Psych AP Sensation and Perception
cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
bitter
potentially poisonous
middle ear
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea, containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window
accommodation
the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
sour
potentially toxic
umami
proteins to grown and repair tissue
cones
retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensation
rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
priming
the activation, often unconsciously,of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response
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 perceive 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
blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
Weber's law
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)
sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
trichromatic theory
the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors, one most sensitive to red, one to green, and one to blue. which when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color.
lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
olfactory cells
5 million receptors like neurons, scents bind to the cells
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
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation. Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness
pitch
a tone's experienced highness or lowness, depends on frequency
gestalt
an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
subliminal
below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
transduction
conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret
binocular cues
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sweet
energy source
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
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.
top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
basilar membrane
membrane in the cochlea which contains receptor cells, called hair cells. The movement of the hair cells changes the sound from movement and vibrations into electrical energy.
salty
sodium essential to physiological processes
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 wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
inner ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea
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 info
difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
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
parellel processing
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of info processing for many fuctions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving
audition
the sense or act of hearing
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
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.
closure
we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object.
proximity
we group nearby figures together
similarity
we group similar figures together
continuity
we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones