Psych Midterm

Front 1

sense

Back 1

system that translates info from outside the nervous system into neural activity

Front 2

sensations

Back 2

messages from senses

Front 3

light

Back 3

form of energy called electromagnetic radiation

Front 4

accessory structures

Back 4

modify environmental energy before the energy is actually detected by the sensory system

Front 5

transduction

Back 5

transformation of incoming energy into neural activity

Front 6

sensory receptors

Back 6

specialized cells that detect different forms of energy
-responds best to changes in enviro.

Front 7

adaptation

Back 7

sensory systems gradually respond less when stimuli do not change

Front 8

sensory nerves

Back 8

carry the output from receptors to the CNS and brain

Front 9

coding

Back 9

change of an object's physical traits into a pattern of neural activity that precisely IDs those physical traits

Front 10

doctrine of specific nerve energies

Back 10

each sensory system will produce codes ony for tha sense

Front 11

temporal codes

Back 11

cause changes in neural activity rates on training

Front 12

spatial codes

Back 12

represented by the physical location of neural activity

Front 13

contralaterality

Back 13

nerve fibers from each side of the body cross on their way to the thalamus

Front 14

topographical representations

Back 14

brain has maps of each sense

Front 15

primary cortex

Back 15

area that recieves input directly from the thalamus for the sense

Front 16

light

Back 16

form of energy called electromagnetic radiation

Front 17

sense

Back 17

system that translates info from outside the nervous system into neural activity

Front 18

sensations

Back 18

messages from senses

Front 19

accessory structures

Back 19

modify environmental energy before the energy is actually detected by the sensory system

Front 20

transduction

Back 20

transformation of incoming energy into neural activity

Front 21

sensory receptors

Back 21

specialized cells that detect different forms of energy
-responds best to changes in enviro.

Front 22

adaptation

Back 22

sensory systems gradually respond less when stimuli do not change

Front 23

sensory nerves

Back 23

carry the output from receptors to the CNS and brain

Front 24

coding

Back 24

change of an object's physical traits into a pattern of neural activity that precisely IDs those physical traits

Front 25

doctrine of specific nerve energies

Back 25

each sensory system will produce codes ony for tha sense

Front 26

temporal codes

Back 26

cause changes in neural activity rates on training

Front 27

spatial codes

Back 27

represented by the physical location of neural activity

Front 28

contralaterality

Back 28

nerve fibers from each side of the body cross on their way to the thalamus

Front 29

topographical representations

Back 29

brain has maps of each sense

Front 30

primary cortex

Back 30

area that recieves input directly from the thalamus for the sense

Front 31

light

Back 31

form of energy called electromagnetic radiation

Front 32

cornea

Back 32

an accessory structure of the eye. a curved, transparent, protective layer that light rays enter through

Front 33

pupil

Back 33

opening behind the cornea

Front 34

iris

Back 34

adjusts the amount of light allowed in the eye

Front 35

lens

Back 35

directly behind pupil, curved to bend light rays

Front 36

retinas

Back 36

surface at the back of the eye

Front 37

accommodation

Back 37

ability to change shape of lens to focus objects on retina

Front 38

visual transduction

Back 38

conversion of light energy into neural activity
-takes place in retina

Front 39

photoreceptors

Back 39

specialized cells in the retina that convert light energy into neural activity

Front 40

photopigments

Back 40

chemicals that respond to light

Front 41

dark adaptation

Back 41

increasing ability to see in the dark over time

Front 42

cones

Back 42

part of the retina, uses 1 of 3 varieties of rodopsin photopigments, each of which is sensitive to different light wavelengths

Front 43

rods

Back 43

part of the retina that uses the photopigment rhodopsin which is much more light-sensitive but cannot tell colors

Front 44

optic nerve

Back 44

formed by the axons of the ganglion cells and extend from the eye and into the brain

Front 45

receptive field

Back 45

the stimulus characteristic that neuron responds to optimally

Front 46

optic nerve

Back 46

axons from ganglion cells a bundle of fibers and exits the eyeball

Front 47

lateral geniculate nucleus

Back 47

where axons from most of the ganglion cells in te retina send messages

Front 48

hue

Back 48

the essential color, determined by the dominant wavelength

Front 49

sensation

Back 49

purity of color

Front 50

brightness

Back 50

intensity of the wavelength

Front 51

additive color mixing

Back 51

the effects of each lights wavelengths are added together

Front 52

subtractive color mixing

Back 52

two paints absorb/subtract more wavelengths of light than either does alone- black

Front 53

synesthesia

Back 53

senses interact because brain areas that process color are near areas that process letters and numbers

Front 54

computational approach

Back 54

studies the computations a machine would have to do to solve perceptual problems

Front 55

constructivist approach

Back 55

reality is constructed from fragments of sensory info which the perceptual process give meanings

Front 56

ecological approach

Back 56

stimuli directly gives the cues needed to make sense of the world

Front 57

pschophysics

Back 57

the relationship between physical energy in the environment and psychological experience of it

Front 58

absolute threshold

Back 58

the minimum detectable amount of energy a sensory system can detect 50% of the tme

Front 59

subliminal stimuli

Back 59

stimuli that falls below threshold

Front 60

supraliminal stimuli

Back 60

stimuli that fall above the threshold

Front 61

sensitivity

Back 61

a person's ability to pick out a particular stimulus or signal

Front 62

internalnoise

Back 62

random firing of neurons; always present and constantly changing

Front 63

response criterion

Back 63

willingness or reluctance to say that a stimulus is present

Front 64

false alarm

Back 64

no signal is presented, but noise levels are so high that the participant decides that there was a signal

Front 65

miss

Back 65

a signal occurs but it is so faint that it does not produce enough perceptual stimulation for detection

Front 66

hit

Back 66

when a signal occurs and the participant detects it

Front 67

just-noticeable difference

Back 67

the smallest difference between stimuli that we can detect

Front 68

weber's law

Back 68

the smallest detectable difference in stimulus energy is a constant fraction of the intensity of the stimulus

Front 69

magnitude estimation

Back 69

how perception of stimulus intensity is related to actual stimuli strength

Front 70

fechner''s law

Back 70

as stimulus magnitude increases, an increase in physical energy is necessary to obtain equal changes in perceived magnitude

Front 71

stevens's power law

Back 71

includes a factor that takes into account the different sensitivity of various sensory systems

Front 72

perceptual organization

Back 72

determines what stimuli are together to from an object

Front 73

figure-ground organization

Back 73

the perceptual apparatus automatically picks out some objects or sounds to be figures while others are relegated to be the ground

Front 74

gestalt psychology

Back 74

perceive sights and sounds as organized wholes

Front 75

grouping

Back 75

properties of stimulus environment lead to grouping them together

Front 76

proximity

Back 76

closer objects or events more likely to be perceived to be part of a group

Front 77

similarity

Back 77

similar elements perceived to be part of a group

Front 78

continuity

Back 78

sensations that appear to creat a continuous are perceieved as belonging together

Front 79

closure

Back 79

tend to fill in missing contours to form a complete object

Front 80

common fate

Back 80

sets of objects moving in the same direction at the same speed are perceived as a group

Front 81

likelihood principle

Back 81

perceived objects in the way that experience tells us is the most likely physical arrangement

Front 82

simplicity principle

Back 82

organize stimulus elements in a way that gives the simplest possible perception

Front 83

auditory sense analysis

Back 83

perceptual process of mentally representing and interpreting sounds

Front 84

2-D location

Back 84

brain estimates an object's tru location relative to the body, taking into account where the image strikes the retina and adjusts it based on info about movement of the eyes and head

Front 85

visual dominance

Back 85

bias of using visual info when it conflicts with info from another sense

Front 86

accomodation

Back 86

the muscles surrounding the lens either lighten (close) or relax (distant)

Front 87

convergence

Back 87

eyes rotate inward to project the image of an object on each retina

Front 88

binocular disparity

Back 88

the difference between the two retinal images of an object provides distant cues

Front 89

looming

Back 89

rapid expansion in the size of an image so that it fills the reina, is automatically percieved as an approaching stimulus and not an expanding object

Front 90

stroboscopic motion

Back 90

tendency to interpret as continuous motion a series of still images flashed in rapid succesion

Front 91

perceptual constancy

Back 91

perception of objects as constant in size, shape, color, and other properties despite changes in their retinal image

Front 92

size

Back 92

as objects move closer or farther away the brain percieves the change in distance and automatically adjust the perception

Front 93

shape

Back 93

even though the shape of an object's retinal image chhanges it's shape stays the same

Front 94

brightness

Back 94

as the amount of light striking an object changes it's perceived brightness remains constant

Front 95

top-down processing

Back 95

guides by knowledge, expectations and other psychological factors

Front 96

bottom-up processing

Back 96

relies or specific detailed info elements that are integrated and assembled into a whole by sensory receptors

Front 97

feature detectors

Back 97

cortical cells that fire in response to only certain basic features

Front 98

schemas

Back 98

mental representations of what we know and have come to expect about the world

Front 99

perceptual set

Back 99

a bias to perceive a stimulus in a certain way

Front 100

motivation

Back 100

factors that influence the initiation, direction, intensity, and persistance of behavior

Front 101

motives

Back 101

provide a reason for why someone does something

Front 102

size

Back 102

as objects move closer or farther away the brain percieves the change in distance and automatically adjust the perception

Front 103

shape

Back 103

even though the shape of an object's retinal image chhanges it's shape stays the same

Front 104

brightness

Back 104

as the amount of light striking an object changes it's perceived brightness remains constant

Front 105

top-down processing

Back 105

guides by knowledge, expectations and other psychological factors

Front 106

bottom-up processing

Back 106

relies or specific detailed info elements that are integrated and assembled into a whole by sensory receptors

Front 107

feature detectors

Back 107

cortical cells that fire in response to only certain basic features

Front 108

schemas

Back 108

mental representations of what we know and have come to expect about the world

Front 109

perceptual set

Back 109

a bias to perceive a stimulus in a certain way

Front 110

motivation

Back 110

factors that influence the initiation, direction, intensity, and persistance of behavior

Front 111

motives

Back 111

provide a reason for why someone does something