AP Psych Review - Unit 3: Sensation and Perception

raw data; information that we receive from our five senses

the process of interpreting sensory information

visual system places objects either in focus or in the background

perceive objects in smooth patterns, even if they are separate objects

we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object - circle and triangle and pacman examples

we group similar figures together

objects that are close together tend to be grouped together

symmetrical regions are more likely to be seen as figure

information that is received from both eyes that helps inform the brain about the distance an object is from the person

information about the distance of an object that only requires one eye

perception that occurs when objects that a person expects to be of a certain size appear to be small and are, therefore, assumed to be much farther away

if one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer

we perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away

using light and shadows to perceive form

the tendency for textured surfaces to appear to become smaller and finer as distance from the viewer increases

parallel lines appear to converge with distance

the process by which sensory stimuli are transduced into slow, graded receptor potentials

the minimum intensity of stimulation that must occur before you experience a sensation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

an organism's decreasing response to a stimulus with repeated exposure to it

the minimum amount of difference that can be detected between two stimuli

difficulty in comparing small differences in large quantities.

the tendency to interpret an object as always being the same actual size

the ability to recognize colors despite changes in lighting

the tendency to interpret the shape of an object as being constant, even when its moving

the perception of blackness, whiteness, and greyness of an object

a collection of basic knowledge that guides the perception of a situation

irregular curvature of cornea or lens

clouding of the lens

theory of color vision that proposes three types of cones: red, blue, and green

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

(condition of) absence of color; colorless; unable to see color

one cone type is missing or malfunctioning

normal color vision

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another

the use of preexisting knowledge to organize individual features into a unified whole

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

hairlike, sensory receptors for hearing

theory of pitch that states that different pitches are experienced by the stimulation of hair cells in different locations on the organ of Corti

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

hearing impairment caused by interference with sound or vibratory energy in the external canal, middle ear, or ossicles

outer layer of skin

middle layer of skin

pain receptors

the layer of skin beneath the dermis, which serves as a storage repository for fat

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

sense the degree of tension and the length of the muscle

sense of balance

how our sense work to perceive the world around us