Understanding Psychology Chapter 8
Simplicity
We see the simplest shapes possible, part of the Gestalt Principles.
Kinesthesis
the sense of movement and body position
Sensation
what occurs when a stimulus activates a receptor
Lens
a flexible, transparent structure in the eye that changes its shape to focus light on the retina.
Subliminal Messages
brief auditory or visual messages that are presented below the absolute threshold.
Retina
the innermost coating of the back of the eye, containing the light-sensitive receptor cells.
Difference Threshold
the smallest change in a physical stimulus that can be detected between two stimuli.
Illusion
perceptions that misrepresent physical stimuli.
Retinal Disparity
the differences between the images stimulating each eye.
Psychophysics
the study of the relationships between sensory experiences and the physical stimuli that cause them.
Closure
When we see a familiar pattern or shape with some missing parts, we fill in the gaps. Part of the Gestalt Principles.
Weber's Law
the principle that the larger or stronger a stimulus, the larger the change required for an observer to notice a difference.
Signal-detection theory
the study of people's tendencies to make correct judgements in detecting the presence of stimuli.
Vestibular System
three semicircular canals that provide the sense of balance, located in the inner ear and connected to the brain by a nerve.
Optic Nerve
the nerve that carries impulses from the retina to the brain.
Absolute Threshold
the weakest amount of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time.
Continuity
We tend to see continuous patterns not disrupted ones, part of the Gestalt Principle.
Pupil
the opening in the iris that regulates the amount of light entering the eye.
Perception
the organization of sensory information into meaningful experiences
Constancy
the tendency to perceive certain objects in the same way regardless of changing angle, distance or lighting.
Proximity
When we see a number of similar objects, we tend to perceive them as groups or sets of those that are close to each other, part of Gestalt Principles.
Olfactory Nerve
the nerve that carries smell impulses form the nose to the brain.
Gestalt
the experience that comes from organizing bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes.
Auditory Nerve
the nerve that carries impulses from the inner ear to the brain, resulting in the sensation of sound.
Similarity
When similar and dissimilar objects are mingled, we see the similar objects as groups, part of Gestalt Principles.
Binocular Fusion
the process of combining the images received from the two eyes into a single, fused image.
Motion Parallax
the apparent movement of stationary objects relative to one another that occurs when the observer changes position.
ESP
(extrasensory perception) an ability to gain information by some means other than the ordinary senses.