Psychology Chapter 4

Front 1

The intensity at which a given individual can detect a sensory stimulus 50% of the time; a low threshold indicates the ability to detect fain stimuli

Back 1

absolute sensory threshold

Front 2

An adjustment of the thickness of teh lens to focus on objects at different distances

Back 2

accommodation of the lens

Front 3

Visual cues that depend on the action of both eyes

Back 3

binocular cues

Front 4

The alteration between seeing the pattern in the left retina and the pattern in the right retina

Back 4

blind spot

Front 5

An increase or decrease in an object's apparent brightness because of the effects of objects around it

Back 5

brightness contrast

Front 6

A chemical that stimulates the release of substance P

Back 6

capsaicin

Front 7

A disorder in which the lens of the eye becomes cloudy

Back 7

cataract

Front 8

In Gestalt psychology the tendency to imagine the rest of an incomplete, familiar figure

Back 8

closure

Front 9

The snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure that contains the receptors for hearing

Back 9

cochlea

Front 10

The tendency of an object to appear nearly the same color under a variety of lighting conditions

Back 10

color constancy

Front 11

The tendency to perceive objects as being part of the same group if they change or move in similar ways at the same time

Back 11

common fate

Front 12

A hearing loss that results when the bones connected to the eardrum fail to transmit sound waves properly to the cochlea

Back 12

conduction deafness

Front 13

The type of visual receptor that is adapted for color vision, daytime vision, and detailed vision

Back 13

cone

Front 14

In Gestalt psychology the tendency to fill in the gaps in an interrupted line

Back 14

continuation

Front 15

The degree to which the eyes turn in to focus on a close object

Back 15

convergence

Front 16

A rigid, transparent structure on the surface of the eyeball

Back 16

cornea

Front 17

The skin ssenses, including pressure of the skin, warmth, cold, pain, vibration, movement across the skin, and stretch of the skin

Back 17

cutaneous senses

Front 18

A gradual improvement in the ability to see in dim light

Back 18

dark adaptation

Front 19

The perception of distance, which enables us to experience the world in three dimensions

Back 19

depth perception

Front 20

The continuum of all the frequencies of radiated energy

Back 20

electromagnetic spectrum

Front 21

Any of the neurotransmitters that decrease the perception of pain

Back 21

endorphin

Front 22

A neuron in the visual system of the brain that responds to the presence of a certain simple feature, such as a horizontal line

Back 22

feature detector

Front 23

An object and its background

Back 23

figure and ground

Front 24

The central part of the retina that has a greatre density of receptors, especially cones, than any other part of the retina

Back 24

fovea

Front 25

The identificaiton of pitch by the frequency of action potentials in neurons along the basilar membrane of the cochlea, synchronized with the frequency of sound waves

Back 25

frequency principle

Front 26

Neurons in the eye that receive input, from bipolar cells, which in turn receive ther input from the visual receptors

Back 26

ganglion cells

Front 27

The proposal tht pain messages must pass through a gate, probably in the spinal cord, that can block these messages

Back 27

gate theory

Front 28

An approach to psychology that seeks to explain how we perceive overall patterns

Back 28

Gestalt psychology

Front 29

A condition characterized by increased pressure within the eyeball, resulting in damage to the optic nerve and therefore a loss of vision

Back 29

glaucoma

Front 30

In Gestalt psychology the tendency to perceive simple, symmetrical figures

Back 30

good figure

Front 31

A unit of frequency representing one cycle (vibration) per second

Back 31

hertz (Hz)

Front 32

Farsightedness; the inability to focus on nearby objects

Back 32

hyperopia

Front 33

A perception that an object is moving and the background is tationary when in fact the object is stationary and the background is moving

Back 33

induced movement

Front 34

The colored structure on the surface of the eye, surrounding the pupil

Back 34

iris

Front 35

A flexible structure that can vary its thickness to enable the eye to focus on objects at different distances

Back 35

lens

Front 36

A perception thta depends on the amplitude of a sound wave

Back 36

loudness

Front 37

Visual cues that are just as effective with one eye as with both

Back 37

monocular cues

Front 38

The apparent difference between the size of the moon at the horizon and its size when viewed higher in the sky

