Unit 3: Hearing - Vocabulary

absolute threshold

the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

accommodation

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

audition

the sense or act of hearing

binocular cue

a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes

blind spot

the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there

bottom-up processing

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

change blindness

failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness

cochlea

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear

sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses

cochlear implant

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea

color constancy

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object

conduction hearing loss

a less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

extrasensory perception (ESP)

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

gestalt

an organized whole

emphasizes our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

kinesthesia

our movement sense - our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body arts

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

perceptual adaptation

the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

Weber's law

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

embodied cognition

the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other stats on cognitive preferences and judgments

fovea

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

hue

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

what we know as the color names "blue", "green", and so forth

monocular cue

a depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone

optic nerve

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

parallel processing

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously

the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions

parapsychology

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

place theory

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane in stimulated

priming

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response

pupil

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

sensory receptor

sensory nerve endings that respond to stimuli

vestibular sense

our sense of body movement and position that enables our sense of balance

cones

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

detects fine detail and give rise to color sensations

cornea

the eye's clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris

depth perception

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance

allows us to judge distance

difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time

we experience as a "just noticeable difference"

feature detectors

nerve cells in the brain's visual cortex that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

figure-ground

the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

frequency theory

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

gate-control theory

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. the "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain

grouping

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

inner ear

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs

intensity

the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave, which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness

determined by the wave's amplitude (height)

iris

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

lens

the transparent structure behind the pupil that charges shape to help focus images on the retina

middle ear

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

olfaction

the sense of smell

opponent-process theory

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black) enable color vision

for example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

perceptual constancy

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent color, brightness, shape, and size) even as illumination and retinal images change

phi phenomenon

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

pitch

a tone's experienced highness or lowness

depends on frequency

psychophysics

the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

retina

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information

retinal disparity

a binocular cue for perceiving depth

by comparing retinal images from the two eyes, the brain computes distance - the greater the difference between the two images, the closer the object

rods

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement

necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond

selective attention

the focusing on conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

sensation

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

sensorineural hearing loss

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves

the most common form of hearing loss, also called nerve deafness

sensory adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

sensory interaction

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste

signal detection theory

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

assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness

subliminal

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

top-down processing

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

transduction

conversion of one form of energy into another

in sensation, the transferring of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret

visual cliff

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

wavelength

the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

vary from short blips of gamma rays to long pulses of radio transmission

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory

the theory that the retina contains three different types of color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue - which, when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color