AP PSYCH UNIT 3

Intensity is to brightness as wavelength is to

hue.

Supercell clusters

Teams of cells that fire in response to complex patterns, such as the human face.

the cocktail party effect

The ability to pay attention to only one voice at a time.

sensation

The detection and encoding of stimulus energies by the nervous system.

Accommodation refers to the

process by which the lens changes shape to focus images on the retina.

The receptor cells that convert light energy into neural signals are called

rods and cones.

Opponent-process cells have been located in the

thalamus.

According to the opponent-process theory, cells that are stimulated by exposure to ________ light are inhibited by exposure to ________ light.

yellow; blue

A subliminal message is

a message that is presented below one's absolute threshold for awareness.

The area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye is called the

blind spot

People who demonstrate blindsight have most likely suffered damage to their

visual cortex.

A perceptual set is a

. mental predisposition that influences what we perceive.

a biopsychosocial approach

An integrated understanding of perception in terms of our sensory capacities, cultural contexts, and Gestalt principles

top-down processing

As the text notes, "Once we have formed a wrong idea about reality, we have more difficulty seeing the truth."

sensory adaptation

Diminished sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus.

absolute threshold

The minimum amount of stimulation a person needs to detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time.

transduction

The process by which our sensory systems convert stimulus energies into neural messages.

perception

The process by which we select, organize, and interpret sensory information in order to recognize meaningful objects.

parapsychology

The study of phenomena such as clairvoyance and telepathy

signal detection theory

Theory that emphasizes that personal expectations and motivations influence the level of absolute thresholds.

Evidence that some cones are especially sensitive to red light, others to green light, and still others to blue light is most directly supportive of the ________ theory.

Young-Helmholtz

While a man provided directions to a construction worker, two experimenters rudely interrupted by passing between them carrying a door. The student's failure to notice that the construction worker was replaced by a different person during this interruption illustrates

a. gate-control theory b. change blindness B

In University of Utah driving-simulation experiments, students conversing on cell phones were slower to detect and respond to traffic signals. This best illustrates

a. selective attention b. gate-control theory A

Which of the following is the correct order of structures light passes through in the eye?

cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina

Weber's law is relevant to an understanding of

difference thresholds.

The amount of light entering the eye is regulated by the

iris

The greatest difficulty facing contemporary parapsychology is the

lack of a reproducible ESP phenomenon.

The feature detectors identified by Hubel and Weisel respond to specific aspects of ________ stimulation.

visual