Unit 3: Sensation & Perception

Sensation

recieves info from the environment (gathers the data)

Transduction

converts sensory energy into neural impulses our brain understands (translates the data)

Perception

interprets sensory info so the brain understands the senses (understands the data)

Interposition (Monocular Cue)

when an image overlaps another, it appears closer

Linear Perspective

parallel lines converge with distance (railroad tracks)

Selective Attention

focus on a particular stimuli among others

Relative Clarity

hazy objects appear further away

Monocular Cues

Cues that are seen with one eye

Binocular Cues

cues that are visible w/two eyes

Cocktail Party Effect

focus on a single voice in crowded room

Young-Helmholtz (Trichromatic) Theory

based on behavioral experiments it’s suggested that retina contains 3 receptors sensitive to red, blue, or green

Opponent-Process Theory

we process four primary colors opposed in pairs, (R-G, B-Y, B-W)

Absolute Threshold

smallest amount of stimulus you can detect 50% of the time

Just-Noticeable Difference

smallest difference between two stimuli that you can notice

Weber’s Law

a noticable difference between two stimuli depends on proportions

Sensory Adaptation

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Inattentional Blindness

failure to notice smth that is completely visible - lack of attention

Change Blindness

failure to notice significant changes in enviornment

Gestalt Principles

idea that the brain tends to organize things into whole patterns or groups instead of just seeing separate parts

Closure

fill in gaps to create complete, whole objects

Figure & Ground

when we separate what we are focusing on from the background

Proximity

grouping nearby figures together

Similarity

group similar figures together

Conduction Deafness

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to coachella (problem carrying sound to ear)

Sensorineural Deafness

hearing loss caused by damage to cochlea receptor cells/auditory nerve (problem with inner ear/nerve)

Localization of Hearing

because we have two ears, sounds reach one ear faster than the other making us localize the sounds

Place Theory

hear different sounds bc different parts of the ears cochlea get activated by sound pitches (best explains high pitches)

Frequency Theory

we hear pitch based on how fast the nerve signal fires in the ear (fast - high) (best explains low pitches)

Volley Theory

group of nerve cells take turns sending signals to help hear sounds that are too fast for on nerve cell alone

Gate control theory

spinal cord contains gates that either block pain or allow it to be sensed

Phantom Limb Pain

people who are missing a limb feel painful sensations that seem to be orginiating from the missing part

Vestibular Sense

motion and balance

Kinesthesis

your sense of where your body parts are and how they are moving without needing to look.

Accomodation

how lens change shape to focus on near/far objects on the retina