Campbell Ap Psychology - Sensation

Front 1

sensation

Back 1

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

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perception

Back 2

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

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bottom-up processing

Back 3

analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.

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top-down processing

Back 4

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

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psychophysics

Back 5

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

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absolute threshold

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

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signal detection theory

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a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus ("signal") amid background stimulation ("noise")

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signal detection theory

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assumes that there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and level of fatigue

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subliminal

Back 9

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

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difference threshold

Back 10

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time

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difference threshold

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we experience this as a just noticeable difference threshold

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Weber's law

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the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage

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sensory adaptation

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diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

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transduction

Back 14

conversion of one form of energy into another

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transduction

Back 15

in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies into neural impulses

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wavelength

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the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

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hue

Back 17

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

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hue

Back 18

what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

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intensity

Back 19

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave

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intensity

Back 20

we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude

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pupil

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

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iris

Back 22

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

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lens

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

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accommodation

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the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near of far objects on the retina

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retina

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the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye

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retina

Back 26

containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

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acuity

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the sharpness of vision

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nearsightedness

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a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects

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nearsightedness

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the image of distant objects focus in front of the retina

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farsightedness

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a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects

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farsightedness

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the image of near objects is focused behind the retina

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rods

Back 32

retina receptors that detect black, white, and gray

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rods

Back 33

necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond

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cones

Back 34

retina receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina

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cones

Back 35

detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

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cones

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functions only in daylight or well-lit conditions

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optic nerve

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carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

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blind spot

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the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye

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blind spot

Back 39

no retina receptor cells are located here

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fovea

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the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

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feature detectors

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

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parallel processing

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the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously

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parallel processing

Back 43

the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision.

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parallel processing

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contrasts with step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving

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Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory

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the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors (red, green, blue) which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color

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opponent-process theory

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the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision

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opponent-process theory

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some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

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color constancy

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perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

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audition

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the sense of hearing

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frequency

Back 50

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

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pitch

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a tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency

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middle ear

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the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny ossicle bones

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middle ear

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ossicle bones concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

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inner ear

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contains the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

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cochlea

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

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place theory

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in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

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frequency theory

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in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

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conduction hearing loss

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hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

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sensorineural hearing loss

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hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerves

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sensorineural hearing loss

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nerve deafness

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gate-control theory

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the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

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gate-control theory

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"gate" opens by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity of larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

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sensory interaction

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the principle that one sense may influence another

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sensory interaction

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when the smell of food influences its taste

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kinesthesis

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

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vestibular sense

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the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance