Discovering Psychology 4Th Edition - Chapter 3

Front 1

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

Back 1

sensation

Front 2

The process of integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensations

Back 2

perception

Front 3

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

Back 3

sensory receptors

Front 4

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

Back 4

transduction

Front 5

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

Back 5

absolute threshold

Front 6

The smallest possible difference between two stimuli that can be detected half the time.

Back 6

difference threshold

Front 7

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

Back 7

Weber's law

Front 8

The perception of stimuli that are below the threshold of conscious awareness.

Back 8

subliminal perception

Front 9

The decline in sensitivity to a constant stimulus.

Back 9

sensory adaptation

Front 10

the distance from one wave peak to another.

Back 10

wavelength

Front 11

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

Back 11

cornea

Front 12

The white portion of the eye.

Back 12

sclera

Front 13

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

Back 13

pupil

Front 14

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

Back 14

iris

Front 15

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

Back 15

lens

Front 16

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

Back 16

accommodation

Front 17

Abnormality in the shape of the eye causing distant objects to appear blurry.

Back 17

myopia

Front 18

Abnormality in the shape of the eye causing objects near the eyes to appear blurry.

Back 18

hyperopia

Front 19

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

Back 19

retina

Front 20

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.

Back 20

rods

Front 21

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

Back 21

cones

Front 22

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

Back 22

fovea

Front 23

Area of the retina without rods or cones, where the optic nerve exits the back of the eye.

Back 23

optic disk

Front 24

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

Back 24

blind spot

Front 25

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

Back 25

ganglion cells

Front 26

Photoreceptor which adapts slowly to bright light.

Back 26

rods

Front 27

Photoreceptor which reacts quickly to bright light.

Back 27

cones

Front 28

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

Back 28

bipolar cells

Front 29

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

Back 29

optic nerve

Front 30

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

Back 30

optic chiasm

Front 31

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

Back 31

color

Front 32

The property of wavelengths of light known as color; different wavelengths correspond to our subjective experience of different colors.

Back 32

hue

Front 33

The property of color that corresponds to the purity of the light wave.

Back 33

saturation

Front 34

The perceived intensity of a color, which corresponds to the amplitude of the light wave.

Back 34

brightness

Front 35

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

Back 35

trichromatic theory of color vision

Front 36

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

Back 36

color blindness

Front 37

A visual experience that occurs after the original source of stimulation is no longer present.

Back 37

afterimage

Front 38

The theory that color vision is the 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.

Back 38

opponent-process theory of color vision

Front 39

The technical term for the sense of hearing.

Back 39

audition

Front 40

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

Back 40

loudness

Front 41

The unit of measurement for loudness.

Back 41

decibel

Front 42

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

Back 42

pitch

Front 43

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

Back 43

timbre

Front 44

The part of the ear that collects sound waves; consists of the pinna, the ear canal, and the eardrum.

Back 44

outer ear

Front 45

A tightly stretched membrane at the end of the ear canal that vibrates when hit by sound waves.

Back 45

eardrum

Front 46

The part of the ear that amplifies sound waves; consists of three small bones: the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup.

Back 46

middle ear

Front 47

The part of the ear where sound is transduced into neural impulses; consists of the cochlea and semicircular canals.

Back 47

inner ear

Front 48

The coiled, fluid-filled inner ear structure that contains the basilar membrane and hair cells.

Back 48

cochlea

Front 49

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

Back 49

basilar membrane

Front 50

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

Back 50

hair cells

Front 51

Technical name for the sense of smell.

Back 51

olfaction

Front 52

Technical name for the sense of taste.

Back 52

gustation

Front 53

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

Back 53

pheromones

Front 54

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

Back 54

olfactory bulb

Front 55

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

Back 55

taste buds

Front 56

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

Back 56

pain

Front 57

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

Back 57

nociceptors

Front 58

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

Back 58

substance p

Front 59

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 perceives them as pain.

