Sensation and Perception Review

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to sensation and perception, providing essential concepts for exam preparation.

Sensation

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

Perception

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Bottom-Up Processing

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information.

Top-Down Processing

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

Selective Attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

Transduction

Conversion of one form of energy into another; in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies into neural impulses.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulation necessary to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.

Signal Detection Theory

A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation.

Subliminal

Below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Priming

The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.

Difference Threshold

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time.

Weber’s Law

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage.

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Perceptual Set

A mental disposition to perceive one thing and not another.

Extrasensory Perception (ESP)

The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input.

Wavelength

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

Hue

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

Intensity

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, perceived as brightness or loudness.

Pupil

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

Iris

A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye.

Lens

The transparent structure behind the pupil that helps focus images on the retina.

Retina

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing receptor rods and cones.

Accommodation

The process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects.

Rods

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision.

Cones

Retinal receptor cells that function in daylight and detect fine detail and color.

Optic Nerve

The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.

Blind Spot

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a 'blind' spot.

Fovea

The central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster.

Feature Detectors

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

Parallel Processing

The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously.

Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory

The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors.

Opponent-Process Theory

The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision.

Gestalt

An organized whole; emphasizes our tendency to integrate pieces of information.

Figure-Ground

The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings.

Depth Perception

The ability to see objects in three dimensions; allows us to judge distance.

Binocular Cues

Depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues available to either eye alone.

Perceptual Constancy

Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change.

Audition

The sense or act of hearing.

Frequency

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

Pitch

A tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.

Cochlea

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear that triggers nerve impulses.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or auditory nerves.

Cochlear Implant

A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve.

Gate-Control Theory

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that blocks pain signals.

Kinesthesis

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

Vestibular Sense

The sense of body movement and position, including balance.

Sensory Interaction

The principle that one sense may influence another.