Biological Psychology - Vision ch 5

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminologies related to the study of vision in Biological Psychology, based on the lecture notes.

Law of specific nerve energies

States that activity by a particular nerve always conveys the same type of information to the brain.

Retina

The rear surface of the eye lined with visual receptors where light is focused.

Blind spot

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye where no visual receptors are present.

Amacrine cells

Cells that receive information from bipolar cells and send it to other bipolar, ganglion, or amacrine cells, controlling the ability of ganglion cells to respond to visual stimuli.

Rods

Receptors in the retina that are most abundant in the periphery of the eye and respond to faint light.

Cones

Receptors in the retina that are essential for color vision and more useful in bright light.

Trichromatic Theory

The theory that color perception occurs through the relative rates of response by three kinds of cones: short, medium, and long-wavelength.

Opponent-Process Theory

The theory suggesting that color perception occurs in terms of paired opposites, such as red-green and yellow-blue.

Photopigments

Chemicals contained in rods and cones that release energy when struck by light.

Saccades

Quick eye movements during which neural activity in the visual cortex decreases to prevent confusion or blurring of images.

Prosopagnosia

The impaired ability to recognize faces, often resulting from damage to the fusiform gyrus.

Motion Perception

The ability to detect movement, involving various brain areas including the middle-temporal cortex.

Aphantasia

The inability to visualize images in one's mind, which can be related to damage in the primary visual cortex.

Visual Agnosia

The inability to recognize objects despite having satisfactory vision, typically due to damage in the temporal cortex.

Brightness Constancy

The ability to perceive the brightness of an object as constant even under varying lighting conditions.

Color Vision Deficiency

An impairment in perceiving color differences, commonly caused by genetic factors affecting cone photopigments.

Ventral stream

The visual pathway that goes through the temporal cortex, specialized for identifying and recognizing objects.

Dorsal stream

The visual pathway in the parietal cortex, important for visually guided movements.