AP Psych Test 3

Pupil

Adjustable opening in the center of the eye that controls the amount of light entering

Retina

Light sensitive inner surface of the eye that contains receptor cells for vision

Webers Law

Principle, states that a stimulus must differ by a constant percentage rather than by a constant amount

Accomodation

Process by which the eyes lens changes shpae to foccus near or far objects on the retina

Trichromatic Theory

Theory that suggest that the retina contains 3 different color receptros sensitive to red, green, and blue light

Transduction

Process by which sensory organs detect physical energy and convert it to neural signals

Rods

Photoreceptro highly sensitive to dim light and responsible for night vision

Photoreceptors

Specialized cells in the retina that convert light into neural signals

Visual Nerve (optic nerve)

Bundle of axons that transmits visual information from the eye to the brain

Synesthesia

Stimulation of one sense leading to involuntary experiences in another, like seeing colors when hearing music

Priming

Activation of certain associations that predisposes perception, memory, or response

Cones

Photoreceptor responsible for detecting color and fine detail in bright light

Lens

Transparent strucutre behind the pupil that changes shape to focus light on the retina

Blindsight

Phenomenon where people with damage to the visual cortex respond to visual stimuli without consciously perceiving them

Dichromatism

A condition where a person cannot distinguish between certain colors because one type of cone receptor is missing/not functioning properly

Opponent Process Theory

Theory that states that color vision is based on opposing retinal processes such as red green or blue yellow

Cornea

Transparent out layer of the ye that helps focus light onto the retina

Subliminal

Stimulation that is below the level of conscious awareness but can still influence thoughts/behavior

Absolute Threshold

Smalles intensity of a stimulus that an organism can detect half of the time

Iris

The colored muscle surrounding the pupil that controls its size

Afterimages

Visual effect that occurs when continued stimulation of one color causes perception of its opposite

Fovea

Central focal point in the retina where cones cluster, allows for sharp vision

Hue

Aspect of color determined by the wavelength of light

Monochromatism

A rare visual condition where a person sees the worl donly in shades of gray because none of their cone receptors properly function

Blind Spot

Area of the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye, creates a gap into the visual field

Nearsightedness

Condition where near things appear clear

Farsightedness

Condition where far things appear clear

Ganglion Cells

Cells in the retina that receive input from bipolar cells and form the optic nerve

Sensory Adaptation

Process in which sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus decreases over time

Sensory interaction

Concept that one sense can influence another

Intensity

Amount of energy in a lgith or sound wave, which influences brightness or loudness

Signal Detection Theory

Explains how we detect weak signals amid background noise depending on attention, experience, and motivation

Prospagnosia

Neurological conditon in which a person cannot recognize family faces despite having normal vision and intelligence

Optic Nerve

Carries visual info from the eye to the brain

Sensory Receptors

Specialized cells that convert external stimuli into neural signals.