Studied by 2 people
sensation
the process by which a stimulated receptor (eyes, ears) creates a pattern of neural messages that represent the stimulus in the brain
perception
a mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to incoming sensory patterns
bottom up processing
analysis that begins with sense receptors then goes to the brain and mind
top down processing
guided by higher level processing as we construct perceptions
perceptual set
mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another because of top down processing
cocktail party effect
we are able to block out other stimuli to focus on one thing
inattentional blindness
we don’t notice something right infront of us because we aren’t paying attention
change blindness
failure to notice sudden changes (merging lanes into cyclists)
psychophysics
relationship between physical stimuli and our psychological experiences
absolute threshold
minimum amount of stimulation needed to detect something (candle flame seen from 30ft on a clear night)
subliminal threshold
when stimuli are below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness
difference thresholds
the smallest amount of detectable change
weber’s law
to perceive as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage
signal detection theory (SDT)
predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus, assumes there is no single absolute threshold
sensory adaptation
diminished physical sensitivity as a consequence of a constant (going into cold pool)
habituation
focuses on the cognitive/perceptual level
transduction
the sensory process that converts light/sound waves into a neural message
hue
dimension of color determined by wavelength
intensity
amount of energy in a wave determined by amplitude
cornea
outer covering of eye
pupil
adjustable center of eye where light enters
iris
dilates and constricts to change light intensity
lens
transparent structure behind pupil that changes shape to focus on images on the retina
accommodation
lens focusing on retina
nearsightedness
near objects are clearer
farsightedness
far objects are clearer
acuity
sharpness of vision
retina
light sensitive inner surface, contains rods and cones and layers of neurons that begin visual processing
blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, no receptor cells
fovea
central focus point in the retina
ganglion cells
neurons that connect to the bipolar cells, axons create the optic nerve
bipolar cells
neurons that connect rods and cones to the ganglion cells
optic chiasm
where optic nerves from each eye cross into opposite sides of the brain
visual pathway
axon of ganglion cells form optic nerve, half go to opposite hemisphere, while the rest go to the LGN
feature detectors
nerve cells that respond to specific features
parallel processing
motion, form, depth, color
trichromatic theory
retina receptors are sensitive to blue red and green
opponent process theory
hering, we process colors in pairs, red-green blue-yellow black-white
gestalt theory
argues that the brain forms a perceptual whole that is more than the sum of its sensory parts
grouping
we tend to group things based on proximity, continuity, and closure
law of pragnanz
we see the simplest organization, requires the least cognitive effort
binocular depth cues
uses both eyes
retinal disparity
images differ from each eye
convergence
moving eyes inward to see near objects
relative size
closer objects are larger
interposition
something infront is closer
linear perspective
lines converge in distance
relative motion/object parallax
closer objects seem to move faster
texture gradient
we see more texture closer
motion perception
changing size of objects
stroboscopic movement
animated movement
phi phenomenon
illusion of movement, flashing lighted signs
perceptual constancy
we see objects as stable even seeing it from different views (we don’t think someone shrank when they don’t)
moon illusion
when the moon is close to the horizon, it looks larger
ponzo illusions
size illusions, far away looks larger
critical period
you need visual stimulation by a certain age, or else it will negatively impact vision
perceptual adaptation
how we adapt to perceptual changes (upside down glasses)
frequency
the number of cycles completed by a wave in a given amount of time
amplitude
physical strength of a wave, volume
eardrum
vibrates sound
hammer, anvil, stirrup
bones in the ear that vibrate cochlea
cochlea
has fluid that vibrates to basilar membrane to auditory nerve which sends signal to thalamus then temporal lobe
place theory
the pitch we hear affects where the cochlea is vibrated
frequency theory
brain identifies pitch of sounds according to how rapidly nerve impulses fire
valley principle
neural cells alternate firing in rapid succession
Note 
Flashcard (123)