AP PSYCH UNIT 3

absolute threshold

the smallest level of energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

accomodation

process in which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near/far objects on the retina.

Amplitude

the magnitude and strength of a reaction of a stimulus.

Audition Process

the ability to sense sound and to process/interpret the sensations to gain info abt the sourc and nature of the sound.

basilar membrane

a long membrane that is part of the auditory system. The membrane runs the length of the cochlea (inside the ear).

binocular cue

a depth cue that requires the use of both eyes

monocular cue

a depth cue that requires the use of only one eye

Blindsight

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

Blindspot

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there

bottom-up processing

sensory analysis that begins at the entry level, with information flowing from the sensory receptors to the brain.

Ex: radio to the brain

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

Ex: radio to feet (dance)

brightness constancy

tendency to perceive a familiar object as having the same brightness under dif. conditions of illumination.

relative luminance

the amount of light an object reflects on its surroundings

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness

choice blindness

failure to recall a choice immediately after we have made that choice

color constancy

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

cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

cochlear implant

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

cocktail party effect

The ability to focus on one particular stimulus and ignore others.

Conduction Hearing Loss (Middle Ear)

less common form of hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

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.

Rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond

bipolar cells

type of nerve cell that combines the impulses form the visual receptor cells in the retina, & then transmits those impulses to the ganglion cells.

ganglion cells

neurons that relay information from the retina to the brain from the optic nerve

context effect

part of cognitive psych; states the environmental factors that surround an event; effects how an event is perceived.

Culture effects

the impact culture has on people.

convergence

A binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward when looking at an object

Cornea

The eye's clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil & iris.

depth perception

the ability to see objects in 3D although the images that strike the retina are 2D; allows us to judge distance

difference threshold

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

embodied cognition

the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements

feature detectors

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

figure-ground

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

Fovea

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

Frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

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

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.

hearing impairment

hearing loss/nerve deafness; caused by damage to the cochlea's cells or damage to teh auditory nerve.

hearing process

the awareness of sounds & placing meaning to those sounds.

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

Gestalt Principles

different ways individuals group stimuli together in order to make a whole that makes sense to them.

grouping

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

proximity

percieving several objects that are close together as belonging together.

Continuity

the tendency to perceive things as simply as possible with a continuous pattern rather than with a complex, broken-up pattern

closure

we fill in gaps to create a complete, whole object

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

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

Illusions

when properties of an object/image are dif. from how they appear, due to the way the brain processes info the eye recieves.

inner ear

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

Iris

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

kinesthetic sense

awareness of body's location and movement

lens

the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

middle hammer

tiny bone that passes vibrations from the eardrum to the anvil.

middle anvil

tiny bone that passes vibrations from the hammer to the stirrup.

middle stirrup

tiny U shaped bone that passes vibrations from the anvil to the cochlea.

Nociceptors

sensory receptors that enable the perception of pain in response to potentially harmful stimuli

olfaction process

sense of smell

optic nerve

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

opponent-process theory

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

afterimage effect

visual illusion in which retinal impressions persist after the removal of a stimulus.

pain sense

your body's message telling you that something has gone wrong.

parallel processing

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

parapsychology

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

extrasensory perception (ESP)

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

Perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

perceptual adaptation

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

perceptual constancy

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

phantom limb sensation

the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts

phi phenomenon

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

pitch

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

place theory

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

Priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

Prosopagnosia

a selective visual agnosia characterized by the inability to recognize the identity of faces.

proximity

objects that are close together are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group

Psychophysics

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

pupil

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

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

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance—the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object.

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

selective attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Sensation

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

sensorial hearing loss

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

sensory adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

sensory interaction

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

sensory receptors

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

shape constancy

perceiving objects as having a consistent shape, even as our orientation to it changes.

size constancy

perceiving the same size for objects, even if the distance from it changes

signal detection theory

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

subliminal

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Synesthesia

A condition in which stimulation of one sense also evokes another

taste process

a chemical sense of tasting something through taste buds.

Theories of color vision

why/how humans see in color & it states that there are 3 types of cones in the retina that can detect 3 colors (blue, green, red)

tinnitus

a phantom auditory sensation in which people hear ringing in the ears

touch sense

mechanical sense of feeling

Transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another

tympanic membrane

the eardrum; transmits vibrations furthur into the ear, by moving the auditory ossicles.

vestibular sense

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

vision process

light, retina, light sensitive cells, optic nerve, the brain

vision perception

ability to see & interpret one's visual environment.