Psy Unit 2

Sensation

The stimulation of sense organs.

Perception

The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.

Cones

Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight and color vision.

Rods

Specialized visual receptors for night vision and peripheral vision.

Adaptation

The process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination.

Trichromatic Theory

A theory stating human eyes have 3 receptors with differing sensitivity to wavelengths of light.

Color Blindness

A variety of deficiencies in the ability to distinguish among colors.

Perceptual Set

A readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.

Bottom-Up Processing

A progression from individual elements to the whole.

Top-Down Processing

A progression from the whole to the individual elements.

Thalamus

A part of the brain where senses, excluding smell, pass through to get to the cerebral cortex.

Cerebral Cortex

The area of the brain that processes sensory information.

Auditory Localization

The ability to locate the source of a sound in space.

Gustatory System

The sensory system for the sense of taste.

Sensory Adaptation

The gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged stimulation.

Gate Control Theory

The theory that pain sensations must pass through a 'gate' to the brain that can be closed to block pain signals.

Biological Rhythms

Periodic fluctuations in physiological functioning.

Circadian Rhythms

24-hour biological cycles that influence various body functions.

Sleep Stages

The different phases of sleep, including non-REM and REM.

Sleep Deprivation

Impaired attention, reaction time, motor coordination, and decision-making due to lack of sleep.

Freud's Dream Theory

Suggests dreams are a form of wish fulfillment that is not obvious.

Activation-Synthesis Model

The theory that dreams result from the brain synthesizing random neural signals.

Hypnosis

A systematic procedure typically producing heightened suggestibility.

Narcotics

Opiates that relieve pain and induce overwhelming euphoria.

Reinforcement

An event following a response that increases the tendency to make that response.

Punishment

An event following a response that decreases the tendency to make that response.

Conditioned Response

A learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus.

Extinction

The gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response.

Latent Learning

Learning that isn't apparent from behavior when it first occurs.

Preparedness

Species-specific predispositions to be conditioned in certain ways.

Stimulus Generalization

Using a learned response on similar stimuli.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of an extinguished response after a period of non-exposure.

Observational Learning

Learning influenced by observing others.

Retention

Storing a mental representation for later recall.

Motivation

The willingness to reproduce a learned response.

Conditioned Taste Aversion

A learned aversion to a food that occurs after illness.

Sensation

The stimulation of sense organs.

Perception

The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.

Cones

Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and color vision.

Rods

Specialized visual receptors for night vision and peripheral vision.

Adaptation

The process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination.

Trichromatic Theory

Theory stating that human eyes have three receptors with differing sensitivity to wavelengths of light (RGB).

Color Blindness

A variety of deficiencies in the ability to distinguish colors.

Perceptual Set

A readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.

Bottom-Up Processing

A progression from individual elements to the whole.

Top-Down Processing

A progression from the whole to the elements.

Thalamus

The part of the brain that processes senses (excluding smell) and sends them to the cerebral cortex.

Auditory Localization

Locating the source of a sound in space.

Gustatory System

The sensory system for the sense of taste, involving taste cells in taste buds.

Sensory Adaptation

Gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged stimulation.

Gate Control Theory

A theory stating that pain sensations must pass through a 'gate' in the spinal cord that can be closed, blocking pain signals.

Consciousness

Awareness of internal and external stimuli, including events and sensations.

Circadian Rhythms

Periodic fluctuations in physiological functioning that follow a 24-hour cycle.

NREM Sleep

Stages of sleep that are not characterized by rapid eye movements.

REM Sleep

Stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, dreaming, and high brain activity.

Hypnosis

A systematic procedure typically producing heightened suggestibility.

Narcotics

Drugs that relieve pain and induce overwhelming euphoria.

Reinforcement

The process where an event following a response increases the likelihood of that response being repeated.

Punishment

An event following a response that decreases the likelihood of that response being repeated.

Conditioned Stimulus

A learned stimulus that evokes a conditioned response.

Extinction

Gradual weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of an extinguished response after a period of non-exposure to the stimulus.

Observational Learning

Learning by observing others.

Motivation

The drive that influences the reproduction of a learned response.