1b psych flashcards

Absolute threshold

The smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for it to be detected.

Transduction

The process by which sensory stimuli are converted into neural impulses that the brain can interpret.

Just noticeable difference

The minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected.

Sensory adaptation

The diminished sensitivity to a stimulus as a result of constant exposure.

Weber's law

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

Synesthesia

A condition where one sense is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses.

Retina

The layer at the back of the eyeball containing cells that are sensitive to light and trigger nerve impulses.

Blind spot

The point in the visual field where the optic nerve leaves the retina, and there are no photoreceptors.

Visual (optic) nerve

The nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.

Photoreceptors

Cells in the retina that respond to light.

Rods

Photoreceptors in the retina responsible for vision at low light levels.

Lens

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.

Accommodation

The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina.

Nearsightedness

A condition where close objects are seen clearly, but distant objects appear blurry.

Farsightedness

A condition where distant objects are seen more clearly than close ones.

Trichromatic theory

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

Opponent-process theory

A theory of color vision that states that color perception is controlled by the activity of two opposing systems.

Fovea

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

Cones

Photoreceptor cells in the retina that function best in bright light and are essential for color vision.

Ganglion cells

Neurons that relay information from the retina to the brain via the optic nerve.

Dichromatism

A form of color blindness in which one of the three cone pigments is missing or nonfunctional.

Monochromatism

Complete color blindness; vision is only in shades of light and dark.

Prosopagnosia

The inability to recognize faces, also known as face blindness.

Blindsight

A condition in which a person can respond to visual stimuli without consciously perceiving them.

Place theory

A theory of hearing which states that different pitches are heard because different sound waves trigger activity at different places along the cochlea.

Volley theory

A theory of hearing which suggests that neurons respond to sound waves by firing in a volley pattern.

Frequency theory

A theory of hearing which suggests that the frequency of a tone corresponds to the frequency of the neural impulses traveling up the auditory nerve.

Conduction deafness

Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

Sensorineural deafness

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves.

Pheromones

Chemical signals released by an animal that communicate information and affect the behavior of other animals.

Gustation

The sense of taste.

Olfaction

The sense of smell.

Gate control theory

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks or allows pain signals to pass to the brain.

Phantom limb syndrome

The sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached and experiencing sensations.

Vestibular sense

The sense of body movement and position, including balance.

Semicircular canals

Structures in the inner ear that are responsible for the sense of balance.

Kinesthesis

The sense of movement and body position.

Top-down processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions based on experience and expectations.

Bottom-up processing

Sensory analysis that begins at the entry level, with information flowing from the sensory receptors to the brain.

Perceptual sets

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

Gestalt psychology

A psychological approach that emphasizes the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in perception.

Figure/ground

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

Selective attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, while ignoring other stimuli.

Cocktail party effect

The ability to focus on one particular sound while filtering out other sounds.

Inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

Change blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

Binocular depth cues

Depth cues that depend on the use of both eyes.

Monocular depth cues

Depth cues that are available to either eye alone.

Retinal disparity

A binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the two eyes.

Interposition

A monocular cue for depth perception; if one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer.

Linear perspective

A monocular cue for depth perception, where parallel lines appear to converge with distance.