Psychology Chapter 5 Terms

Front 1

Absolute threshold

Back 1

The lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time

Front 2

Amplitude

Back 2

The vertical size of sound waves-that is, the amount compression and expansion of the molecules in the conducting medium

Front 3

Basilar membrane

Back 3

A sheet of tissue that runs the length of cochlea

Front 4

Binocular depth cues

Back 4

A way of measuring depth that requires both eyes

Front 5

Binocular disparity

Back 5

Each eye sees a slightly different image

Front 6

Bottom-up processing

Back 6

Taking in individual elements of a stimulus and then combining them into a unified perception

Front 7

Cochlea

Back 7

A coiled, snail-shaped tube about 3.5 centimeters in length that is filled with fluid

Front 8

Conduction deafness

Back 8

A type of deafness that involves problems with the mechanical system that transmits sound waves to the cochlea

Front 9

Cones

Back 9

Color receptors in the eye that function best in bright illumination

Front 10

Convergence

Back 10

A binocular distance cue that is produced by feedback from the muscles that turn your eyes inward to view a close object

Front 11

Critical periods

Back 11

Periods in perception during which certain kinds of experiences must occur if perceptual abilities and the brain mechanisms that underlie them are to develop normally

Front 12

Dark adaptation

Back 12

The progressive improvement in brightness sensitivity that occurs over time under conditions of low illumination

Front 13

Decibel (dB)

Back 13

A measure of the physical pressures that occur at the eardrum

Front 14

Decision criterion

Back 14

A standard of how certain people must be that a stimulus is present before they will say they detect it

Front 15

Difference threshold

Back 15

The smallest difference between two stimuli that people can perceive 50% of the time

Front 16

Dual-process theory

Back 16

A theory that combines the trichromatic and opponent-process theories to account for the color transduction process

Front 17

Endorphins

Back 17

The nervous system's own built-in analgesics with opiatelike properties. Also referred to as internally produced morphines.

Front 18

Feature detectors

Back 18

Detectors that fire selectively in response to visual stimuli that have specific characteristics

Front 19

Figure-ground relations

Back 19

Our tendency to organize stimuli into a central or foreground figure and a background

Front 20

Fovea

Back 20

A small center of the retina that contains no rods but many densely packed cones

Front 21

Frequency

Back 21

The number of sound waves, or cycles, per second

Front 22

Frequency theory of pitch perception

Back 22

A theory that proposes that nerve impulses sent to the brain match the frequency of the sound wave

Front 23

Gate control theory

Back 23

A theory that proposes that the experience of pain results from the opening and closing of gating mechanisms in the nervous system

Front 24

Gestalt laws of perceptual organization

Back 24

Similarity, proximity, closure, and continuity

Front 25

Gustation

Back 25

The sense of taste

Front 26

Hering's opponent-process theory

Back 26

A theory that proposed that each of the three cone types responds to two different wavelengths

Front 27

Hertz (Hz)

Back 27

The technical measure of cycles per second

Front 28

Illusions

Back 28

Compelling but incorrect perceptions

Front 29

Inattentional blindness

Back 29

A term that refers to the failure of unattended stimuli to register in consciousness

Front 30

Kinesthesis

Back 30

The sense which provides us with feedback about our muscles' and joints' positions and movements

Front 31

Lens

Back 31

An elastic structure in the eye that becomes thinner to focus on distant objects and thicker to focus on nearby objects

Front 32

Menstrual synchrony

Back 32

The tendency of women who live together or are close friends to become more similar in their menstrual cycles

Front 33

Monocular depth cues

Back 33

Depth cues that require only one eye

Front 34

Nerve deafness

Back 34

A type of deafness caused by damaged receptors within the inner ear or damage to the auditory nerve itself

Front 35

Olfaction

Back 35

The sense of smell

Front 36

Olfactory bulb

Back 36

A forebrain structure immediately above the nasal cavity.

Front 37

Optic nerve

Back 37

An axon bundle formed by synaptic connections between bipolar cells and ganglion cells

Front 38

Organ of Corti

Back 38

A part of the ear that contains about 16,000 tiny hair cells that are the actual sound receptors

Front 39

Perception

Back 39

The active process of organizing stimulus input and giving it meaning

Front 40

Perceptual constancies

Back 40

Constancies that allow us to recognize familiar stimuli under varying conditions

Front 41

Perpetual schema

Back 41

A mental representation or image containing the critical and distinctive features of a person, object, event, or other perceptual phenomenon

Front 42

Perceptual set

Back 42

A readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way

Front 43

Pheromones

Back 43

Chemical signals found in natural body scents

Front 44

Photopigments

Back 44

Rods and cones translate light waves into nerve impulses through the action of protein molecules called...

Front 45

Place theory of pitch perception

Back 45

The specific point in the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks and most strongly bends the hair cells serves as a frequency coding cue

Front 46

Psychophysics

Back 46

A scientific area which studies relations between the physical characteristics of stimuli and sensory capabilities

Front 47

Retina

Back 47

A multilayered light-sensitive tissue at the rear of the fluid-filled eyeball

Front 48

Rods

Back 48

Black-and-white brightness receptors

Front 49

Sensation

Back 49

The stimulus detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain

Front 50

Sensory adaptation

Back 50

The diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus

Front 51

Sensory prosthetic devices

Back 51

Devices that can provide sensory input that can substitute for what cannot be supplied by a person's sensory receptors

Front 52

Signal-detection theory

Back 52

A theory that is concerned with the factors that influence sensory judgments

Front 53

Stroboscopic movement

Back 53

Illusory movement produced when a light is briefly flashed in darkness and then, a few milliseconds later, another light is flashed nearby

Front 54

Subliminal stimulus

Back 54

A stimulus that is so weak or brief that although it is received by the senses, it cannot be perceived consciously

Front 55

Synesthesia

Back 55

Mixing of the senses

Front 56

Taste buds

Back 56

Chemical receptors concentrated along the tip, edges, and back surface of the tongue

Front 57

Top-down processing

Back 57

Sensory information is interpreted in light of existing knowledge, concepts, ideas, and expectations

Front 58

Transduction

Back 58

The process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses

Front 59

Vestibular sense

Back 59

The sense of body orientation, or equilibrium

Front 60

Visual acuity

Back 60

The ability to see fine detail

Front 61

Weber's law

Back 61

A law which states that the difference threshold, or jnd, is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which the comparison is being made

Front 62

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

Back 62

A theory that claims that there are three types of color receptors in the retina