Psychology (12th Ed. David G. Myers and C. Nathan DeWall) Chapter 6

stimulation of sense organs. raw sensory information

Sensation

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

Sensory Receptors

selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input. selectively processed sensory information. factors that influence: expectations, context, and emotions

Perception

the whole is the sum of its parts. example= the lines that make up an 'A'

Bottom-Up Processing

begins with sensory receptors, and works way up to brain. progress from low level individual elements, to the whole. used in bottom-up processing

Feature-Detector Approach

the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Top-Down Processing

begins with stored knowledge in the brain, and influence how we experience stimulation. progress from high level elements to details. used in top-down processing

Pattern-Recognition Approach

the transformation of stimulus energy (sights, sounds, smells) into neural impulses. the red is not inherently red

Transduction

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them

Psychophysics

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

Absolute Threshold

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a persons experience, expectations, motivations, and alertness

Signal Detection Theory

below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Subliminal Sensations

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing ones perception, memory, or response

Priming

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. we experience the _________ as a just noticeable difference (JND)

Difference Threshold

the principle that, to be percieved as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

Weber's Law

diminished sensitivity as a consquence of constant stimulation

Sensory Adaptation

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of gamma rays to the long pulses of radio transmission

Wavelength

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

Hue

the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave, which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness. ______ is determined by the processing of visual information

Intensity

the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual info

Retina

the process by which the eyes lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

Accommodation

retinal receptors that detect black, white, ang gray and are sensitive to movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones dont respond

Rods

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well lit conditions. ______ detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Cones

the nerve that carries neural impulses from eye to the brain

Optic Nerve

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there

Blind Spot

a variety of deficiencies in the ability to distinguish among colors

Color Blindness

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eyes cones cluster

Fovea

the theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptors: one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue-which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Young-Hemholtz Trichromatic (Three Color) Theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. for example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

Opponent-Process Theory

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

Feature Detectors

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brains natural mode of info processing for many functions, including vision

Parallel Processing

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to intergrate pieces of info into meaningful wholes

Gestalt

proximity, closure, continuity, similarity, simplicity

Gestalt Principle Grouping

we tend to group things that are near to each other

Gestalt Principle Grouping: Proximity

we group elements to create a sense of completeness or closure. may fill in the gaps to make sense of it

Gestalt Principle Grouping: Closure

we tend to connect points to create straight or curved lines along smooth paths

Gestalt Principle Grouping: Continuity

we group items that are similar

Gestalt Principle Grouping: Similarity

tend to organize forms in the simplest way possible

Gestalt Principle Grouping: Simplicity

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

Figure-Ground

a drawing/image that is compatible with 2 interpretations and can shift back and forth

Reversible Figure

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

Grouping

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

Depth Perception

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Visual Cliff

a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes

Binocular Cliff

a binocular cue for perceiving depth. by comparing retinal images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance-the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object

Retinal Disparity

a depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone

Monocular Cue

an illusion of movement created when lights blink on and off in quick succession

Phi Phenomenon

percieving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change

Perceptual Constancy

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artifically displaced or even inverted visual field

Perceptual Adaptation

the sense or act of hearing

Audition

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example, per second)

Frequency

intensity of vibration, related to loudness

Amplitude

a tones experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Pitch

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval window

Middle Ear

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

Cochlea

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

Inner Ear

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochleas receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss, also called nerve deafness

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

a less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Conduction Hearing Loss

a device for converiting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

Cochlear Implant

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochleas membrane is stimulated

Place Theory

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch (temporal theory)

Frequency Theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain spinals or allows them to pass on to the brain. the "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by info coming from the brain

Gate-Control Theory

a social interaction in which one person (the hypontist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

Hypnosis

a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others

Dissociation

a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypotized; used by some clincians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors

Posthypnotic Suggestion

the sense of smell

Olfaction

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Kinesthesia

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Vestibular Sense

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

Sensory Interaction

the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements

Embodied Cognition

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

Extrasensory Perception (ESP)

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

Parapsychology

a mental predisposition to percieve one thing and not another

Perceptual Set

a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed

Afterimage

slips-of-the-ear. example= "lady mondegreen" vs "laid him on the green"

Mondegreens