neurological disorder characterized by an inability to recognize and identify objects or persons using one or more of the senses
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sensation
The process of detecting environmental stimuli or stimuli arising from the body
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perception
The process of interpreting sensory information
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psychophysics
The study of relationships between the physical qualities of stimuli and the subjective responses they produce
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signal detection theory
The analysis of sensory and decision-making processes in the detection of faint, uncertain stimuli
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absolute threshold
The smallest amount of stimulus that can be detected
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difference threshold
The smallest detectable difference between two stimuli
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sensory adaptation
The tendency to pay less attention to a nonchanging source of stimulation
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audition
The sense of hearing
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binocular cue
A depth cue that requires the use of both eyes
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bottom-up processing
Perception based on building simple input into more complex perceptions
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top-down processing
A perceptual process in which memory and other cognitive processes are required for interpreting incoming sensory information
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cochlea
The structure in the inner ear that contains auditory receptors
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cones
A photoreceptor in the retina that processes colour and fine detail
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cornea
The clear surface at the front of the eye that begins the process of directing light to the retina
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depth perception
The ability to use the two-dimensional image projected on the retina to perceive three dimensions
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difference threshold
The smallest detectable difference between two stimuli
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fovea
An area of the retina that is specialized for highly detailed vision
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somatosensory homunculus
a map along the cerebral cortex of where each part of the body is processed
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mechanoreceptors
a type of somatosensory receptors which relay extracellular stimulus to intracellular signal transduction through mechanically gated ion channels
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nocireceptors
pain receptors activated by damaged stimuli
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gate control theory
The theory that suggests that input from touch fibres competes with input from pain receptors, possibly preventing pain messages from reaching the brain
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gustation
The sense of taste
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gestalt principles
similarity, continuation, closure, proximity, figure/ground, and symmetry & order
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iris
The brightly coloured circular muscle surrounding the pupil of the eye
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lens
The clear structure behind the pupil that bends light toward the retina
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monocular cue
A depth cue that requires the use of only one eye
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motion parallax
objects that are farther away seem to move more slowly than objects that are closer
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olfaction
The sense of smell
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olfactory bulb
One of two structures below the frontal lobes of the brain that receive input from the olfactory receptors in the nose
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olfactory nerve
A nerve carrying olfactory information from the olfactory receptors to the olfactory bulbs
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opponent process theory
A theory of colour vision that suggests we have a red-green colour channel and a blue-yellow colour channel in which activation of one colour in each pair inhibits the other colour
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optic nerve
The nerve exiting the retina of the eye
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pupil
An opening formed by the iris
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retina
Layers of visual processing cells in the back of the eye
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retinal disparity
The difference between the images projected onto each eye
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rod
A photoreceptor specialized to detect dim light
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taste bud
A structure found in papillae that contains taste receptor cells
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transduction
The translation of incoming sensory information into neural signals
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trichromatic theory
A theory of colour vision based on the existence of different types of cones for the detection of short, medium, and long wavelengths
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vestibular system
The system in the inner ear that provides information about body position and movement
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synesthesia
A condition where the stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to the simultaneous and automatic stimulation of another sensory pathway
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temporal pathway (ventral stream)
The “what” visual pathway that extends from the occipital lobe into the temporal lobe
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parietal pathway (dorsal stream)
The “where” visual pathway that extends from the occipital lobe into the parietal lobe
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split brain
patients in whom the corpus callosum has been cut for the alleviation of medically intractable epilepsy
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contralateral organization
the arrangement whereby the motor cortex of each cerebral hemisphere is mainly responsible for control of movements of the contralateral (opposite) side of the body
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figure ground relationship
whatever isn’t the focus of visual field is automatically assigned as background
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illusory contours
tendency to perceive contours even when they don’t exist
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interpreter
left hemisphere process that attempts to make sense out of events
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fusiform face area
area of the brain that becomes particularly active when people look at faces
Studied by 28 people
