PSYC100 Sensation pt 1

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary and concepts from the PSYC100 lecture notes.

Epigenetics

The study of how environmental influences can affect gene expression and inheritance.

Sensation

The process of detecting physical energy from the environment and converting it into neural signals.

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information to understand the environment.

Transduction

The conversion of physical energy (e.g., light waves) into neural signals by sensory receptors.

Bottom-Up Processing

A method of perception that starts with the sensory input and builds up to the final perception.

Top-Down Processing

A method of perception that starts with the brain's expectations or prior knowledge to understand sensory information.

Binocular Depth Cues

Visual information taken in by both eyes that aids in depth perception.

Monocular Depth Cues

Visual cues that require only one eye to perceive depth.

Prosopagnosia

A neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize faces.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum level of stimulus intensity needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

Difference Threshold

The smallest difference in stimulus intensity that a listener can detect 50% of the time.