Sensation and Perception Vocabulary

Flashcards on Sensation and Perception

Information processing

The process of converting physical energy to neural energy.

Sensation

A process that transduces physical energy into neural energy.

Transducers (in sensation)

Our eyes function as these in the process of sensation.

Perception

The process that involves selection, organization, and interpretation of stimuli.

Sensory threshold

The intensity at which one can detect a stimulus 50 percent of the time.

Difference threshold

The minimal difference that can be detected between two stimulus attributes.

Sensory adaptation

The process by which sensory experience tends to decrease with continued exposure to a stimulus.

Wavelength and hue

A red light has a longer wavelength than a blue light, hence a different hue.

Brightness

The physical intensity of a light.

Cornea

The outermost structure of the eye that protects the eye and begins to focus light waves.

Pupil

The opening in the eye that changes its size in relation to the amount of light available.

Lens

The structure in the eye that changes its shape to focus visual images.

Retina

The layers of cells at the back of the eye that contain the photoreceptive transducer cells for vision.

Blind spot

The small region of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye.

Rods

Photosensitive cells that are most active in low levels of illumination and that do not respond differentially to various wavelengths of light.

Pinna

Collects sound waves and sends them towards the eardrum.

Olfaction

The sense of smell.

Gustation

The sense of taste.

Cutaneous senses

Refers to touch.

Figure-ground relationship

The principle of perception that stimuli are selected and perceived as standing out from a background.

Similarity (principle of organization)

Stimuli are organized together to the extent they share common characteristics.

Closure (principle of organization)

We tend to perceive incomplete figures as a whole or as complete figures.

Retinal disparity

A binocular cue for the perception of depth.

Convergence

Our eyes turn inward to focus on a close object; a cue to distance.

Information processing (sub-processes)

Divided into sub-processes of sensation and perception.