Senses and Perception

Sensation

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

Synesthesia

Blending of perceptions between different sensory modalities (experiencing color as taste, or music as shape)

Eye

The corresponding visual or light detecting organ present in humans, and many vertebrae animals

Pupil

Iris opening that changes size depending on how much light is in the environment

Iris

It's muscles control the size of the pupil

Cornea

Works with Lens to bend light waves to the image can be focused on the retina

Retina

Contains photo receptor cells (rods and cones); responsible for absorbing and processing light information

Fovea

Central area of retina; greatest density of photo receptors (cone cells)

Optic Nerve

Sends visual information to the brain

Blind-Spot

Optic disc; where the optic nerve leaves the eye; no photo receptors (rod and cone cells)

Visual Accomodation

The change in the thickness of the lens as the eye focuses on objects that are close or far away

Cone Cells

Special photo receptor cell; responsible for color vision

After Image

A visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed (green and yellow flag)

Trichromatic Theory

The idea that color vision is based on our sensitivity to three different colors: blue, green, and red

Opponent Process Theory

The sensory receptors arranged in the retina come in pairs (red/green, yellow/blue, black/white) If one sensor is stimulated, its pair is inhibited from firing. (Explains after image and color blindness)

Colorblindness

Occurs if any of the cone types are dysfunctional

Perception

The use of sensory information and pre-existing knowledge to create a functional representation of the world

Size Constancy

refers to the fact that our peceptions of the size of objects are relatively constant despite the fact that the size of objects on the retina vary greatly with distance.

Shape Constancy

Objects viewed from different angles will produce different shapes on our retina, but we know the shape of an object remains constant.

Brightness Constancy

We perceive objects as being a constant color even as the light reflecting off the object changes.

Figure-ground Relationships

A Gestalt principle of perceptual organization that we automatically separate the elements of a perception into the feature that clearly stands out and its less distinct background.

Gestalt Psychology

a philosophy of mind of the Berlin School of experimental psychology.

Proximity

Rule of perception; tendency to perceive objects that are close to one another as a part of the same grouping.

Closure

the illusion of seeing an incomplete stimulus as though it were whole.

Continuity

Rule of perception; objects that form a continuous form (such as a trail or geometric figure) are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group.

Moon Illusion

Retinal Disparity

The difference in images between the two eyes, which is greater for objects that are close and smaller for distant objects.

Convergence

When your eyes move together to look at the same thing

Binocular Cues

visual information taken in by two eyes that enable us a sense of depth perception

Aerial Perspective (clarity)

objects that are farther away become blurry

The Visual System

rods and cone sin the retina responding to light waves

Transduction

what takes place when many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into encoded neural signals sent to the central nervous system

The Auditory Sense

uses the ear to collect, amplify, and transduce sound waves into electrical impulses that allow the brain to perceive and localize sounds

The Olfactory Sense

sense of smell

Lens

When you try to focus on something the lens changes shape (called accomodation) and then focuses the incoming light onto the back of the eye (the retina) which send the information on to be processed by the brain.

Gustation

the physical act or the sense of tasting.

Depth Perception

the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions, coupled with the ability to gauge how far away an object is

Monocular Cues

that allows us to perceive the depth and distance of an object.

Linear Perspective

a type of monocular cue in which parallel lines appear to converge at some point in the distance.

Relative Size

a perceptual clue which allows you to determine how close objects are to an object of known size.

Interposition

occurs in instances where one object overlaps the other, which causes us to perceive depth.

Basic Sensations

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Umami

Sensory Interaction

the ability of one sense to influence or interact with another.

Vestibular Sense

Sense of balance/movement located in our semicircular canals in our ears

Kinesthetic Sense

Tells us where our individual body parts are

Gate Control Theory

non-painful input closes the "gates" to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system.

Parts of the Ear

Parts of the Eye

Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup

Bones of the middle ear that help amplify sound waves to the Cochlea

Hair Cells

Auditory Receptors

Cochlea

Main part of the inner ear where auditory reception and transduction takes place.

Basilar Membrane

Part of the Cochlea that contains hair cells

Place Theory

Sounds that are perceived as high pitch activate different specific areas of the Basilar Membrane.

Frequency Theory

Pitch is perceived according the the frequency of the sound wave.