AP Psyc- Unit 3: sensation and perception

Perception

process of selecting or identifying information from the environemnt

Bottom up processing

identify the stimulus by analyzing information from external (seeing what is there)

• data driven or sensory

Top down

use knowledge we already know to form expectations

Attention

when conciousness is focused on a certain stimuli

selective attention

ability to conciously focus on one stimulus

cocktail party effect

listen to one voice in a crowd

Inattentional blindness

failure to notice unexpected stimulus (drivingg with your cellphone)

Change blindness

failing to notice changes in an environment

Perceptual set

mental predisposition to percieve one thing not another (after running red light —> flashing=police)

Context effect

perceptual set or context can affect your interpretations (eel on a wagon —> wheel)

expereinces

your expereinces affect your interpretatin

Gesalt psychology

the whole different from a sum of parts (how does your brain percieve experiences as a whole?)

Closure

we percieve elements as belonging tgth if they complete something

Figure/ground

simplify a scene into figure and background

Proximity

things close together must be more related

similarity

things that are similar appear grouped together

Binocular depth cues

depth cues that use both eyes

retinal disparity

slight difference between right and left images

convergence

rotation of two eyes inward toward light

Monocular depth cues

cues with one eye`

relative clarity

things that are more clear are closer

relative size

Bigger things are closer

texture gradient

we can see fine detail = closer

linear perspective

parallel lines appear to meet

interposition

one object blocks —> closer

Depth cues

something that signals your brain to make 3D

apparent movement

Illusion of motion/change in size

Constancy

objects appear unchanged despite stimulus change (door changes shape)

Sensation

recieve info from environment —> exist

transduction

process where one energy goes to another

Absolute threshold

minimum stimulation for a reaction (lowest detected)

Just-noticeable diff

smallest difference between two stimuli detected

Weber’s law

magnitude needed to detect a physical change in a stimulus s

sensory adaptation

physical sensors less responsive to stimulus because of prolonged stimulus

sensory interaction

use sensory when performing a task

synesthesia

stimulation of one sense leads to the same in another (ppl see a color for tuesday)

wavelength

distance between successive peaks (ROYGBIV) red is longest

Lens

transparent biconvex in anterior (front) that provides fine adjustable focus

Retina

light sensitive inner surface of the eye where photoreceptors are

Fovea

small depression in the back of the eye, central retina where image is clearest

Blind spot

where your optic nerve connects to the eyeball (x image)

visual nerve

connects your eye to brain (visual cortex)

accomodation (eyes)

eye focus changes to allow near/distant images to appear sharp

Nearsightedness

Myopia, refractive error because of a long eye (only see close)

Farsightedness

Hyperopia, due to abnormally short eye (only see far(

Rods

photoreceptor cells that detect shape and movement (dont need light)

Cones

photoreceptors that require mod (bright light for color)

blue=short

green = med

red (long)

Afterimages

results when cerain ganglion cells in the retina are activated while others are not

Ganglion cell

only type of neuron in retina that sends signals to the brain (form optic nerve)

Trichromatic color theory

retina has 3 color receptors that produce colors tgth

Oppoent process

opposing rental (red/green, blue/yellow) enable color vision —> afterimage

Dichomatism

only 2 cones so theres confusion between colors

Monochromatism

only 1 type so everything same color

Occiptal lobe

The most innermost subdivision of each cerebral hemisphere that processes visual stimulu

Prosopagnosia

face blindness, cant see faces

Blindsight

ppl who are blind can seemingly see but lack awareness

Audition

sense of hearing

Frequency

number of complete wavelengths that pass —> determine pitch

Amplitude

determine loudness

place theory

sounds of diff freq stimulate diff places on Basilar membrane

frquency theory

rate of nerve impulse increase, auditory nerve = frequency

volley theory

individual fibers fire to certain sounds —> next line dires

sound localization

ability to identify position/changes

conduction deafness

physical damage to ear, conducts sound wave to cochlea

sensorineural

nerve damage, cochlea receptor cells or audit nerves

olfactory systems

smell, stimulate receptor cells in olfactory epithelium by odorants

olfactory cells

carry info to bulb, prefrontal cortex

thalamus

smell only sense not processed first in thalamus

gustation

taste

Pheromones

same species odor used for chemical communication

tase receptor

cell for gustatory stimuli in the taste bud

Taste + smell

without smell taste is dull or nonexistent

warm/cold

skin sensations, cold, warm, pressure, pain

pain

expereince from harmful stimulus, attention to dangere

gate control theory

Only focus on one pain stimulus at a time

phantom limb

amputees interpret neural actviy as limb there still

vestubular sense

sense of balance

kinesthetic sense

sense of bodt movement