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What is sensation?

The process by which sensory organs obtain information from the environment and send it to the brain.

What is perception?

The organization of sensory information into a meaningful interpretation.

What is transduction?

The conversion of physical energy (like light or sound) into electrical signals that the brain can interpret.

What is bottom-up processing?

A processing approach that starts with raw sensory data sent to the brain for interpretation.

What is top-down processing?

A processing approach that starts with prior knowledge or expectations that influence sensory data interpretation.

What is the absolute threshold?

The smallest amount of stimulation that can be detected half of the time.

What is the difference threshold (Just Noticeable Difference - JND)?

The smallest difference between two stimuli that can be detected.

What does Weber’s Law state?

For two stimuli to be perceived as different in intensity, the second must differ by a constant proportion from the first.

What is sensory adaptation?

A decrease in the response of sensory receptors to a constant, unchanging stimulus.

What is signal detection theory?

A theory stating that perception is influenced by both sensory information and judgment about that information.

What is response bias?

A person’s tendency to be more or less likely to report detecting a stimulus, influenced by expectations or motivation.

What are hits in signal detection?

Correctly detecting a stimulus when it is present.

What are misses in signal detection?

Failing to detect a stimulus when it is present.

What are false alarms in signal detection?

Incorrectly reporting the presence of a stimulus when it is not there.

What are correct rejections in signal detection?

Correctly identifying that no stimulus is present.

What factors can affect response bias?

Expectations, motivation, and past experiences with signal detection errors.

What is the Gestalt approach?

The theory that we perceive objects as whole, organized structures rather than as individual parts.

What is figure-ground perception?

The ability to distinguish an object from its background.

What are grouping principles?

The ways in which we group objects, including proximity, similarity, continuity, and closure.

What is proximity in terms of grouping?

Objects that are physically close together tend to be grouped together.

What is similarity in grouping?

Objects that are similar in appearance tend to be grouped together.

What is continuity in perception?

The brain organizes stimuli into continuous lines or patterns.

What is closure in perception?

The tendency to perceive incomplete figures as complete.

What are binocular cues?

Depth cues that require the use of both eyes.

What are monocular cues?

Depth cues that can be perceived with one eye, especially for distant objects.

What is retinal (binocular) disparity?

The difference in the images produced by each eye, which helps us judge depth.

What is convergence in perception?

The inward turning of the eyes when focusing on a nearby object.

What is relative size in visual perception?

Smaller objects appear farther away than larger objects.

What is relative clarity in perception?

Objects that appear clearer are perceived as closer, while hazier objects are perceived as farther away.

What is linear perspective?

A depth cue where parallel lines appear to converge as they recede into the distance.

What is perceptual constancy?

The perception that certain properties of an object remain constant even when conditions change.

What is color constancy?

The ability to perceive the color of an object as the same, even if the lighting changes.

What is lightness constancy?

The ability to perceive the lightness or shade of an object as constant despite changes in lighting.

What is shape constancy?

The perception that an object’s shape remains the same despite changes in its retinal image.

What is size constancy?

The perception that the size of an object remains constant despite the size of its image on the retina changing with distance.