vision & audition

retina

Back of the eye that detects light and helps us see.

Fovea

the center of the retina

Rods

Help you see in dim light; detect black and white.

Cones

Help you see color and fine details; work best in bright light.

Trichromatic Theory

We see color using 3 types of cones: red, green, and blue.

Opponent-Process Theory

Colors work in opposing pairs: red/green, blue/yellow, and black/white.

Dorsal pathway

helps you locate objects and guide movement.

Ventral pathway

helps you recognize objects.

Visual agnosia

inability to recognize

objects

Prosopagnosia

inability to recognize

familiar faces

Monocular cues

Depth clues that require only ONE eye.

Binocular cues

Depth clues that require BOTH eyes.

Retinal disparity

each eye sees a slightly different image (Binocular)

convergence

eyes turn inward (Binocular)

Multimodal perception

Using multiple senses (sight, hearing, touch, etc.) together to understand something.

Synaesthesia

When one sense automatically triggers another (e.g., seeing colors when hearing music).

Transduction

When sensory receptors convert physical energy (like light or sound) into electrical signals the brain can understand.

Photoreceptors

Cells in the retina (rods and cones) that detect light.

Cornea

Clear outer covering of the eye that helps focus light.

Cochlea

Spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals.

Ganglion cells

Retinal cells that send visual information toward the brain.

Eardrum

Thin membrane that vibrates when sound waves hit it.