AP Psych chp.
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97 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Sensation | experience of sensory stimulation |
| Perception | process of creating meaningful patterns from raw sensory information |
| receptor Cell | A specialized cell that responds to a particular type of energy |
| Absolute Threshold | te least amount of energy that can be detected as a stimulation 50 perecent of the time |
| Adaptation | Adjustment of the senses to stimulation |
| Difference Threshold | The smallest change in stimulation that can be detected 50 percent of the time |
| Weber's Law | the principle that the just noticeable difference for any given sense is a constant proportion of the stimulation being judged |
| cornea | The transparent protective coating over the front part of the eye |
| Pupil | small opening in the iris through which light enters the eye |
| Iris | Colored part of the eye |
| lens | transparent part of the eye inside the pupil that focuses light on the retina |
| Retina | Lining of the eye containing receptor cells that are sensitive to light |
| Fovea | Area of the retina that is the center of the visual field |
| Light | The small segment of the electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive |
| Wavelengths | The difference energies represented in the electromagnetic spectrum |
| Rods | REceptor cells in the retina responsible for night vision and perception of brightness |
| Cones | Receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision |
| Bipolar Cells | Neurons that have only one axon and one dendrite; in the eye, these neurons connect the receptors on the retina to the ganglion cells |
| Visual acuity | the ability to distinguish fine details |
| Dark adaptation | Increased sensitivity of rods and cones in darkness |
| Light adaptation | Decreased sensitivity of rods and cones in bright light |
| Afterimage | Sense experience that occurs after a visual stimulus has been remoed |
| ganglion cells | Neurons that connect the bipolar cells in the eyes to the brain |
| Optic nerve | The bundle of axons of ganglion cells that carries neural messages from each eye to the brain |
| Blind spot | Place on the retina where the axons of all ganglion cells leave the eye and where there are no receptors |
| Optic chiasm | Point near the base of the brain where some fibers in the optic nerve from each eye cross to the other side of the brain |
| hue | the aspect of color that corresponds to the names such as red, green, blue |
| Saturation | the vividness or richness of a hue |
| Brightness | The nearness of a color to white as opposed to black |
| Additive color mixing | The process of mixing lights of different wavelengths to create new hues |
| Subtractive color mixing | The process of mixing pigments, each of which absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects others |
| trichromatic theory | Theory of color vision that all color perception derives from three different color receptors in the retina (usually red, green, and blue receptors) |
| Colorblindness | Partial or total inablilty to perceive hues |
| Trichromats | People who have normal color vision |
| Monochromats | people who are totally colorblind |
| Dichromats | People who are blind to either red-green or yellow-blue |
| Opponent-process theory | Theory of color vision that three sets of color receptors (yello-blue, red-green, black-white) respond in either/or fashion to determine the color you experience |
| Sound | A psychological experience created by the brain in response to changes i air pressure that are received by the auditory system |
| Sound waves | Changes in pressure caused when molecules of air or fluid collide with one another and then move apart again |
| Frequency | The number of cycles per second in a wave; in sound, the primary determinant of pitch |
| Hertz | Cycles per second; unit of measurement for the frequency of waves |
| Pitch | Auditory experience corresponding primarily to frequency of sound vibrations, resulting in a high or lower tone |
| Amplitude | The magnitude of a wave; in sound, the primary determinant of loudness |
| Decibel | Unit of measurement for the loudness of sounds |
| Overtones | Tones that result from sound waves that are multiple of the basic tone: primary determinant of timbre |
| Timbre | The quantity or texture of sound; caused by overtones |
| Hammer, anvil, stirrup | The three small bones in the middle ear that relay vbrations of the eardrum to the inner ear |
| Oval window | Membrane across the opening between the middle ear and inner ear that conducts vibrations to the cochlea |
| Round window | Membrane between the middle ear and inner ear that equalizes pressure in the inner ear |
| Cochlea | Part of the inner ear containing fluid that ibrates which turn causes the basilar membrane to vibrate |
| Basilar membrane | Vibrating membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear; it contains sense receptors for sound |
