AP Psych 🧠 1C Test Terms

Sensory Adaption

Over time, due to constant exposure or stimulation, sensory receptors become less responsive.

• “Nose blind” to fragrences

Synesthesia

Condition in which stimuli of one sensory pathway leads to automic, involuntary experience in another pathway.

• Seeing particular color when hearing subject: “Math is blue.”

Sensation

Process by which receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from environment

• sense of warmth; sends signals to brain

Perception

Organizing and interpreting sensory info to make sense of world (often influenced by past experiences and context)

Transduction

Conversion of sensory stimuli into neural impulses as understood by brain

• Physical energy →electrochemical signals

• Enables brain to interpret and perceive sensory (as in perception)

Absolute Threshhold

Minimum amount of stimulation required for the stimulus to be detected by sensory system

• Stimulus becomes noticable to indiv. at least 50% of time

Just-Noticeable Difference (JND)

Smallest change in stimulus detected by individual

• Minimal distance needed for person to perceive change has occured

Weber’s Law

Perceived difference in stimulus must be proporitonal to original intensity of stimuli

• Bigger something is, more you need to change it to notice a difference.

Retina

Light-sensitive inner surface of eye

• Contains photoreceptor cells

• Light→Neural signals

Photoreceptor Cells: Rods

Responsible for vision in low-light ocnditions and detecting motion

• Provide b&w vision; highly sensitive to light

Photoreceptor Cells: Cones

Responsible for color vision and detail (fine visual details)

• reading text, distinguishing b/w hues

Fovea

Central area of retina

• sharp critical vision b/c high concentration of cone cells (no rods)

• Detailed, colored vision

Blind spot

On retina: where optic nerve exits the eye (lacking photorecptor cells)

• Vision absent b/c no light-sensitive cells to detect stimuli

Ganglion Cells (within retina)

• Neurons in retina receive visual info from bipolar and transmit it to brain via optic nerve

• Process visual signals → relay them

Accommodation

• lens of eye changes its shape to focus on objects of different distance

• = clear vision of far/close objects by adjusting curviture of lens

Nearsightedness

• Vision condition where close objects are quite clear but distant objects are blurry

• Caused by eyeball being too curved (light focuses in front of retina instead of on it)

Farsightedness

• Distant objects are seen more clearly than close objects

• Eyeball is too short or cornea too flat; light focuses behind retina rather than directly on it.

Trichromatic Theory

• proposes color vision is based on 3 types of cone receptors sensitive to distinct wavelengths of light (Red, Green, Blue)

• Brain combines signals from the cones to form a wide perception of colors

Opponent-Process Theory

• Proposes color vision based on paris of opposing color process (green-red, blue-yellow, black-white)

• Activiation of one color, inhibits other

Afterimages

Visual sensations persist after stimulus removed

• Due to temporary overstimulation of cone cells in retina → brief perception of inverted or complimentary image

Dichromatism

• Type of color vision deficiency

• Only 2 types of functioning cone cells (not 3)

• Results in difficulty distinguishing b/w certain colors like reds and greens

Monochromatism

• Rare form of color blindness

• Only 1 functioning cone cell (or none at all)

• Inability to perceive colors at all; world in shades of gray

Blindsight

Phenomenon where individual w/ damage to visual cortex can respond to visual stimuli without constantly perceiving them

• Suggests: Some visual processing can occur unconsciously by bypassing traditional pathways in brain

Prosopagnosia

• neurological condition of the inability to recognize familiar faces despite intact vision and intellect

• “Face blindness”

Wavelength

Distance b/w soundwave peaks

• Shorter wavelengths = higher pitch

• Longer wavelengths = lower pitcher

Amplitude

• Measure of intensity or loudness of a sound wave

• The “higher the amplitude, the higher the noise”

Pitch perception

• Brain’s interpretation of frequency of sound waves; determines whether sound is high or low in tone

• higher frequencies perceived as higher pitches

Place Theory

Idea that diff. parts of inner ear detect different sound frequencies

• HIgher pitches sensed near entrance; lower near end

Frequency Theory

• Sound wave directly corresponds to rate at which nerve fibers fire

• Higher frequency of sounds →faster firing rates and higher perceived pitches

Volley Theory

Has to do w/ pitch perception

• Groups of auditory neurons fire in rapid succession or “volleys” to encode frequency of sounds greater than 1000 hz.

• Allows brain to perceive pitches above 1000 Hz that exceed firing rate of ind. neurons.

Sound localization

Ability to locate loction of sound source in space

• relies on cues, such as difference b/w ears, as well as spectral cues, to locate sounds

Conduction deafness

Hearing impairment due to problems w/ outer or middle ear →damage to ear canal or eardrum or other middle ear bones

• Difficulty hearing soft sounds

• Treated medically or surgically (temporary)

Sensorineural Deafness

• Hearing loss due to damage to inner ear or auditory nerve

• difficulty hearing soft sounds or understanding speech

• Permanent

• aging, loud noise exposure, medical conditions

Sensory Interaction

• Principle that one sense can influence another

• Smell influences taste

• Senses work together → form perception of world

Olfactory Systems

• Responsible for smell

• Special receptors in nose detect smells and send signals to brain via olfactory nerve

• Thalamus helps process this info later → identify distinct odors

Pheromones

• Chemical substances released by animals and humans; trigger social/behavioral responses in other

• Role in communication, mating, territorial marking

Gustation

Sense of taste involving receptors on tongue → detecting diff. flavors

• These receptors are specialized cells on tongue and in mouth

Supertasters

• Highly sensitive to taste

• Experience flavors intensely, bitterly

Medium Tasters

Avg. sensitivity to flavors; experience is moderate

Nontasters

• less sensitive

• Experience flavors less intensely than ohers

War/Cold Receptors

• Sensory neurons in skin detect change in temp

• Warmp receptors respond to increase; vice versa

Pain

• Emotional response to stimuli

• (Pain consistent to tissue damage fits traditional understanding)

• In some instances, pain is subjective to stimuli

Gate-control theory

• proposes experience of pain modulated by neural gate in spinal chord

• Gate can open to allow pain signals to be transmitted to brain, or close to block em

Phantom limb

• sensation of pain or other feelings in missing limb; occurs due to brain’s continued perception of limb despite it no longer being there

• Sensations range from tingling to intense pain; thought to be from plasticity in somatosensory cortex following amputation

Vestibular Sense

• Sense of body orientation and movement → balance and spatial awareness

• Relies on receptors in inner ear that detect changes in head position and movement = maintain stability, coordinate bodily functions

semicircular canals

• fluid-filled structures in inner ear detect rotational movement of head

• Crucial role in vestibular sense → maintain balance and coordination by sending brain signals about changes in head position

Kinesthesis

• Sense of bodily movement and position

• Awareness of muscle and joint sensations

• allows us to perceive and control body’s movements

• Provides feedback to brain about position and orientation of body parts