AP Psych Cram Sheet Unit 3

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

difference threshold

The minimum amount of difference that can be detected between two stimuli (just noticeable difference)

signal detection theory

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

sensory adaptation

a decrease in sensitivity to a constant level of stimulation

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

cocktail party effect

ability to attend to only one voice among many

visual pathway

RETINA - CONES / RODS - BIPOLAR CELLS - GANGLION CELLS - OPTIC NERVE - OPTIC CHIASM - OCCIPITAL LOBE

Fovea

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

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations (breaking down prior knowledge)

bottom-up processing

the analysis of the smaller features to build up to a complete perception (mapping out new knowledge)

auditory system

outer ear, Middle ear,Inner ear(sound→pinna→ auditory canal→eardrum→hammer→anvil→ stirrup→oval window→cochlea→ auditory nerve→temporal lobes

place theory

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

frequency theory

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

olfactory

relating to the sense of smell

kinesthetic sense

the sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each other

vestibular sense

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

Gestalt Theory

a theory based on the idea that the whole of personal experience is different from simply the sum of its constituent elements

figure-ground

the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

Closure

the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete

Continuity

we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones

Transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.

opponent-process theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

trichromatic theory

theory of color vision that proposes three types of cones: red, blue, and green

Ossicles

malleus, incus, stapes