Sensation and Perception Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts in sensation and perception, including thresholds, sensory adaptation, processing types, the visual system, and depth perception.

Sensation

Process of detecting stimuli through sensory organs.

Perception

Interpretation and organization of sensory information.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.

Difference Threshold (Weber's Law)

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

Sensory Adaptation

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

Top-down Processing

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

Bottom-up Processing

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information.

Rods and Cones

Photoreceptors in the retina that respond to light and contribute to vision.

Optic Nerve

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

Visual Cortex

The area of the cerebral cortex located in the occipital lobe that processes visual information.

Depth Perception

The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.

Binocular Cues

Depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.