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49 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
sensation
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the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
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perception
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the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
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bottom-up processing
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analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
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top-down processing
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information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
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psychophysics
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the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them
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absolute threshold
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the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
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signal detection theory
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a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus ("signal") amid background stimulation ("noise"). Assumes that there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation and level of fatigue
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subliminal
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below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
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difference threshold (aka just noticeable difference/ jnd)
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the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference.
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Weber's law
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the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
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sensory adaptation
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diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
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transduction
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conversion of one form of energy into another; in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies into neural impulses
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wavelength
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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
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hue
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the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green and so forth
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intensity
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the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude
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pupil
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the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
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iris
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a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
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lens
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the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
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accommodation
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the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
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retina
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the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
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acuity
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the sharpness of vision
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nearsightedness
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a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina
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farsightedness
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a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina
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robs
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retinal receptors that detect black, white and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
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cones
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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 sensations
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optic nerve
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the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
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blind spot
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the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
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fovea
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the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
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feature detectors
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nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle or movement
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parallel processing
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the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision; contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computer and of conscious problem solving
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Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory
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the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue - which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color
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opponent-process theory
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the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
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color constancy
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perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
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audition
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the sense of hearing
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frequency
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the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a give time
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pitch
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a tone's highest or lowness; depends on frequency
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middle ear
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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
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inner ear
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the innermost part of the ear containing the cochlea, semicircular canals and vestibular sacs
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cochlea
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a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
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place theory
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in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
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frequency theory
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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
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conduction hearing loss
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hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
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sensorineural hearing loss (aka nerve deafness)
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hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves
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prosopagnosia
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the inability to recognize faces due to damage to the brain
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blindsight
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blindness in part of the field of vision caused by damage to the brain's visual cortex from surgery or stroke
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gate-control theory
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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
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sensory interaction
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the principle that one sense many influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
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kinesthesis
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the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
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vestibular sense
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the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
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