Psych Vocab 1.6A

Sensation

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

Sensory Receptors

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

Perception

the process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information enabling us to recognize objects and events as meaningful

Bottom-Up Processing

information processing 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.

Transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of physical energy, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses the brain can interpret.

Psychophysics

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

Absolute threshold

Absolute Threshold

the minimum stimulus energy 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 signal (stimuli) amid background noise (Stimulation); assuming there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partially on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

Subliminal

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

Priming

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

Difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference.

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.

Wavelength

the distance from the peak of one light wave or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short gamma waves to the long impulses of radio transmission.

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 wave or sound wave which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness. Intensity is determined by the wave’s amplitude (height).

Cornea

the eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris.

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 the 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.

Retina

the light-sensitve back inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual behavior.

Accommodation

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus images of near or far objects on the retina.

Rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement. Rods are necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond.

Cones

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Cones deflect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.

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 receptor cells are located there.

Fovea

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

Young Helmholtz Theory

the theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptor-one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue-which, when stimulated in combination , can produce the perception of any color.

Opponent Process Theory

the theory that opposing retinal process (red,green,blue,yellow,white,black) enable color vision. Ex: some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.

Feature Detectors

nerve cells in the brains visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.

Parallel Processing

processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously.

Audition

the sense or act of hearing

Frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time (for example: per second)

Pitch

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

Middle Ear

the chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval window.

Cochlea

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

inner ear

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

Sensorineural Hearing loss

the most common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerve; also called nerve deafness.

Conduction Hearing Loss

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

Cochlea Implant

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

place theory

in hearing the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated. (Also called place coding)

Frequency Theory

in hearing, the theory is that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of 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 the pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers, and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by info coming from the brain.

Gustation

our sense of taste

kinesthesis

our movement sense; our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.Vestibular BSense

Vestibular Sense

our balance sense; our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance.

Sensory Interaction

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

Embodied Cognition

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