Sensation and perception vocab set

Sensation

The way sensory receptors and the nervous system receive information

Sensory Receptors

Sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

Perception

Organizing and interpreting sensory information

Bottom Up Processing

Starting with sensory input

Top Down Processing

Expectation influencing the perception of something

Transduction

Converting one form of energy to another

Psychophysics

Relationships between physical characteristics of stimuli and our psychologic experience of them

Absolute Threshold

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

Signal Detection Theory

How and when we detect the presence of faint stimulus amid background stimulus

Difference Threshold/JND

The minimum difference required for detection 50% of the time

Weber’s Law

Two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity to stimuli as a consequence of constant stimulation

Perceptual Set

Mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Accomodation

When the eye lens changes shape to focus near and far objects

Rods

Sensory receptor in the eye that transduces light waves to neural impulses

Cones

Sensory receptors in the eye that detect fine detail and color

Young Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory

Theory that says the retina contains three different types of color cones

Opponent Process Theory

Theory that says cone photoreceptors are paired together and that the activation of one color of the pair inhibits activation of the other

Depth Perception

The ability to see objects in three dimensions

Binocular Cue

Depth cues that depend on the use of two eyes

Retinal Disparity

Comparing two retinal images

Monocular Cue

Depth cues available to each eye separately

Phi Phenomenon

Illusion when two or more lights blink in quick succession

Place Theory

Different sound waves trigger activity in different spots of the basilar membrane

Frequency Theory

The brain reads pitch by monitoring the frequency of neural impulses