PerLecture 1 - Introduction to Perception and Sensory Systems

Vocabulary flashcards covering early philosophical views on perception, eye anatomy, sensory processes, and types of perceptual illusions.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave (380BC)

An early philosophical exploration of the nature of perception.

Heraclitus (580BC)

Philosopher who argued that no two experiences of perception are the same and that a first experience changes how an event is subsequently perceived.

Vernon Mountcastle

Researcher who referred to perception as the logical inference of the energetic states of the world.

Berkeley (1685-1753)

Philosopher who concluded that all knowledge about the world must come from experience, noting that perception is limited by the information available to the eyes.

Rods and cones

Photoreceptors in the eye that receive light information.

Pupil

The part of the eye described as a window through which light enters.

Iris

The part of the eye that controls the light information received.

Cornea

A structure in the eye that refracts light, bending it towards the retina.

Lens

A structure in the eye that refracts light, bending it towards the retina.

Electromagnetic Sensitivity

Humans are sensitive to a narrow range of electromagnetic energy between ultraviolet and infrared.

Sensation

The process of receiving information from the environment.

Perception

The interpretation of sensory information, which depends on quantities in the world and qualities of the perceiver.

Olfactory Sensation Tracking

The use of two nostrils doubles efficiency in smell-tracking tasks.

Illusions

A perpetual departure from what can be measured.

Cognitive Illusions

Illusions caused by misapplied knowledge in interpreting or reading sensory signals.

Physiological Illusions

Illusions with a physical cause or explanation, such as excessive stimulation.

Motion aftereffect

The fatigue of direction-selective motion channels where staring at a moving stimulus makes static images appear to move in the opposite direction.

Skin conductance response (SCR)

A physiological index used to measure the emotional reaction to an illusion, such as when a manipulated body part is harmed.