AP Psychology Chapter 4 Vocabulary - Sensation and Perception

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering sensation, visual and auditory perception, anatomy of sensory organs, and perceptual processing based on Chapter 4 lecture notes.

Visual Agnosia

Discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulus and its physical reality

Sensation

Stimulation of sense organs

Perception

The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input

Light

A form of electromagnetic radiation that travels as a wave, moving at the speed of light

Amplitude

The height of light waves

Wavelength

The distance between peaks in light waves

Purity

How varied the mix is in light

Saturation

Richness of colors

Ultraviolent

A form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible violet light

Infrared

A form of invisible electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than those of visible red light

Cornea

A transparent window at the front of the eye

Lens

The transparent eye structure that focuses the light rays falling on the retina

Pupil

The opening in the center of the iris that helps regulate the amount of light passing into the rear chamber of the eye

Nearsightedness

A visual deficiency in which close objects are seen clearly but distant objects appear blurry

Farsightedness

A visual deficiency in which distant objects are seen clearly but close objects appear blurry

Retina

The neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye; it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain

Cones

Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and color vision

Fovea

A tiny spot in the center of the retina that contains only cones; visual acuity is greatest at this spot

Rods

Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision

Visual Acuity

Visual sharpness and precise detail

Dark Adaptation

The process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination

Light Adaptation

The process whereby the eyes become less sensitive to light in high illumination

Receptive Field

The retinal area that, when stimulated, affects the firing of that cell

Optic Chiasm

The point at which the axons from the inside half of each eye cross over, and then project to the opposite half of the brain

Feature Detectors

Neurons that respond selectively to very specific features of more complex stimuli

Ventral Stream

Processes the details of what objects are (perceiving form and color)

Dorsal Stream

Processes where objects are (perceives motion and depth)

Subtractive Color Mixing

Formation of colors by removing some wavelengths of light, leaving less light than what was originally there

Additive Color Mixing

Formation of colors by superimposing lights, putting more light in the mixture than exists in any one light by itself

Color Blindness

Deficiency in the ability to distinguish among colors

Complementary Colors

Pairs of colors that produce gray tones when added together

Afterimage

A visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed

Reversible Figure

A drawing that is compatible with two different interpretations that can shift back and forth

Perceptual Set

A readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way

Inattentional Blindness

The failure to see fully visible objects or events in a visual display because one's attention is focused elsewhere

Feature Analysis

The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form

Bottom-up Processing

In form perception, progression from individual elements to the whole

Top-down Processing

In form perception, a progression from the whole to the elements

Phi Phenomenon

The illusion of movement caused by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession

Depth Perception

Interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are

Binocular Depth

Clues about distance based on the differing views of the two eyes

Retinal Disparity

A cue used in depth perception based on the fact that objects within $25\,\text{feet}$ project images to slightly different locations on the left and right retinas so the right and left eyes see slightly different views of the object

Monocular Depth

Clues about distance based on the image from either eye alone

Perceptual Constancy

A tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input

Cochlea

The fluid-filled, coiled tunnel in the inner ear that contains the receptors for hearing

Basilar Membrane

A structure that runs the length of the cochlea in the inner ear that holds the auditory receptors, called hair cells

Auditory Localization

Locating the source of a sound in space

Sensory Adaptation

A gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged stimulation

Olfactory System

The sensory system for smell