

intensity

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we percive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude

fovea

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

Middle ear

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window.

hue

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light, what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

wavelength

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic ________ vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission

Inner Ear

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.

retina

the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

optic nerve

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (i.e. per second).

Sensory Interaction

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.

accomadation

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

Vestibular Sense

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance.

Audition

the sense or act of hearing.

Kinethesia

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.

opponent process theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. for example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

3 color theory

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Gate-Control Theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is close by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.

lens

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina