MEGA Unit 3 Correction

Wavelength

Distance from one wave peak to the next

Hue

Dimension of color determined by the wavelength of light

Intensity

Amount of energy the wave contains

Cornea

The eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris

Pupil

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

Iris

Ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Lens

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

Retina

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

Rods

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond

Cones

Retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Bipolar cells

cells in the visual system that connect the photoreceptors (rods and cones) to the ganglion cells

Ganglion cells

cells in the retina that receive visual information from the photoreceptors via the bipolar cells, and pass the information on to the brain

Optic nerve

Nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Blindspot

Part of the eye that has no receptor cells, because it is where the optic nerve leaves the eye, the brain fills in this hole, creating a blind spot

Fovea

Central focus point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster

Feature detectors

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

Parallel processing

Processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions

Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory

The theory that the retina contains three different types of color--one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue--which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

Opponent-Process Theory

Theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision

Depth perception

Ability to see three-dimensional objects even though the images that strike our retinas are two-dimensional

Binocular cues

A depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes

Monocular cues

A depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone

Perceptual constancy

Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

Audition

Hearing

Amplitude

Height of the wave

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

Decibels

Unit of relative loudness

Cochlea

A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger neural impulses

Sensorineural hearing loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss, also called nerve deafness

Conduction hearing loss

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

Place theory

Presumes that we hear different pitches because different sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochlea’s basilar membrane

Frequency theory

Suggests that the brain reads pitch by monitoring the frequency of neural impulses traveling up the auditory nerve

Gate-control theory

Spinal cord has small nerve fibers to conduct pain signals to conduct other signals

Olfaction/olfactory bulb

Results when molecules of a substance in the air reach a tiny cluster of many receptor cells at the top of each nostril

Kinesthesia

System for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts - sometimes considered a sixth sense

Vestibular sense

Sense of body movement and position including balance that works with the cerebellum

Sensory interaction

One sense may influence the other

McGurk Effect

Effect of lip reading on hearing

Synesthesia

The phenomenon where senses become joined through brain circuits

Embodied cognition

Influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences &