Chapter 3: Sensation And Perception

Front 1

sensation

Back 1

the process of detecting a physical stimulus, such as light, sound, heat, or pressure.

Front 2

Perception

Back 2

the process of integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensations.

Front 3

sensory receptors

Back 3

specialized cells unique to each sense organ that respond to a particular form of sensory stimulation.

Front 4

transduction

Back 4

the process by which a form of physical energy is converted into a coded neuronal signal that can be processed by the nervous system.

Front 5

absolute threshold

Back 5

the smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected half the time.

Front 6

Subliminal perception

Back 6

the detection of stimuli that are below the threshold of conscious awareness; non-conscious perception

Front 7

mere exposure effect

Back 7

the finding that repeated exposure to a stimulus increases a person's preference for that stimulus.

Front 8

Difference threshold

Back 8

the smallest possible difference between two stimuli that can be detected half the time; also called just noticeable difference.

Front 9

Weber's law

Back 9

the principle of sensation that holds that the size of the just noticeable difference will vary depending on its relation to the strength of the original stimulus.

Front 10

Sensory adaptation

Back 10

the decline and sensitivity to a constant stimulus. An example being a strong odor such as garlic being able to smell it for a few seconds and then not being able to smell after a few seconds is an example of sensory adaptation.

Front 11

Cornea

Back 11

a clear membrane covering the visible part of the eye that helps gather and direct incoming light.

Front 12

Pupil

Back 12

the opening in the middle of the iris that changes size to let different amounts of light in.

Front 13

lens

Back 13

a transparent structure located behind the pupil that actively focuses, or bends, light as it enters the eye.

Front 14

Iris

Back 14

the colored part of the eye, which is the muscle that controls the size of the pupil.

Front 15

Accommodation

Back 15

the process by which the lens changes shape to focus incoming light so that it falls on the retina.

Front 16

Retina

Back 16

a thin, light sensitive membrane located at the back of the eye that contains the sensory receptors for vision.

Front 17

Rods

Back 17

the long, thin, blunt sensory receptors of the eye that are highly sensitive to light, but not to color, and that are primarily responsible for peripheral vision and night vision.

Front 18

Cones

Back 18

the short, thick, pointed sensory receptors of the eye that detect color and are responsible for color vision and visual acuity.

Front 19

Fovea

Back 19

a small area in the center of the retina, composed entirely of cones, where visual information is most sharply focused.

Front 20

Optic disc

Back 20

area of the red now without riser columns, where the optic nerve exits of the back of the eye.

Front 21

Blind spot

Back 21

the point at which the optic nerve leaves that leaves the eye, producing a small gap in the field of vision.

Front 22

ganglion cells

Back 22

in the retina, the specialized neurons that connect to the bipolar cells; the bundled axons of the ganglion cells form the optic nerve.

Front 23

Bipolar cells

Back 23

in the retina, the specialized neurons that connect the rods and the cones with the ganglion cells.

Front 24

Optic nerve

Back 24

the thick nerve that exits from the back of the eye and carries visual information to the visual cortex in the brain.

Front 25

Optic chiasm

Back 25

point in the brain where the optic nerve fibers from eye meet and partly cross over to the opposite side of the brain.

Front 26

color

Back 26

the perceptual experience of different wavelengths of light, involving hue, saturation, and brightness.

Front 27

saturation

Back 27

the property of color that corresponds to the purity of the lightwave

Front 28

brightness

Back 28

the perceived intensity of a color, which corresponds to the amplitude of the lightwave.

Front 29

Trichromatic theory of color vision

Back 29

the theory that the sensation of color results because cones in the retina are especially sensitive to red light green light or blue light.

Front 30

Color blindness

Back 30

one of several inherited forms of color deficiency or weakness in which an individual cannot distinguish between certain colors.

Front 31

Opponent process theory of color vision

Back 31

the theory that light color vision is a product of opposing pairs of color receptors, red – green, blue – yellow, and black – white;when one member of a color pair is stimulated the other member is inhibited.

Front 32

Audition

Back 32

the technical term for the sense of hearing

Front 33

loudness

Back 33

the intensity (or amplitude) of a sound wave, measured in decibels.

Front 34

Amplitude

Back 34

the intensity or amount of energy of a wave, reflected in the height of a wave; the amplitude of a sound wave determines a sounds loudness.

