Psych vocab unit 1-6

Wavelength

distance between wave peaks and determines color

Intensity

amount of energy in a light or sound wave and determines brightness

Retina

light-sensitive inner surface of the eye that contains rods and cones

Accommodation

lens changes shape to focus images on the retina

Rods

retinal receptors that detect black/white; for night and peripheral vision

Cones

retinal receptors that detect color and detail; work in daylight

Trichromatic Theory

three color receptors (red, green, blue) combine to make all colors

Opponent Process Theory of Color

the theory that color vision depends on opposing retinal processes

Dark Adaptation

changes to pupil and retinal sensitivity to varying levels of light

Hyperopia

difficulty focusing on nearby objects (farsighted)

Myopia

difficulty focusing on distant objects (nearsighted)

Peripheral Vision

vision at the edge of the visual field

Visual Spectrum

the narrow band of electromagnetic energy that our eyes can detect

Audition

the sense of hearing

Frequency

number of wave cycles, determines pitch

Pitch

how high or low a sound is

Cochlea

fluid-filled inner-ear structure that converts sound to neural signals

Place Theory

the theory that pitch depends on where the cochlea’s membrane is stimulated

Frequency Theory

pitch depends on how fast neurons fire

Conductive Hearing Loss

damage to middle-ear system that carries sound to the cochlea

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

damage to cochlea’s receptors or auditory nerve

Cochlear Implant

device that converts sound to electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve

Tympanic Membrane

a thin membrane that separates the external and middle ear and vibrates when struck by sound waves

Ossicles

hammer, anvil, and stirrup - 3 tiny bones in the middle ear that carry vibrations from the eardrum to the cochlear