Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
64 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Sensation |
The process of our nervous system receiving external stimuli, usually using specialized cells |
|
|
Perception |
The process of analyzing and interpreting received external stimuli |
|
|
Bottom-Up Processing |
Using perceived information to form an integrated answer |
|
|
Top-Down Processing |
A higher-level mental process whereby perceptions are formed through expectancy |
|
|
Transduction |
The process through which one type of energy is transformed into another, then transported through the body |
|
|
Psychophysics |
The study of the relationships between the physical world and how the mind interacts with its facets |
|
|
Absolute Threshold |
The minimum intensity of a stimulus required for humans to detect it 50% of the time |
|
|
Signal Detection Theory |
The theory that detection of a stimulus may be influenced by psychological factors, such as motivation, alertness, and expectation |
|
|
Subliminal |
Below the absolute threshold for conscious awareness |
|
|
Priming |
The activation of certain associations, possibly predisposing a memory or response |
|
|
Difference Threshold |
The minimum difference between two stimuli to be able to perceive a difference between the two |
|
|
Weber's Law |
The principle that when two stimuli are perceived as different, they must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than an amount |
|
|
Sensory Adaptation |
Diminished sensitivity that arises from constant exposure to a stimulus |
|
|
Perceptual Set |
The mental predisposition to perceive one thing but not another |
|
|
Wavelength |
The distance from one point on a wavelength of light to the same point on the next wavelength |
|
|
Hue |
The dimension of colour that is determined by the light's wavelength |
|
|
Intensity |
The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, influencing what is perceived as brightness or loudness |
|
|
Pupil |
The adjustable opening in the center of the eye that controls how much light enters |
|
|
Iris |
A ring of muscle tissue around the pupil, which controls its opening and closing |
|
|
Lens |
The transparent structure behind the pupil that focuses images on the retina |
|
|
Retina |
The light-seensitive membrane on the inside of that contains rods and cones, as well as layers of neurons, which are play a part in processing visual information |
|
|
Accommodation |
The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina |
|
|
Rods |
Monochromatic retinal receptors necessary for peripheral and twilight vision |
|
|
Cones |
Colour-sensitive retinal receptors that function well in daylight |
|
|
Optic Nerve |
The nerve that carries electrical impulses through the thalamus to the visual cortex |
|
|
Blind Spot |
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, which is devoid of receptor cells |
|
|
Fovea |
The central focal point of the retina |
|
|
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory |
The theory that the retina has three different types of cones, red, green, and blue |
|
|
Opponent-Process Theory |
The idea that opposing retinal processes enable colour vision |
|
|
Feature Detectors |
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of stimuli |
|
|
Gestalt |
An organized whole |
|
|
Figure-Ground |
The organization of vision into figures that stand out from the background |
|
|
Grouping |
The tendency to organize stimuli into various groups |
|
|
Depth Perception |
The ability to view two-dimensional objects in three dimensions |
|
|
Visual Cliff |
A device for testing depth perception in infants and animals |
|
|
Binocular Cues |
Depth cues that depend on binocular vision |
|
|
Retinal Disparity |
By comparing the images from the retinas in both eyes, distance is calculated by comparing the disparity between the two images |
|
|
Monocular Cues |
Depth cues requiring only one eye |
|
|
Phi Phenomenon |
The illusion of movement created when 2 adjacent lights are turned on and off in quick succession |
|
|
Perceptual Constancy |
Perceiving objects as unchanging even when visual cues are altered |
|
|
Colour Constancy |
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent colour, even in the presence of illumination changes |
|
|
Perceptual Adaptation |
The ability to adjust to an artificially altered visual field |
|
|
Audition |
The sense of hearing |
|
|
Frequency |
The number of wavelengths that pass a certain point in a given time |
|
|
Pitch |
A tone's experienced highness or lowness; dependent on frequency |
|
|
Middle Ear |
The chamber between the inner ear and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the eardrum's vibrations on the cochlea's oval window |
|
|
Cochlea |
A coiled, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves passing through the fluid trigger nerve impulses |
|
|
Inner Ear |
The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs |
|
|
Sensorineural Hearing Loss |
Caused by damaging the cochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerves |
|
|
Conduction Hearing Loss |
Caused by damaging the mechanical system that conducts sound to the cochlea |
|
|
Cochlear Implant |
A device that converts sounds into electrical signals, stimulating the auditory nerve using electrodes threaded through the cochlea |
|
|
Place Theory |
The theory that links pitch with the place where the cochlear membrane is stimulated |
|
|
Frequency Theory |
The theory that the number of nerve impulses in the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone |
|
|
Nociceptors |
Sensory receptors that enable the perception of pain in response to a potentially harmful stimulus |
|
|
Gate-Control Theory |
The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that controls the flow of pain signals |
|
|
Hypnosis |
A social interaction wherein one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, thoughts, etc. will spontaneously occur |
|
|
Dissociation |
A split in consciousness, allowing some thoughts and behaviours to occur simultaneously with others |
|
|
Posthypnotic Suggestion |
A suggestion made during hypnosis to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized |
|
|
Kinaesthesia |
The system for sensing the position and movement of all the body's parts |
|
|
Vestibular Sense |
The sense of body movement and position, including balance |
|
|
Sensory Interaction |
The principle that one sense may influence another |
|
|
Embodied Cognition |
In psychology, the influence of bodily sensations on cognitive judgments |
|
|
Extrasensory Perception (ESP) |
The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input |
|
|
Parapsychology |
The study of paranormal phenomena |
