AP Psychology (Myers) Unit 4

Frequency

The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

Sensory Interaction

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

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 closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Cochlea

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

Cochlear Implant

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

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

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

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

Inner Ear

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

Vestibular Sense

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

Audition

The sense or act of hearing

Kinesthesis

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