ap psych unit 1 pt 3

sensation

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

cocktail party effect

when exposed to a constant stimulus, we become less aware of it (diminished sensitivity)

inattentional blindness

when our focus is directed at one stimuli (relevant to us), leaving us blind to other stimuli (Invisible Gorilla Effect)

transduction

our sensory systems convert outside energy into a form our brain can use

receive

(transduction) sensory stimulation, often using specialized receptor cells

transform

(transduction) stimulation into neural impulses

deliver

(transduction) neural information to our brain

perception

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

bottom-up processing

your senses detect lines, colors, and angles that form images

top-down processing

form our perceptions starting with a larger object, concept, or idea

gestalt

meaning whole, people have a tendency to organize sensations as a whole rather than its individual parts

absolute threshold

edge of awareness of faint stimuli for us to detect it 50% of the time

difference threshold

the minimum difference in stimuli for us to detect that a change has occurred 50% of the time

weber’s law

difference threshold is impacted by %, not amount

subliminal

stimuli below your absolute threshold, meaning you sense things you don’t perceive

stimulus

electromagnetic energy

wavelength

determines what color we see and what pitch we hear

longer wavelength

wavelength length to see red and lower pitch

shorter wavelength

wavelength length to see blue and higher pitch

amplitude

determines the brightness of a color and volume

high amplitude

brighter color and louder sound

low amplitude

duller color and quieter sound

blindspot

where the optic nerve leaves the eye. our brain fills in the blanks to create a whole picture of the world

dark adaptation

when you enter the dark your pupils dilate to allow more light to reach through your retina. takes ~20 mins to adjust

opponent process theory

(color theory) three sets of opposite colors control vision (white/black, blue/yellow, and red/green)

trichromatic theory

retina has three types of color receptors (red, green, and blue). every other color that we perceive is a combo of one of those three colors

monochromatic vision

can only see colors from one color receptor

dichromatic vision

can only see colors from two color receptors

afterimage effect

when you stare at one color, then stare at white, the opposite color appears

binocular cue

a depth cue that relies on the use of two eyes

retinal disparity

because there is space between your retinas, each receives a different image of the world. used to study distance

convergence

retinal images are combined in the brain

monocular cues

depth cues

relative clarity

further objects appear hazy

relative size

objects closer appear bigger

texture gradient

the farther away, the smoother the object appears

linear perspective

makes parallel lines appear to meet

interposition

overlap

relative motion

as you’re moving, objects that are farther away appear to move slower than objects that are closer which appear to zoom by

perpetual constancy

perceiving objects as unchanging even as images change

color constancy

our perception of a color remains the same even when the lighting conditions change

shape constancy

even when looking at different views of an object, we are able to recognize it as the same shapes

size constancy

we use our perception of distance to help us perceive constant size

perceptual adaptation

ability to adjust to changed sensory input

place theory

we hear different pitches because different sound waves trigger different activity at different places in cochlea

frequency theory

our brain recognizes pitch based on the frequency of neural impulses that travel up the auditory nerve

volley theory

neurons can fire in succession to hear frequencies above 1000 while other neurons rest

sensorineural hearing loss

damage to the cochlea’s cilia or to the auditory nerve

conduction hearing loss

damage to the parts of the ear that send sound waves to the cochlea and anything other than cilia

olfaction

(smell) chemical molecules breathed in through the nose

olfactory epithelium

a thin membrane in your upper nasal cavity where receptor cells are located

pheromones

chemical signals that have evolved for communication between members between species. important for insects

kinesthetic sense

your awareness of your body parts’ position and movement

proprioceptors

receptors in your joints, muscles, and tendons that sense your body’s position and send constant signals to your brain

vestibular sense

monitors your head’s position and movement and enables our balance

semicircular canals and vestibular sacs

in inner ear and filled with fluid. when you move, hair-like receptors in the vestibular sacs move and trigger nerve signals sent to your cerebellum

gustation

(taste) a two-phase chemical reaction that involves our mouths, throats, and noses (smell)

sensory receptors

taste buds on tongue

sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, oleogustus

six basic groupings for taste

prosopagnosia

decreased ability to recognize known faces, caused by a disruption in top-down processing

synesthesia

coupling of senses that react after one sense is trigged by a stimuli

cornea

light goes through the cornea to be bent for focus

pupil

light goes through the pupil which opens up for light

iris

surrounds the pupil and constricts in response to the intensity of light

lens

light hits the lens, which changes thickness and curvature to focus the rays

retina

converts this light into neural impulses that can be sent to the brain

rods

detect shades of black, white, and gray in the dark

cones

cones detect minute details in colors in the light. They trigger the chemical change

optic nerve

brings neural impulses from the retina to the brain