Fichas de aprendizaje AP Psychology: Chapter 4 | Quizlet

Sensation

Sensation

The process by which stimulation of a sensory receptor produces neural impulses that the brain interprets as a sound,a visual image, an odor, a taste, a pain, or other sensory image. Sensation represents the first series of steps in processing of incoming information.

Perception

A process that makes sensory patterns meaningful. It is perception that makes these words meaningful, rather than just a string of visual patterns. To make this happen, perception draws heavily on memory, motivation, emotion, and other psychological processes.

Transduction

Transformation of one form of energy into another-especially the transformation of stimulus information into nerve signals by the sense organs. Without transduction, ripe tomatoes would not appear red (or pinkish-gray, in the case of tomatoes purchased in many grocery stores).

Sensory adaptation

Loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while, as when a swimmer becomes adapted to the temperature of the water.

Absolute threshold

The amount of stimulation necessary for a stimulus to be detected. In practice, this means that the presence or absence of a stimulus is detected correctly half the time over many trials.

Difference threshold

The smallest amount by which a stimulus can be changed and the difference be detected half the time.

Just noticeable difference (IND)

Same as the difference threshold.

Weber's Law

This concept says that the size of a IND is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus; the IND is large when the stimulus intensity is high and is small when the stimulus intensity is low. (This concept has no connection with Ann Weber, one of your authors.)

Fechner's Law

The magnitude of a stimulus can be estimated by the formula

5 = k log R, where S = sensation, R = stimulus,

and k = a constant that differs for each sensory

modality (sight, touch, temperature, etc.).

Steven's power law

Alaw of magnitude estimation that is more accurate than Fechner's law and covers a wider variety of stimuli. It is represented by the formula S= kJ°, where S = sensation, k = a constant,

1 = stimulus intensity, and a = a power exponent

that depends on the sense being measured.

Signal Detection Theory

Explains how we detect "signals," consisting of stimulation affecting our eyes, ears, nose, skin, and other sense organs. Signal detection theory says that sensation is a judgment the sensory system makes about incoming stimulation.

Often, it occurs outside of consciousness. In contrast to older theories from psychophysics, signal detection theory takes observer characteristics into account.

Retina

The thin, light-sensitive layer at the back of the eyeball. The retina contains millions of photoreceptors and other nerve cells.

Photoreceptors

Light-sensitive cells (neurons) in the retina that convert light energy to neural impulses. The photoreceptors are as far as light gets into the visual system.

Rods

Photoreceptors in the retina that are especially sensitive to dim light but not to colors. Strange as it may seem, they are rod-shaped.

Cones

Photoreceptors in the retina that are especially sensitive to colors but not to dim light. You may have guessed that the cones are cone-shaped.

Fovea

The tiny area of sharpest vision in the retina.

Optic nerve

The bundle of neurons that carries visual information from the retina to the brain.

Blind spot

The point where the optic nerve exits the eye and where there are no photoreceptors. Any stimulus that falls on this area cannot be seen.

Brightness

A psychological sensation caused by the intensity of light waves.

Color

Also called hue. Color is not a property of things in the external world. Rather, it is a psychological sensation created in the brain from information obtained by the eyes from the wavelengths of visible light.

Electromagnetic spectrum

The entire range of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves, X rays, microwaves, and visible light.

Visible spectrum

The tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive. The visible spectrum of other creatures may be slightly different from our own.

Trichromatic theory

The idea that colors are sensed by three different types of cones sensitive to light in the red, blue, and green wavelengths. The trichromatic theory explains the earliest stage of color sensation.

Opponent-process theory

The idea that cells in the visual system process colors in complementary pairs, such as red or green or as yellow or blue. The opponent-process theory explains color sensation from the bipolar cells onward in the visual system.

Afterimages

Sensations that linger after the stimulus is removed. Most visual afterimages are negative afterimages, which appear in reversed colors.

Color blindness

Typically a genetic disorder (although sometimes the result of trauma, as in the case of Jonathan) that prevents an individual from discriminating certain colors. The most common form is red-green color blindness.

Frequency

The number of cycles completed by a wave in a given amount of time, usually a second.

Amplitude

The physical strength of a wave. This is usually measured from peak (top) to valley (bottom) on a graph of the wave.

Tympanic membrane

The eardrum.

Cochlea

The primary organ of hearing; a coiled tube in the inner ear, where sound waves are transduced into nerve messages.

basilar membrane

A thin strip of tissue sensitive to vibrations in the cochlea. The basilar membrane contains hair cells connected to neurons. When a sound wave causes the hair cells to vibrate, the associated neurons become excited. As a result, the sound waves are converted (transduced) into nerve activity.

Loudness

A sensory characteristic of sound produced by the amplitude (intensity)

of the sound wave.

Timbre

The quality of a sound wave that derives from the wave's complexity (combination of pure tones). Timbre comes from the Greek word for "drum,' ," as does the term tympanic membrane, or eardrum.

Conduction deafness

An inability to hear resulting from damage to structures of the middle or inner ear.

Nerve Deafness (sensorineural deafness)

An inability to hear, linked to a deficit in the body's ability to transmit impulses from the cochlea to the brain, usually involving the auditory nerve or higher auditory processing centers.

Vestibular nerve

The sense of body orientation with respect to gravity. The vestibular sense is closely associated with the inner ear and, in fact, is carried to the brain on a branch of the auditory nerve.

Kinesthetic sense

The sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each other (also called kinesthesis).

Olfaction

The sense of smell.

Pheromones

Chemical signals released by organisms to communicate with other members of their species. Pheromones are often used by animals as sexual attractants. It is unclear whether or not humans employ pheromones.

Gustation

The sense of taste-from the same word root as "gusto"-also called the gustatory sense.

Skin senses

Sensory systems for processing touch, warmth, cold, texture, and pain.

Gate-control theory

An explanation for pain control that proposes we have a neural

"gate" that can, under some circumstances, block incoming pain signals.

Placebo effect

A response to a placebo (a fake drug), caused by subjects' belief that they are taking real drugs.