Key Terms in Sensation and Perception

These flashcards cover key concepts in sensation and perception to aid in exam preparation.

The __ is the smallest amount of stimulus energy that can be detected 50% of the time.

absolute threshold

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects is called __.

accommodation

Visual sharpness or clarity is referred to as __.

acuity

The sense of hearing is known as __.

audition

The __ is a structure in the inner ear that contains the hair cells responsible for hearing.

basilar membrane

Depth cues that rely on both eyes working together are known as __.

binocular depth cues

The area in the retina where there are no photoreceptor cells is called the __.

blind spot

The process of perception that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information is known as __.

bottom-up processing

The spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear responsible for converting sound vibrations into neural signals is the __.

cochlea

A condition where an individual has difficulty distinguishing colors is known as __.

color blindness

The photoreceptors responsible for color vision are called __.

cones

The transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris and pupil is called the __.

cornea

The adjustment of the eye to low light conditions is referred to as __.

dark adaptation

The ability to perceive three-dimensional space and distance is known as __.

depth perception

Cells in the visual cortex that respond to specific features of a visual stimulus, such as edges or motion, are called __.

feature detector cells

The central pit in the retina where visual acuity is highest is called the __.

fovea

The phenomenon where a person fails to perceive an unexpected stimulus in plain sight is known as __.

inattentional blindness

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time is known as the __.

just noticeable difference

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina is called the __.

lens

Depth cues that can be perceived with one eye are known as __.

monocular depth cues

The sense of smell is referred to as __.

olfaction

The theory that suggests color perception is controlled by the activity of three opponent systems is known as __.

opponent process theory

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye that regulates the amount of light entering is called the __.

pupil

The light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye is known as the __.

retina

The photoreceptors responsible for vision in low light conditions are called __.

rods

The ability to focus on certain stimuli while ignoring others is known as __.

selective attention

The three fluid-filled bony chambers in the inner ear responsible for balance are called the __.

semicircular canals

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment is called __.

sensation

Cells in the senses that detect specific types of stimuli are referred to as __.

sense receptor

The decreased sensitivity to a constant level of stimulation is known as __.

sensory adaptation

The theory that predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation is called __.

signal detection theory

The sense that helps maintain balance and spatial orientation is known as __.

vestibular sense

The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage for their difference to be perceived is known as __.

Weber's law

The brain's ability to simultaneously process incoming stimuli of differing quality is referred to as __.

parallel processing.