Back 59

gate control theory of pain

Front 60

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

Back 60

kinesthetic sense

Front 61

Sensory receptors, located in the muscles and joints, that provide information about body position and movement.

Back 61

proprioceptors

Front 62

The technical name for the sense of balance, or equilibrium.

Back 62

vestibular sense

Front 63

Information processing that emphasizes the importance of sensory receptors in detecting the basic features of a stimulus in the process of recognizing a whole pattern.

Back 63

bottom-up processing

Front 64

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 conceptually driven processing.

Back 64

top-down processing

Front 65

A school of psychology founded in Germany in the early 1900s that maintained that our sensations are actively processed according to consistent perceptual rules that result in meaningful whole perceptions, or gestalts.

Back 65

Gestalt psychology

Front 66

A gestalt principle of perceptual organization that states that we automatically separate the elements of perception into the feature that clearly stands out (the figure) and its less distinct background (the ground).

Back 66

figure-ground relationship

Front 67

Perception of information by some means other than through the normal process of sensation.

Back 67

ESP (extrasensory perception)

Front 68

The scientific investigation of claims of paranormal phenomena and abilities.

Back 68

parapsychology

Front 69

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

Back 69

depth perception

Front 70

Distance or depth cues that can be processed by either eye alone.

Back 70

monocular cues

Front 71

Distance or depth cues that require the use of both eyes.

Back 71

binocular cues

Front 72

The tendency to perceive objects, especially familiar objects, as constant and unchanging despite changes in sensory inputs.

Back 72

perceptual constancy

Front 73

The perception of an object as maintaining its size despite changing images on the retina.

Back 73

size constancy

Front 74

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

Back 74

shape constancy

Front 75

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

Back 75

perceptual illusion

Front 76

A famous visual illusion involving the perception of the identical length of two lines, one with arrows pointed inward, one with arrows pointed outward.

Back 76

Muller-Lyer illusion

Front 77

A visual illusion involving the misperception that the moon is larger when it is on the horizon than when it is directly overhead.

Back 77

moon illusion

Front 78

The influence of prior assumptions and expectations on perceptual interpretations.

Back 78

perceptual set

Front 79

German Gestalt psychologist who is best known for his studies on the perception of motion; also studied the perception of pain and the effects of past experience on perception; immigrated to the United States in 1938.

Back 79

Karl Duncker

Front 80

German psychologist who founded Gestalt psychology in the early 1900s, immigrated to the United States in 1933, studied the optical illusion of apparent movement, and described the principles of perception.

Back 80

Max Wertheimer

Front 81

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

Back 81

nociceptors

Front 82

A condition characterized by a partial or complete loss of the sense of smell.

Back 82

anosmia

Front 83

The body's natural painkillers that are procuced in many parts of the brain and body.

Back 83

endorphins and enkephalins

Front 84

A taste category that involves the distinctive taste of monosodium glutamate, aged cheeses, mushrooms, seaweed, and protien rich foods such as meat

Back 84

umami

Front 85

A phenomenon in which a person continues to experience intense painful sensations in a limb that has been amputated.

Back 85

phantom limb pain

Front 86

Myelinated nociceptors involved in the fast pain system that transmit sharp, intense, but short lived pain signals, immediately following a surgery.

Back 86

A-delta fibers

Front 87

law that states when several perceptual organizations are possible, the perceptual interpretation that will occur will be the one that produces the best, simplest, and most stable shape.

Back 87

law of Pragnanz

Front 88

Monocular cue that suggests that faraway objects appear hazy or slightly blurred.

Back 88

arial perspective

Front 89

Gestalt principle of organization that refers to the tendency to percieve objects that are close to one another as a unit or figure.

Back 89

law of proximity

Front 90

Binocular cue that relies on the fact that our eyes are set a couple of inches apart and thus cast slightly different images on the retina of each eye.

Back 90

binocular disparity

Front 91

According to the trichomatic theory of color vision, color results becasue cones in the eye are especially sensitive to which three colors of light?

Back 91

red, green & blue light