AP Psychology: Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception

PET scans

use a radioactive sugar injected into the bloodstream to track the activity of brain cells, which is enhanced and color- coded by a computer

Aerial perspective

the haziness that surrounds objects that are farther away from the viewer, causing the distance to be perceived as greater

PET scans

use a radioactive sugar injected into the bloodstream to track the activity of brain cells, which is enhanced and color- coded by a computer

Aerial perspective

the haziness that surrounds objects that are farther away from the viewer, causing the distance to be perceived as greater

Acetylcholine

is cleared out of the synapse by enzymes that break up the molecules

Serotonin

is associated with sleep, mood, and appetite

Myelin

insulates and protects the axons of neurons that travel in the body

Overlap (interposition):

the assumption that an object that appears to be blocking part of another object is in front of the second object and closer to the viewer

Dopamine

is associated with Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia

Contiguity

the tendency to perceive two things that happen close together in time as being related

Habituation

tendency of the brain to stop attending to constant, unchanging information sensory

Cochlea

snail- shaped structure of the inner ear that is filled with fluid.

Endorphins

are neural regulators that control our pain response Most neurotransmitters are taken back into the synaptic vesicles in a process called reuptake

Curare

is a poison that blocks its effect

Accommodation

as a monocular clue, the brain's use of information about the changing thickness of the lens of the eye in response to looking at objects that are close or far away

Synesthesia

disorder in which the signals from the various sensory organs are processed in the wrong cortical areas, resulting in the sense information being interpreted as more than one sensation

Parapsychology

the study of ESP, ghosts, and other subjects that do not normally fall into the realm of ordinary psychology

Adaptation

tendency of sensory receptor cells to become less responsive to a stimulus that is unchanging

thyroid gland

The is located inside the neck

EEG

The allows researchers to measure the electrical activity of the surface of the brain through the use of electrodes placed on the scalp

Afterimages

images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus is removed

thalamus

The is the relay station that sends sensory information to the proper areas of the cortex

Auditory canal

a short tunnel that runs from the pinna to the eardrum

reticular formation

The runs through the medulla and the pons and controls our wakefulness and arousal

limbic system

The consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and the fornix

pancreas

The controls the level of sugar in the blood by secreting insulin and glucagons

cortex

The is the outer covering of the cerebrum and consists of a tightly packed layer of neurons about one- tenth of an inch in thickness

special receptors

Sensation: the process that occurs when in the sense organs are activated, allowing various forms of outside stimuli to become neural signals in the brain

optic nerve

Blind spot: area in the retina where the axons of the three layers of retinal cells exit the eye to form the , insensitive to light

sexual growth

They secrete hormones to regulate , activity, and reproduction

gonads

The are the ovaries in women and testes in men

sleep wake

It secretes melatonin, a hormone that influences the cycle in humans and some animals in response to changes in light

metabolism

It controls (the burning of energy) by secreting thyroxin

Great strides

are being made in spinal cord repair and the growth of new neurons in the central nervous system.

sexual behavior

The hypothalamus controls hunger, thirst, sleep, , sleeping and waking, and emotions

Binocular disparity

: the difference in images between the two eyes, which is greater for objects that are close and smaller for distant objects

Transduction

: the process of converting outside stimuli, such as light, into neural activity

Rods

: visual sensory receptors found at the back of the retina, responsible for noncolor sensitivity to low

neuron

A(n) contains charged particles called ions

Gustation

the sensation of a taste

Hertz (Hz)

cycles or waves per second, a measurement of frequency

Proximity

the tendency to perceive objects that are close to each other as part of the same grouping

Neurotransmitters

may be either excitatory or inhibitory

left temporal lobe

An area called Wernicke's area in the is responsible for the understanding of language.

Olfaction (olfactory sense)

the sensation of smell

Auditory nerve

bundle of axons from the hair cells in the inner ear

attention

It stimulates muscles, is involved in arousal and , and helps in memory formation.

left frontal lobe

An area called Broca's area in the is responsible for producing fluent, understandable speech.

MRI scans--->

use a magnetic field and a computer to give researchers an even more detailed look at the structure of the brain

GABA

is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter; high amounts of GABA are released when drinking alcohol

CT scans

are computer-aided X- rays of the brain and show a great deal of brain structure

spinal column

The medulla is at the very bottom of the brain and top of the