sensation and perception psych faglioni
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31 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 absolute threshold | the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time |
| accommodation | the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina |
| audition | the sense or act of hearing |
| blind spot | the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a spot that has no receptor cells are located there |
| bottom-up processing | analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information |
| cochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses |
| conduction hearing loss | hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea |
| cones | retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. They detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations. |
| feature detectors | nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement |
| fovea | the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster |
| frequency theory | 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 |
| gate- control theory | the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "___" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "___" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain. |
| kinesthesis | the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts |
| opponent- process theory | 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 |
| optic nerve | the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain |
| parallel processing | the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving. |
| perception | the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events |
| pupil | the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters |
| retina | the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information |
| rods | retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond |
| selective attention | the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect |
| sensation | Process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive stimulus energy. |
| sensorineural hearing loss | hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness |
| sensory adaption | diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation |
| sensory interaction | the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste |
| subliminal | below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness |
| top-down processing | information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations |
| transduction | conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret. |
| vestibular sense | the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance |
| Weber's law | the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount) |
| young- helmholtz trichromatic theory | the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors—one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue—which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color. |
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