UCSD Psychology 1
Sensation allows us to?
gather information from the external world, while perception allows us to make sense of that info
myelin sheath
glial cells that help speed signal transmission
Retina
membrane on the back of the eye, where the light is focused.
lateralization
some functions are only processed by one hemisphere
synaptic cleft
space between two neurons where neurotransmitter is released
symmetry
symmetrical things are grouped
parietal lobe
that part of the cerebral cortex in either hemisphere of the brain lying below the crown of the head
parasympathetic
rest or digest
depth perception
Ability to see spatial relations in 3D, despite 2D images on the retina
Aphasias
Broca's and Wernicke's
Autonomic nervous system
Carries signals the CNs and organs/ glands that regulate the involuntary actions and the body's internal state
Parts of the eye
Pupil, Iris, cornea, Lens, retina, Fovea
Perception
The brains interpretation of raw sensory input
Absolute Threshold
The lowest level of a stimulus that we can detect 50% of the time
Sensory Adaptation
a stimulus is strongest when we first sense it, after that sense declines in strength
Peripheral Nervous System
autonomic and somatic
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
somatic nervous system
carries signals between the CNS and muscles in the body that control movement
ganglion cells
carry visual information from the eye to the brain
glial cells
cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons. form myelin and the blood brain barrier
cell body
central regions of cell
motion parallax
closer objects appear to move faster than distinct objects
interposition
closer objects occlude distant ones
iris
colored part of the muscle that controls the pupil
motor neurons
connects between the brain and muscle - motor functions
interneurons
connects other neurons/ processes information received and connects to other neurons
good continuation
continues things are grouped
axons
delivers signals to other cells
synesthesia
describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound")
binocular disparity
difference in the location of an object between the images on the left and right eyes
Lens
disc that focuses light on the back of the eye
closure
gaps in border are ignored to form a whole
severance of the corpus callosum
done to people with severe epilepsy
axon terminals
end of axons where signal is released
Hyperopia
farsighted: light focuses too late
sympathetic
fight or flight
figure ground
foreground is grouped
central nervous system is separated into how many lobes?
four
lobes the the central nervous system
frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe
Pupil
hole that allows light into the eye
Opponent Proces theory of color
idea that we perceive things are red OR green OR blue OR yellow OR light OR dark so there must be colors that inhibit each other
temporal lobe
important for auditory sensation, understanding language and storing autobiographical memory
occipital lobe
important for vision Wernicke's are
synapse
junctions between two communication neurons
Wernicke's aphasia
inability to comprehend speech
Broca's Aphasia
inability to produce speech
frontal lobe
involved in motion and higher order cognition
additive color mixing
mixing of colored light which in turn gets darker
subtractive color mixing
mixing of pigment which in turn absorb more light and gets darker
texture gradient
more distant textures appear less detailed
myopia
nearsighted: focuses too soon
height in plane
objects far away seem higher
autonomic
parasympathetic and sympathetic
cornea
outside covering that helps focus light
linear perspective
parallel lines converge at a distance
proximity
physically close things are grouped
top down processing
process driven primarily by concepts, beliefs or expectations
bottom up processing
processing driven primarily by sensory input
Gestalt principles of grouping
proximity, similarity, good continuation, closure, symmetry, figure grounds, common motion
sensory neurons
pull in sensory information and send it to the brain. pick up signals and trasmit
dendrites
receive outside signal
Cones
sense bright light and color
Rods
sense dim light
light and shadow
shadow cue, 3D shapes, shape from shading
similarity
similar things are grouped
trichromatic theory of vision
the idea that color is based on three primary colors- blue green and red
Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment/ The detection of physical energy by sense organs. Cells in the eye, nose, ear, skin and tongue
Just noticeable difference
the smallest change we can sense stimulus intensity
common motion
things that move together are grouped