Perceptual Development

Sensation

is the detection of stimuli by the sensory receptors and transmission of this information to the brain

Perception

is the process by which we categorize and interpret sensory input

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

is the unexplained death of a sleeping infant who suddenly stops breathing

Preference method

is a method used to gain information about infant's perceptual abilities by presenting two or more stimuli and observing which stimuli the infant prefers

Habituation

is a decrease in one's response to a stimulus that has become familiar through repetition

Dishabituation

is an increase in responsiveness that occurs when a stimulation changes

Evoked potential

is a change in pattering of the brain waves which indicated that an individual detects a stimulus

High-amplitude sucking method

is a method of assessing infants' perceptual capabilities on the ability of infants to make interesting events last by which they suck on a special pacifier

Phonemes

is the smallest meaningful sound units that make up a spoken language

Otitis media

is a common bacterial infection of the ear that produces mild to moderate hearing loss

Visual acuity

is a person's ability to see small objects and fine detail

Visual contrast

the amount of light/dark transition in a visual stimulus

Size consistency

is the tendency to perceive an object as the same size from different distances despite changes in the size of its retinal image

Visual cliff

an elevated platform that creates an illusion of depth, used to test the depth perception of infants

Intermodal perception

the ability to use one sensor modality to identify a stimulus or pattern of stimuli that is already familiarity through another modality

Perceptual learning

changes in one's ability to extract information from sensory stimulation that occur as a result of experience

depth perception

involves interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are.

binocular depth cues

are clues about distance based on the differing views of the two eyes.

retinal disparity

which refers to the fact that objects within 25 feet project images slightly different locations on the right and left retinas, so the right and left eyes see slightly different views of the object.

monocular depth cues

are clues about distance based on the image in either eye alone.

pictorial depth cues

cues about distance that can be given in a flat picture.

perceptual constancy

is a tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input.