| Organ of Corti | Structure on the surface of the basilar membrane that contains the receptors cells for hearing |
| Auditory nerve | The bundle of neurons that carries signals from each ear tothe brain |
| Place theory | Theory that pitch is determined by the location of gretest vibration of teh basilar membrane |
| Frequency theory | Theory that pitch is determined by the frequency with which hair cells in the cochlea fire |
| Volley principle | Refinement of frequency theory; receptors in ear fire in sequence, one group, then another, etc., firing corresponds to the frequence of sound |
| Olfactory epithelium | Nasal membranes containing receptor cells sensitive to odors |
| Olfactory bulb | The smell center in teh brain |
| Pheromone | Chemical that communicates information to other organisims through smell |
| Ohermone vomeronasal organ (VNO) | Location of receptors for phermones in the roof of the nnasal cavity |
| Taste buds | Structures on the tongue that contain the recptor cells for taste |
| Papillae | Small bumps on the tongue that contain taste buds |
| Kinesthetic senses | senses of forces and movement of muscles |
| Stretch receptors | Receptors that sense muscle stretch and contraction |
| Gogli tendon organs | Receptors that sense movement of the tendons, which connect muscle to bone |
| Vestibular sense | Senses of equilibrium and body position in space |
| SEmicircular canals | Structures in the inner ear particularly sensitive to body rotation |
| Vestibular sacs | Sacs in the inner ear that are responsible for sensing gravitation and forward, backward and verticle movement |
| Gate control theory | Theory that a "neurological gate" in the spinal cord controls the transmission of pain messages to the brain |
| Placebo effect | Pain releif occurs when a person believes a pill or procedure will reduce pain; caused by endorphins |
| Figure | Object perceived to stand apart from the background |
| Ground | BAckground against which the figure appears |
| Feature detectors | Specialized brain cells that only respond to particular elements of the visual field such as movement or lines of specific orientation |
| Perceptual constancy | Tendency to perceive objects as stable and unchanging despite changes in sensory stimulation |
| Size constancy | Perception of an object as the same size regardles of the distane from which it is viewed |
| Shape Constancy | Tendency to see an object as the sae shape no matter what angle it is viewed from |
| Brightness constancy | Perception of brightness as the same, eve though the amount of light reaching the retina changes |
| Color constancy | Inclination to perceive familiar objects as retaining their color despite changes in sensory information |
| Monocular cues | Visual cues requiring the use of one eye |
| Binocular cues | Visual cues requiring the use of both eyes |
| Superposition | Monocular distance cue in which one object, by artly blocking a second object, is perceived as being closer |
| Linear perspective | Monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that two lines seem to come together at the horizon |
| Aerial perspective | Monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that more distant objects are likely to appear hazy and blurred |
| Elevation | Monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that the higher on the horizontal pane an object is, the farther away it appears |
| Texture gradient | Monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that objects seem at greater distances appear to be smoother and less textured |
| Shadowing | Monoculr cue to distance adn depth based on the fact that shadows often appear on the parts of objects that are more distant |
| Motion parallax | Monocular distance cue: objects closer thatn point of visual focus seem to move opposite viewer's moving head, and objets beyond the focus point seem to move same direction |
| Steroscopic vision | Combination of two retinal images to give a three-dimensional perceptual experience |
| Retinal disparity | Binocular distance cue based on the difference between the images cast on the two retinas when both eyes are focused on the same object |
| Convergence | A visual depth cue that comes from muscles controlling eye movement as the eyes turn inward to view a nearby stimulus |
| Monaural cue | Cue to sound location that requires just one ear |
| Binaural cue | Cue to sound location that involves both earrs working together |
| Autokinetic illusion | The perception that a stationary object is actually moving |
| Stroboscopic motion | Apparent movement that results from flashing a series of still pictures in rapid succession, as in a motion picture |
| Phi phenomenon | Apparent movement caused by flahsing lights in sequence, as on theater marguees |
| Physical illusion | Illusion due to distortion of information reaching receptor cells |
| Perceptual illusion | Illusion due to misleading cues in stimuli that give inaccuraate perceptions |
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