1.6a,b,c

top-down processing

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

subliminal

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

perception

the process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information, enabling us to recognize objects and events as meaningful

weber’s law

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

priming

the activation often unconsciously of certain associations thus predisposing one's perception memory or response

Psychophysics

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

Sensation

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environments

Different threshold

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for a detection 50% of the time

Sensory adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

absolute threshold

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

Bottom up processing

Information processing that begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information

transduction

Conversion of one form of energy into another. In Sensation the transforming of physical energy such as sight sound and smells into neural impulses the brain can interpret period

Signal detection Theory

A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid a background stimulation period assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on aperson’’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness

sensory receptors

Sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

Trichromatic Theory

the theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptors which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color

Intensity

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness

Parallel processing

processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously

Wavelength

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

Opponent - processing Theory

The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision

Accommodation

The process by which the eyes lens change shape to focus images of near or far objects on the retina

Feature detectors

Nerve cells in the brain's visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus such as shape angle or movement

hue

The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

Conduction hearing loss

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

Pitch

A tone’s experienced Highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Place Theory

In hearing the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

Frequency

The number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

Cochlear implant

A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes thread it into the cochlea

Frequency Theory

In hearing the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling of the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone thus enabling us to sense its pitch

Audition

The sense or act of hearing

Sensorineural hearing loss

The most common form of hearing loss, caused by damage the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerve