Chapter 3 senses and perception

define transduction

the process of light or sound is converted to neural impulses

what is psychophysics

the study of the relationship between stimuli and the sensory experiences that accompany them

define absolute threshold

the smallest amount of energy needed to detect a stimulus at least 50 % of the time

what is the difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli needed to detect the difference at least 50% of the time

what is signal detection theory

attempts to explain the factors involved in varying responses people have to stimuli

what is subliminal perception

what is sensory adaptation

senses stop registering the existence of the stimulus and therefor the stimulus is no longer perceieved

presbyopia is characterized by ?

blurred vision which typically occurs after age 35

describe light entering the eye

enters through the cornea, then through the pupil, (controlled by the iris,) then it hits the lens behind the pupil, which changes shape to focus the image on the retina.

describe the retina

receptor heavy tissue at the back of the eye to convert light to neural signals

what are the two types of photoreceptors?

rods and cones, rods are found in the periphery of the retina and respond to varying degrees of light or dark,

CONES: are located more toward the center, or FOVEA, of the retina and detect color and clarity of objects,

what is the fovea of the retina?

the center

where does half ot he visual information from each eye cross in the brain called?

optic chiasm

what is parallel processing?

where brain receptors work simultaneously

what is blindsight

where people report no conscious ability to see yet appear to be aware of what was in their visual field

hue vs saturation

hue - wavelength of light that hits the eye

saturation - richness of color

objects that reflect light and therefore mixing paints is considered a _______ __________ _________

subtractive color mixture, because

color mixing with light is referred to as ________ _________ _______

additive color mixture

what is the trichromatic theory of color vision

proposes that there are three different types of cones, blue green red, and the perception of color comes from the combination of those three cones in varying strengths

what is an afterimage

an image that remains in the visual field after the stimulus has been removed

what is a negative afterimage

image that appears in colors that are opposite to what was originally presented

what is a microsaccades?

frequent small jerky movements made by the eyes

what is the opponent process theory

explains the phenomenon of afterimages, trichromatic theory occuring primarily in the retina, and the process theory taking place in the brain

define sound shadow

casts by our heads to determine the location of sounds

describe the parts of the ear

ear drum - vibrates so that sounds are sent to the inner ear

middle ear (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) - carry vibrations to the cochlea of the inner ear ,

fluid in the cochlea moves causing ripples in the BASILAR MEMBRANE ( the part lined with hair folicles)

what is place theory

theory that states that different pitches activate different sets of hair follicles in the inner ears basilar membrane. _ USED FOR HIGH PITCHED SOUND EXPLINATION

what is the frequency theory

EXPLAINS LOWER PITCHED SOUNDS, suggests that they are heard based on the rate of firing of the neurons

what is the volley principle?

suggest neurons take turns firing to produce the signals that are interpreted by the brain

what are the three types of hearing loss?

sensorineural hearing loss - damage to the inner ear or nerve pathways to the brain (TREATED w/Cochlear implants)

conductive hearing loss - mechanical problem where sound isnt conducted properly to the inner ear

mixed hearing loss - mix of both above ^^^

what is olfaction

sense of smell

what are the bumps in your tongue called?

papillae

what is the gate control theory of pain

suggest that while small nerve fibers sense pain and open the gate of the pain pathway, large nerve fibers will respond to the sensations of touch and pressure that can inhibit the pain by closing the gate.

what is bottom up procesesing

states perception from sensing the basic stimuli in the environment and is followed up to the brain

what is top down processing

starts from the brain and uses individuals knowledge, experiences and expectations, to guide the interpretation of the stimuli in the environment

what is perceptual constancy

the idea that our perception of a stimulus remains he same even though some characteristics of the stimulus may have changed

what is continuity ?

perceiving intersecting lines as a patter rather than separate lines

what is depth percpetion

the ability to judge distances of objects and to see them in three dimension

what is oculomotor cues

cues directly from your eyes

what is convergence

the extent to which your eyes move inward the closer an object appears

what are monocular cues

sometimes referred to as pictorial cues, and are those that are seen by just one eye

what are some examples of stationary monocular cues for deption

linear perspective, relative size, relative height, interposition, and texture gradient.

what is the motion parallax

sense that objects further away are moving more slowly

what are binocular cues

cues that involve both eyes

what is retinal disparity

slightly different retinal image received by both eyes and provides and important cue for perceiving depth