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Sensation and Perception

Terms in this set (62)

Sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
Perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
Parapsychology
the study of mental phenomena that are excluded from or inexplicable by orthodox scientific psychology (such as hypnosis, telepathy, etc.)
Top-Down Thinking
processing and states that we form perceptions (or focus our attention) by starting with the larger concept or idea (it can even be the concept or idea of an object) and then working our way down
Selective Attention
he capacity for or process of reacting to certain stimuli selectively when several occur simultaneously.
Inattentional Blindness
is the event in which an individual fails to recognize an unexpected stimulus that is in plain sight
Change Blindness
is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when a change in a visual stimulus goes unnoticed by the observer
Psychophysics
he branch of psychology that deals with the relationships between physical stimuli and mental phenomena
Absolute Threshold
the lowest level of stimulation that a person can detect
Single detection theory
the detection of a stimulus depends on both the intensity of the stimulus and the physical and psychological state of the individual. Your ability or likelihood to detect some stimulus is affected by the intensity of the stimulus
Subliminal
(of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone's mind without their being aware of it.
Audition
the sense of hearing
Priming
is an acuteness to stimuli because of exposure to a certain event or experience. For example, an individual who has just purchased a new car may now start to notice with more frequency other people driving her same make and model.
Frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
Difference Threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference
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