AP Psych Sensation review

gustation

sense of taste

lens

Transparent eye structure behind the pupil, aiding image focus.

ganglion cells

In the retina, the specialized neurons that connect to the bipolar cells; the bundled axons of the ganglion cells form the optic nerve.

visual nerve

Nerve transmitting neural impulses from the eye to the brain.

absolute threshold

Minimum stimulus energy to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

Fovea

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

synesthesia

Condition where one sense is perceived as if by additional senses.

trichromatic theory 

Theory of three color receptors in the retina for color perception.

rods

Photoreceptors detecting black, white, and gray for peripheral vision.

sensation

Reception and representation of stimulus energies by sensory receptors.

taste receptors

chemical receptors on the tongue that decode molecules of food or drink to identify them

just-noticable difference

Smallest difference in stimulus intensity detectable by a sense.

retina 

Light-sensitive eye surface with rods, cones, and neural processing layers.

volley theory

a theory that proposes that our brain decodes pitch by noticing the frequency at which groups of hair cells on the basilar membrane are firing

gate-control theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.

warm and cold receptors

thermoreceptors; receptors on our skin that are either sensitive to warmth or to cold; Cold receptors are free nerve endings with thin myelinated fibers, whereas the warm receptors are free nerve endings with unmyelinated axons with low conduction speeds

perception 

Organization and interpretation of sensory information for object recognition.

basic human tastes

sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami (savory)

blindsight

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

pain

an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage

nontasters

Not so sensitive to taste, seek out relatively sweeter or fattier foods to maximize taste.

webers law 

Principle that stimuli must differ by a constant proportion for detection.

sensory adaptation

Decrease in sensitivity to constant stimulation levels.

sensory interaction 

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

cones

Photoreceptors concentrated for daylight vision, color, and detail.

pitch perception

different tones excite different areas of the basilar membrane and primary auditory cortex

semicircular canals

three fluid-filled canals in the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance

olfactory system 

the sensory system for smell

conduction deafness

An inability to hear resulting from damage to structures of the middle or inner ear.

monochromatism

the inability to distinguish colors; also known as color blindness

sound localization

the process by which you determine the location of a sound

accomodation

Process of lens shape change for focusing on near or far objects.

transduction 

Conversion of stimulus energies into neural impulses in sensation.

nearsightedness 

Clear vision for close objects but blurry for distant ones.

frequency theory

theory of pitch that states that pitch is related to the speed of vibrations in the basilar membrane

kinesthesis

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

loudness

a sound's intensity

medium tasters

average number of taste buds

opponent-process theory

Theory of opposing processes in color vision enabling perception.

supertasters

people with heightened sensitivity to all tastes and mouth sensations

photoreceptors 

Rods and cones in the retina converting light into neural signals.

prosopagnosia

inability to recognize faces

blind spot

Point where optic nerve exits the eye, lacking receptor cells.

pheromones

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

vestibular sense

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

pitch 

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

afterimage

A visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed.

sensorineural deafness

inner ear damage

place theory

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