Sensation (4)
Process where sensory receptors and nervous systems take in stimulus from environment
Perception (4)
Process of organizing and interpreting sensory info letting us remember/recognize meaningful things
Bottom-Up Processing (4)
Analysis that begins with basic senses and then works up to brain's interpretation
Top-Down Processing (4)
Where we process info with higher thinking. We construct perceptions based on experience and expectations
Selective Attention (4)
When you focus on one particular thing/stimuli
Inattentional Blindness (4)
When we can't see visible objects because our attention is elsewhere
Change Blindness (4)
Failing to notice changes in environment
Psychophysics (4)
Study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli (e.g. intensity and our psychological experience of them)
Absolute Threshold (4)
Minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
Signal Detection Theory (4)
Theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation. Assumes that there's no absolute threshold
Subliminal (4)
Hidden from our consciousness
below absolute threshold
Priming (4)
Unconscious associations
Difference Threshold (4)
Minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection. 50% of the time it's a just noticeable difference
Weber's Law (4)
Principle that
Sensory Adaptation (4)
Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
Transduction (4)
Conversion of one form of energy to another. In sensation
Wavelength (4)
Distance from one peak of a wave to another
Hue (4)
Dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light
Intensity (4)
Amount of energy in a light or sound wave
determined by amplitude.
Pupil (4)
Adjustable opening in center of eye where light enters
Iris (4)
Ring of muscle tissue that is the color part of the eye. Controls pupil opening size
Lens (4)
Transparent structure behind pupil that changes shape to help focus images on retina
Retina (4)
Light-sensitive inner surface of eye that contains receptor rods
Accommodation (4)
Process in which the lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
Optic Nerve (4)
Nerve that carries neural impulses from eye to the brain
Rods (4)
Retinal receptor that detect black
Cones (4)
Retinal receptor close to the center of the retina. Works best at daylight or in well lit place. Finds fine details and color
Blind Spot (4)
Point where optic nerve leaves the eye
Fovea (4)
Central focal point in the retina around which the eye's cones cluster
Feature detectors (4)
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus
Parallel Processing (4)
The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously. Brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions
Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic (3-color) Theory (4)
Theory that retina has 3 color receptors: red
Opponent Process Theory (4)
Theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green
Audition (4)
Sense or act of hearing
Frequency (4)
Number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (e.g. three things a second)
Pitch (4)
Tone's experienced highness or lowness. Depends on frequency. Long waves produce a low sound. Short waves produce a high sound
Middle Ear (4)
Chamber between the eardrum and cochlea that has three tiny bones (hammer
Cochlea (4)
Coiled
Inner Ear (4)
Innermost part of the ear containing the cochlea
Place Theory (4)
In hearing
Frequency Theory (4)
In hearing
Conduction Hearing Loss (4)
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
Sensorineural Hearing Loss (4)
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves. Nerve deafness
Cochlear Implant (4)
A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
Kinesthesis (4)
System for sensing the position and movement of body parts
Vestibular Sense (4)
The sense of body movement and position
Gate-Control Theory (4)
Theory that spinal cord has a neurological "gate" that either allows or blocks pain signals to the brain
Sensory Interaction (4)
Principle that one sense may influence another
Gestalt (4)
An organized whole
Figure-Ground (4)
The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
Grouping (4)
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Depth Perception (4)
The ability to see objects in 3D although the images that hit the retina are 2D. It allow us to judge distance
Visual Cliff (4)
A lab device for testing depth perception in babies and young animals
Binocular Cues (4)
Depth cues
Retinal Disparity (4)
Binocular cue for perceiving depth: the difference between the two images. Greater this is
Monocular Cues (4)
Depth cues
Phi Phenomenon (4)
Illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
Perceptual Constancy (4)
Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change (seeing the open door as a rectangle even though it looks like a trapezoid or something)
Color Constancy (4)
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color
Perceptual Adaptation (4)
In vision
Perceptual Set (4)
Mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
ESP (4)
The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input
includes telepathy
clairvoyance
Parapsychology (4)
Study of paranormal phenomena