Unit 4&5 Vocab

Front 1

Sensation

Back 1

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Front 2

Perception

Back 2

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

Front 3

Bottom Up processing

Back 3

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information

Front 4

Top Down processing

Back 4

information processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations

Front 5

Psychophysics

Back 5

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them

Front 6

Absolute Threshold

Back 6

the minimum simulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

Front 7

Signal Detection theory

Back 7

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background simulation (noise). assumes there is no single absolute Threshold and that Detection depends partly on a person's experience expectations motivation and alertness

Front 8

Subliminal

Back 8

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Front 9

Priming

Back 9

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

Front 10

Weber's law

Back 10

the principle that, too be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)

Front 11

Transduction

Back 11

conversion of one form of energy into another. in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses or brain can interpret

Front 12

Pupil

Back 12

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

Front 13

Iris

Back 13

A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.

Front 14

Lens

Back 14

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Front 15

Retina

Back 15

the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

Front 16

Feature detectors

Back 16

Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

Front 17

Young Helmoltz Theory

Back 17

The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors- one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue- which when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Front 18

Cochlea

Back 18

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

Front 19

Kinesthesis

Back 19

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Front 20

Gate control theory

Back 20

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neuralogical "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. the gate is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

Front 21

Sensory interaction

Back 21

The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences is taste

Front 22

Gestalt

Back 22

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

Front 23

Figure Ground

Back 23

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Front 24

Depth Perception

Back 24

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two dimensional; allows us to judge distance

Front 25

Phi Phenomenon

Back 25

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

Front 26

Perceptual Constancy

Back 26

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness and color) even as illumination and retinal images change

Front 27

Extrasensory Perception (esp)

Back 27

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

Front 28

Parapsychology

Back 28

the study of paranormal phenomena, including esp and psychokinesis

Front 29

Circadian Rhythm

Back 29

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24 hour cycle

Front 30

Hallucinations

Back 30

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Front 31

Delta waves

Back 31

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Front 32

Narcolepsy

Back 32

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. the sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times

Front 33

Night terrors

Back 33

A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep and are seldom remembered

Front 34

Manifest Content

Back 34

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content)

Front 35

Latent Content

Back 35

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content)

Front 36

Barbiturates

Back 36

drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgement

Front 37

Opiates

Back 37

Opium and it's derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening poison and anxiety

Front 38

Stimulants

Back 38

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstacy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

Front 39

Amphetamines

Back 39

drugs that simulate neural activity, causing speeded up body functions and associated energy and mood changes