psych unit 3

sensation

the detection of energy by/from any of our 5 senses

bottom-up processing

sensing something first, then the brain telling us what it is

psychophysics

the branch of psychology that deals with the relationships between physical stimuli and mental phenomena

signal detection theory (priming)

our detection gets better based on our experiences, expectations and motivations, and emotions

weber’s law

for people to perceive a difference, the stimuli must differ by a constant proportion, not a constant amount

transduction

the transformation of stimulus energy into meaning

pupil

the opening in the eye that allows light inside

accomodation

when the eye’s lens changes shape to help focus objects on the retina

retina

inner surface of the eye that contains the sensory receptors that process visual information and sends it to the brain

nearsightedness

nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects

rods (low light) and cones (high light)

located in the back of the retina, responsible for low light and high light (color) vision, triggering a photochemical reaction

blind spot

point where the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a blind spot

feature detectors

neurons with the ability to detect certain types of stimuli, like movements, shapes, and angles

Young -Helmholtz (Trichromatic) Theory

a theory suggested by helmholtz that the retina contains 3 receptors: red, blue, and green

color constancy

the color of an object remains the same under different illuminations, but when context changes, the color of an object may LOOK different

middle ear

responsible for transmitting sound from the outer ear to the inner ear, contains the hammer(malleus), anvil(incus), and stirrup(stapes)

inner ear

the apparatus for hearing and balance, contains the cochlea (hearing) and semicircular canals (balance)

conduction hearing loss

damage to the MECHANICAL system (hammer, anvil, stirrup)

vestibular sense

our sense of balance, aided by the fluid-filled semicircular canals and cochlea, monitors our head and body’s position and movement.

perception

processing the energy detected from our 5 senses

top-down processing

based on our experiences; first we perceive in our brain, then we sense

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

subliminal threshold

when stimuli are below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

difference threshold

the minimum required CHANGE between two stimuli for a person to notice change 50% of the time

sensory adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a result of constant stimulation

wavelength

the speed of light/sound that determines color pitch, respectively

lens

focuses the light rays on the retina

iris

muscle that expands and contracts to change the size of the opening (pupil) for light

acuity

keenness or acuteness, especially in vision or thought- “sharpness of the mind”

farsightedness

faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects

optic nerve

carries impulses and information from the eye to the brain

fovea

central focus point in the retina where the eye’s cones cluster

parallel processing

processing many aspects of a stimulus simultaneously (color, form, motion, depth, etc.)

opponent process theory

theory in which we process 4 primary colors combined in pairs of red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white

audition

hearing- the sensation and perception of sound

cochlea

the coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear that transforms sound vibrations to auditory signals; “brains of the ear”

place theory

suggests that sound frequencies stimulate the basilar membrane (hairs) at specific places, resulting in perceived pitch

sensorineural hearing loss

hearing loss caused by damage to the COCHLEA’S receptor cells or to the AUDITORY NERVE

kinesthesis

keeps you aware of your body parts’ position and movement; the perception and sensation of changes in body movement

frequency theory

the speed of impulses traveling up the auditory nerve determines the pitch we hear; faster=high pitch

selective attention

we can only pay attention to one aspect of an object at a time

relative clarity

hazy objects look to be further away than clearer objects

shape constancy

a type of perceptual constancy in which an object appears to have the same shape when viewed from different angles

perceptual set theory

mental tendencies that affect top-down processes- how our life experiences, emotions, and context lead us to perceive one thing and not another

policy use of psychics

that psychics may be used as a last resort in providing character evidence in court cases

similarity

a type of gestalt grouping that groups objects by how similar they are

linear perspective

parallel lines, such as train tracks, appear to converge in the distance

lightness constancy

our ability to perceive the relative ‘lightness’ (reflectance) of an object despite changes in illumination

perceptual schema

a structured internal representation of an object or image acquired through perception

closure

the illusion of seeing an incomplete stimulus as though it were whole (brain filling in the gaps)

perceiving motion

the ability of the nervous system to discern the distance and speed of a moving object

perceptual adaptation

when our perception is altered, we can adapt and overcome

context effect

the influence of environmental factors on a person’s perception of a stimulus

proximity

a type of gestalt grouping that groups things by how close together they are

phi phenomenon

when lights flash at a certain speed they tend to present illusions of motion

john locke

“we learn to perceive the world through our EXPERIENCES”

gate control

a theory that suggests the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that controls the transmission of pain messages to the brain- small fiber activity opens gate, large fiber activity closes it

parapsychology

the study of psychological phenomena inexplicable by regular scientific psychology (telepathy, hypnosis, etc.)

ganglion cells

located in the retina, whose axons form the optic nerve; activated by bipolar cells

bipolar cells

one of the main retinal interneurons that transmit messages from the rods and cones to ganglion cells

Immanuel Kant

“We are born with everything we need to perceive things”

depth perception

helps us judge distances, develops in humans as infants

visual capture

when vision competes with other senses, vision usually wins