Unit 3 AP PSYCH Vocab (Pt 1)

Sensation

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

Sensory Receptors

Sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

Perception

The process of Borganizing and interpreting sensory information

Bottom-Up Processing

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

Top-Down Processing

information processing guided by higher level mental processes

Selective Attention

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Intentional Blindness

Failing to see visible objects when your attention is directed elsewhere

Change Blindness

Failure to see changes in the environment

Hans Duction

Conversion of one form of energy into another

Psychophysics

the study of the relationship between the physical characteristics and our psychological experience of them

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect stimulus 50% of the time.

Signal Detection Theory

The theory predicting when and how we detect the presence of a faint stimulus and background stimulation

Subliminal

Below the threshold of conscious awareness

Difference Threshold

The minimum difference between two stimuli required

Wavelength

The distance between the peak of one light or soundwave to the peak of the next

Hue

The dimension of color

Intensity

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave

Cornea

The eyes’ clear, protective outer layer

Pupil

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye that controls the amount of light entering.

Iris

A ring of muscle tissue. The colored portion of the eye.

Lens

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape

Retina

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye

Accomodation

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

Rods

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray.

Cones

Concentrated near the center of the retina, these functions in daylight or well lit conditions and are responsible for color vision

Optic Wave

Nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Blind Spot

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye

Fovea

Central focal point in the retina

Three Color Theory

The theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptors: Red, green, and blue.

Opponent Process Theory

opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enables color vision

Feature Detectors

nerve cells in brain’s visual cortex that responds to specific features

Parallel Processing

Processing sensory aspects of a problem simultaneously

Gestalt

An organized whole

Figure Ground

Organization of visual field into objects

Grouping

The perceptual tendency to reorganize stimulus into coherent groups

Depth Perception

Ability to see objects in three dimensions

Visual Cliff

A laboratory device to test depth perception in infants and small animals

Binocular cue

A depth cue that depends on the use of two eyes

Retinal Disparity

A binocular cue for perceiving depth

Monocular Cue

A depth cue available to each eye alone

Phi Phenomenon

An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off quickly

Perceptual Consistency

Perceiving objects as unchanging

Color Constancy

Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent colors

Perceptual Adaptation

The ability to adjust to changed sensory imput

Audition

The sense or act of hearing

Frequency

The number of complete wavelengths that pass in a given time