Back 38

moon illusion

Front 39

The apparently swift motion of objects close to a moving observer and the appaarently slow motion of objects farther away

Back 39

motion parallax

Front 40

Nearsightedness; the inability to focus on distant objects

Back 40

myopia

Front 41

A color that a person sees after staring at its opposite color for a while

Back 41

negative afterimage

Front 42

A hearing loss that results from damage to the cochlea, the hair cells, or auditory nerve

Back 42

nerve deafness

Front 43

The sense of smell; the detection of chemicals in contact with the membrances inside the nose

Back 43

olfaction

Front 44

The theory that we perceive color in terms of a system of paired opposites: red versus gree, yellow versus blue, and white versus black

Back 44

opponent-process theory

Front 45

A set of axons that extend from the panglion cells of the eye to the thalamus and several other areas of the brain

Back 45

optic nerve

Front 46

A misinterpretation of a visual stimulus as being larger or smaller, or straighter or more curved, than it really is

Back 46

optical illusion

Front 47

the interpretation of sensory information

Back 47

perception

Front 48

A contiuing sensation of an amputated body part

Back 48

phantom limb

Front 49

an odorous chemical, released by an animal, that changes how other members of the species respond to that animal socially

Back 49

pheromone

Front 50

The illusion of movement created when two or more stationary lights separated by a short disease flash on and off at regular intervals

Back 50

phi effect

Front 51

A perception closely related to the frequency of sound waves

Back 51

pitch

Front 52

The identification of pitch by determining which auditory neurons, coming from which part of the basilar membrane, are most active

Back 52

place principle

Front 53

A decreased flexibility of the lens and therefore the inability to focus on nearby objects

Back 53

presbyopia

Front 54

In Gestalt psychology the tendency to perceive objects that are close together as belonging to a group

Back 54

proximity

Front 55

The adjustable opening in the eye throug which light enters

Back 55

pupil

Front 56

A specialized cell that converts environmental energies into signals for the nervous system

Back 56

receptor

Front 57

A layer of visual receptors convering the back surface of the eyeball

Back 57

retina

Front 58

The difference in the apparent position of an object as seen by the left and right retinas

Back 58

retinal disparity

Front 59

The theory that color perception results from the cerebral cortex's comparison of various retinal patterns

Back 59

retinex theory

Front 60

A stimulus that you can perceive in more than one way

Back 60

reversible figure

Front 61

The type of visual receptor that is adapted for vision in dim light

Back 61

rod

Front 62

The conversion of energy from the envrionment into a pattern of response by the nervous system

Back 62

sensation

Front 63

The sudy of people's tendencies to make hits, correct rejections, misses, and false alarms

Back 63

signal-detection theory

Front 64

In Gestalt psychology the tendency to perceive objects that resemble each other as belonging to a group

Back 64

similarity

Front 65

Vibrations of the air or of another medium

Back 65

sound waves

Front 66

Energy in the environment that affects what we do

Back 66

stimulus

Front 67

An illusion of movement created by a rapid succession of stationary images

Back 67

stroboscopic movement

Front 68

The ability of a stimulus to influence our behavior even when it is presented so faintly or briefly or along with such strong distracters that we do not perceive it consciously

Back 68

subliminal perception

Front 69

A neurotransmitter responsible for much of transmision of pain information in the nervous system

Back 69

substance P

Front 70

The sensory system that responds to chemicals on the tongue

Back 70

taste

Front 71

The site of the taste receptors, located in one of the folds on the surface of the tongue

Back 71

taste bud

Front 72

The theory that color vision depends on the relative rate of response of three types of cones

Back 72

trichromatic theory (or Young-Helmholtz theory)

Front 73

A speicalized sense that detects the direction of tilt and amount of acceleration of the head and the position of the head with respect to gravity

Back 73

vestibular sense

Front 74

The tendency to perceive objects as unchanging in shape, size, and color, despite variations in what actually reaches the retina

Back 74

visual constancy

Front 75

The identification of pitch by groups of hair cells responding to each vibration by producting an action potential

Back 75

volley principle

Front 76

A phenomenon in which prolonged staring at a waterfall and then looking at nearby cliffs causes those cliffs to appear to flow upward

Back 76

waterfall illusion