sense

afterimage

a visual experience that occurs after the original source of stimulation is no longer present

the rods and cones in your eyes are still firing to the original stimulus which causes you to see an "afterimage"

accommodation

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

adaptation

when you become used to a constant stimuli. Like if you wear a watch on one wrist you will get used to it and it will be normal or if you have your phone in one pocket it will feel natural.

conduction

the transmission of excitation along a nerve, muscle, or other tissue

conversion disorder

A rare somatoform disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found.

The patient thinks they have a medical condition but it is actually just a psychological factor... there isn't any real pain but the patient believes there is

constancy

the tendency of animals and humans to see familiar objects as having standard shape, size, color, or location regardless of changes in the angle of perspective, distance, or lighting.

depth perception

Binocular cues and monocular cues that allow us to judge the distance of objects

monocular cues

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye
*linear perspective and texture gradient: when something is closer we notice it to have more detail but when something is further away we do not notice as many details
*Interposition: when something is blocking or obstructing your vision, you interpret it to be close

binocular cues

visual information taken in by two eyes that enable us a sense of depth perception, or stereopsis
*Retinal disparity: a binocular cue for perceiving depth
*Your brain compares the two images produced by your eyes to help judge distance

inner ear

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

responsible for maintaining balance

color blindness

the inability to discriminate between colors and to perceive color hues. Color blindness may be caused by disease, drugs, or brain injury, but it is also an inherited trait

cones

detect color, fine detail, and mainly located in fovea (mainly used for brighter environments)

thalamus processing

A sensory impulse travels from the body surface towards the thalamus, which receives it as a sensation. This sensation is then passed onto the cerebral cortex for interpretation as touch, pain or temperature.

gustatory senses

Taste is picked up by these which are located on our tongues and are linked to our olfactory senses (smell). Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and spicy flavors are processed through our gustatory sense.

closure

the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete

proximity

we tend to group nearby figures together

similarity

the way that your brain organizes things - we tend to group nearby things that look similar.

feature analysis

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.

phi phenomenon

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in a quick succession.
*Ex: you flash a light and it resembles a moving arrow.

difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. We experience the it as just a noticeable difference.

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

subliminal perception

the perception of a series of stimulus which the person is not consciously aware of and gets under the influence involuntarily

kinesthetic sense

the sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each other

vestibular sense

also known as the movement, gravity and/or balance sense, allows us to move smoothly. We are able to maintain our balance while engaged in activities because of this sense.

top down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

bottom up processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information

The input of sensory information from the external environment is received by our sensory receptors and not influenced by our own information.

rods

detect black, white, and gray... used for peripheral and night vision