psych unit 4

bottom-up processing

begins with sensory receptors and works up to brains intergration of sensory info (only face pieces)

top-down processing

interpret what senses detect (getting hints of who face is)

selective attention

focusing of conscious awareness on particular stimulus

selective attention ex

can’t text and drive

inattentional awareness

failing to see visible objects when attention directed elsewhere

transduction

process of converting one form of energy to another

Fechner

absolute thresholds

absolute thresholds

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

difference threshold

minimum diff. person can detect between any 2 stimuli 50% of the time

webers law

to be perceived as diff, 2 stimuli must differ by constant minimum %

perceptual set

set of assumptions that affect what we perceive

what wavelength determines

hue

short wavelength is what color

bluish

long wavelength is what color

reddish

cornea

bends light, protects eye

pupil

lets light into eye

iris

controls size of pupil

lens

focuses light into an image

retina

cones and rods

cones

colors

rods

black/white

blind spot

optic nerve leaves

pathway of light

retina-optic nerve-brain

hubel and wiesel

feature detectors

parallel processing

doing multiple things at once

fechner

absolute threshold

soundwave amplitude determines

loudness

soundwave length determines

pitch

eardrum

causes vibrations

middle ear parts

hammer, anvil, stirrup

middle ear function

picks up vibrations and transmits to inner ear

inner ear

cochlea

cochlea function

trigger nerve impulses

place theory

we hear diff pitches bc waves trigger in diff parts of brain

frequency theory

brain reads pitches by monitoring frequency of impulses traveling auditory nerve

kinesthesis

sensation of movement with individual body parts

vestibular sense

sense of balance