Unit 2 Vocab: sensation

Weber's Law

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

Sensory Adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Sensory Interaction

the principle that one sense may influence another

Synesthesia

describing one kind of sensation in terms of another

accommodation

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

Photoreceptors

rods and cones that respond to light

Transduction

conversion of one form of energy into neural impulses

Ganglion Cells

the specialized cells which lie behind the bipolar cells whose axons form the optic nerve which takes the information to the brain

Afterimages

images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus is removed

Dichromatism

A type of color blindness where one of the three basic color mechanisms is absent or not functioning.

Monochromatism

the inability to distinguish colors; also known as color blindness

Prosopagnosia

inability to recognize faces

blindsight

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

Sound Localization

the process by which the location of sound is determined

Olfactory System

the sensory system for smell

Pheromones

odorless chemicals that serve as social signals to members of one's species

Gustation

the sensation of taste

Umami

taste for proteins to grow and repair tissue

Oleogustus

the taste of fat

Gate Control Theory

the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

Vestibular Sense

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Semicircular Canals

three canals within the inner ear that contain specialized receptor cells that generate nerve impulses with body movement

Kinesthesis

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

Phantom Limb Sensation

the perception of sensations or pain in an amputated limb.