Front 35

Decibel

Back 35

the unit of measurement for loudness.

Front 36

Pitch

Back 36

the relative highness or lowness of a sound, determined by the frequency of a sound wave.

Front 37

Frequency

Back 37

the rate of vibration, or the number of sound waves per second.

Front 38

Timbre

Back 38

the distinctive quality of a sound, determined by the complexity of the sound wave

Front 39

eardrum

Back 39

a tightly stretched membrane at the end of the ear canal that vibrates when hit by soundwaves.

Front 40

Middle ear

Back 40

the part of the year that amplifies sound waves; consists of three small bones: the hammer, the end bill, and the stirrup

Front 41

inner ear

Back 41

the part of the year were sound is transduced into neural impulses; consists of the cochlea and semicircular canals.

Front 42

Cochlea

Back 42

the coiled, fluid – filled inner ear structure that contains the basilar membrane and hair cells

Front 43

basilar membrane

Back 43

the membrane within the cochlea of the ear that contains the hair cells

Front 44

hair cells

Back 44

the hairlike sensory receptors for sound, which are embedded in the basilar membrane of the cochlea

Front 45

olfaction

Back 45

technical name for the sense of smell

Front 46

Gustation

Back 46

technical name for the sense of taste

Front 47

olfactory bulb

Back 47

the enlarged ending of the olfactory cortex at the front of the brain where the sensation of smell is registered

Front 48

pheromones

Back 48

chemical signals released by an animal that communicate information and affect the behavior of other animals of the same species.

Front 49

Tastebuds

Back 49

the specialized sensory receptors for taste that are located on the tongue and inside the mouth and throat

Front 50

pain

Back 50

the unpleasant sensation physical discomfort or suffering that can occur in varying degrees of intensity

Front 51

nociceptors

Back 51

specialized sensory receptors for pain and that are found in the skin, muscles, and internal organs

Front 52

substance P

Back 52

a neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain

Front 53

gate – control theory of pain

Back 53

the theory that pain is a product of both physiological and psychological factors that cause spinal Gates to open and relay patterns of intense stimulation to the brain, which perceive them as pain

Front 54

kinesthetic sense

Back 54

the technical name for the sense of location and position of body parts in relation to one another

Front 55

proprioceptors

Back 55

sensory receptors, located in the muscles and joints, that provide information about body position and movements

Front 56

bottom-up processing

Back 56

information processing that emphasizes the importance of the sensory receptors in detecting the basic features of a stimulus in the process of recognizing a whole pattern; analysis that moves from the parts to the whole; also called data driven processing

Front 57

top-down processing

Back 57

information processing that emphasizes the importance of the observer's knowledge, expectations, and other cognitive processes in arriving at meaningful perceptions ; analysis that moves from the whole to the parts; also called conceptially driven processes.

Front 58

Gestalt psychology

Back 58

a school psychology founded in Germany in the early 1900s that maintain her at her sensations are actively processed according to consistent perceptual rules that result in meaningful whole perceptions

Front 59

figure – ground relationship

Back 59

a gestalt principle of perceptional organization that states that we automatically separate the elements of a perception into the feature that clearly stands out and it's less distinct background

Front 60

extrasensory perception

Back 60

perception of information by some means other than through the normal processes of sensation

Front 61

parapsychology

Back 61

the scientific investigation of claims of paranormal phenomena and abilities

Front 62

depth perception

Back 62

the use of visual cues to perceive the distance of three-dimensional characteristics of objects

Front 63

monocular cues

Back 63

distance or depth cues and that can be processed by either eye alone

Front 64

binocular cues

Back 64

distance or depth cues of it require the use of both eyes

Front 65

perceptual constancy

Back 65

the tendency to perceive objects, especially familiar objects, as constant and unchanging despite changes in sensory input

Front 66

size constancy

Back 66

the perception of an object as maintaining the same size despite changing images on the retina

Front 67

shape constancy

Back 67

the perception of a familiar object as maintaining the same shape regardless of the image produced on the retina

Front 68

perceptual illusion

Back 68

the misperception of the true characteristics of an object or an image

Front 69

muller-lyer illusion

Back 69

a famous visual illusion involving the misperception of the identical length of two lines, one with arrows pointed inward, one with arrows pointed outward

Front 70

moon illusion

Back 70

a visual illusion involving the misperception that the moon is larger when it is on the horizon and when it is directly overhead