AP psychology chapter 5 and 6 vocab

ap psychology ch.5-6

sensation

the faculty through which the external world is apprehended

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

psychophysics

the study of relationships between the characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation needed 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(signal) amid background stimulation (noise)

subliminal

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time

Weber’s law

the principal 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 (you get used to it)

transduction

conversion of one form energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.

wavelength

The distance between crests of waves, such as those of the electromagnetic spectrum.

hue

The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth.

intensity

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude; greater amplitude means brighter light or louder sound.

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 th 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

accommodations

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information. In vision, the process of adjusting the lens's shape to focus on objects at different distances.

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 and sends visual signals to the brain.

acuity

the clarity or sharpness of vision, often measured by the ability to discern letters or numbers at a given distance.

nearsightedness

a common vision condition where distant objects appear blurry while close objects can be seen clearly, often due to the shape of the eye.

farsightedness

a vision condition where nearby objects appear blurry while distant objects can be seen clearly, often caused by the eye being too short or the cornea being too flat.

rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respondto light. They are more sensitive to light than cones and enable vision in low-light conditions.

cones

Retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.They are less sensitive to light than rods and are responsible for color vision.

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 because no photoreceptor cells are located there

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, angle, or movement

parallel processing

The processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision

Young-Helmhotz trichromtic theory

retina contains three diff color receptors (blue green red)

opponent process theory

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

color constancy

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

Audition

the sense or act of hearing

frquency

The number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time

pitch

: a tone's highness or lowness; depends on frequency

Middle ear

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

Inner ear

structures and liquids that relay sound waves to the auditory nerve fibers on a path to the brain for interpretation of sound

cochlea

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

place theory

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

frequency theory

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

conduction hearing loss

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

sensorineural hearing loss

hearing impairment caused by lesions or dysfunction of the cochlea or auditory nerve

gate control theory

theory that spinal cord contains neurological gate that blocks pains signals or allows them to pass. gate is opened by activity of pain going up small nerve fibers & gate is closed by act of large fibers or by info coming from brain

sensory interaction

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

kinesthesis

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

vestibular sense

a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect

visual capture

the dominance of vision over other sense modalities in creating a percept.

gestalt

an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

figure ground

The organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

grouping

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

depth perception

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

visual cliff

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

binocular cues

depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes

monocular cues

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth; by comparing images from the two eyeballs, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the close the object

convergence

Refers to combining data from different senses for perception.

phi phenomenon

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

perceptual constancy

The perceptual stability of the size, shape, and brightness, and color for familiar objects seen at varying distances, different angles, and under different lighting conditions

perceptual adaptation

the process by which we take in sensory information and pair it with previous memories to perceive the world around us

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

human factors psychology

the study of how people and machines interact and the design of safe and easily used machines and environments

extrasensory perception

The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input. Said to include telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

parapsychology

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis