Sensory Perception and Processing

Flashcards covering key concepts in sensory perception and processing, including definitions and examples.

auditory localization

The ability to judge the direction a sound is coming from.

olfactory system

The structures responsible for the sense of smell.

optic nerve

The pathway that carries visual information from the eyeball to the brain.

signal-detection theory

The theory that detecting a stimulus is jointly determined by the signal and the subject’s response criterion.

size constancy

The tendency to view an object as constant in size despite changes in the size of the retinal image.

iris

The ring of muscle tissue that gives eyes their color and controls the size of the pupil.

just noticeable difference (JND)

The smallest amount of change in a stimulus that can be detected.

kinesthetic system

The structures distributed throughout the body that give us a sense of position and movement of body parts.

lens

A transparent structure in the eye that focuses light on the retina.

light adaptation

The process of adjustment by which the eyes become less sensitive to light in a bright environment.

feature detectors

Neurons in the visual cortex that respond to specific aspects of a visual stimulus (such as lines or angles).

perception

The processes by which people select, organize, and interpret sensations.

perceptual illusions

Patterns of sensory input that give rise to misperceptions.

perceptual set

The tendency to perceive or notice some aspects of the available information due to our past experiences or the context.

pheromones

Chemicals secreted by animals that transmit signals—usually to other animals of the same species.

absolute threshold

The smallest amount of stimulation that can be detected.

accommodation

In Piaget’s theory, the process of modifying existing cognitive structures in response to new information.

afterimage

A visual sensation that persists after prolonged exposure to and removal of a stimulus.

synesthesia

A rare condition in which stimulation in one sensory modality triggers sensations in another sensory modality.

taste buds

Nets of taste-receptor cells.

transduction

The process by which physical energy is converted into sensory neural impulses.

trichromatic theory

A theory of color vision stating that the retina contains three types of color receptors—for red, blue, and green—and that these combine to produce all other colors.

vestibular system

The inner ear and brain structures that give us a sense of equilibrium.

visual cliff

An apparatus used to test depth perception in infants and animals.

visual cortex

Located in the back of the brain, it is the main information-processing center for visual information.

Weber’s law

The principle that the just noticeable difference of a stimulus is a constant proportion despite variations in intensity.

white noise

A hissing sound that results from a combination of all frequencies of the sound spectrum.

reversible figure

A drawing that one can perceive in different ways by reversing figure and ground.

rods

Rod-shaped photoreceptor cells in the retina that are highly sensitive to light.

binocular disparity

A binocular cue for depth perception whereby the closer an object is to a perceiver, the more different the image is in each retina.

blind spot

A part of the retina through which the optic nerve passes. Lacking rods and cones, this spot is not responsive to light.

receptive field

An area of the retina in which stimulation triggers a response in a cell within the visual system.

conductive hearing loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the eardrum or bones in the middle ear.

cones

Cone-shaped photoreceptor cells in the retina that are sensitive to color.

convergence

A binocular cue for depth perception involving the turning inward of the eyes as an object gets closer.

cornea

The clear outer membrane that bends light so that it is sharply focused in the eye.

fovea

The center of the retina, where cones are clustered.

gate-control theory

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that blocks pain signals from the brain when flooded by competing signals.

Gestalt psychology

A school of thought rooted in the idea that the whole (perception) is different from the sum of its parts (sensation).

opponent-process theory

The theory that color vision is derived from three pairs of opposing receptors.

retina

The rear, multilayered part of the eye where rods and cones convert light into neural impulses.

sensation

The processes by which our sense organs receive information from the environment.

sensorineural hearing loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the structures of the inner ear.

sensory adaptation

A decline in sensitivity to a stimulus as a result of constant exposure.

psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory of personality and method of psychotherapy, both of which assume that our motives are largely unconscious.

psychophysics

The study of the relationship between physical stimulation and subjective sensations.

pupil

The small round hole in the iris of the eye through which light passes.

monocular depth cues

Distance cues, such as linear perspective, that enable us to perceive depth with one eye.

moon illusion

The tendency for people to see the moon as larger when it is low on the horizon than when it is overhead.

Müller-Lyer illusion

An illusion in which the perceived length of a line is altered by the position of other lines that enclose it.

dark adaptation

A process of adjustment by which the eyes become more sensitive to light in a dark environment.

depth perception

The use of visual cues to estimate the depth and distance of objects.

gustatory system

The structures responsible for the sense of taste.