absolute threshold
detection of signal 50% of the time (is it there)
difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time
JND
weber's law
two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage to be perceived as different
signal detection theory
detection depends on experience, expectations, alertness, etc. (more likely to notice a door slam outside when waiting on teh pizza guy)
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a result of a constant stimulation (can you feel your underwear)
sensory habitutation
diminished sensitivity du to regular exposure (do you notice the train)
perceptual set
tendency to see something as part of a group; speeds up signal processing
inattentional blindeness
failure to notice something because you're so focused on another task
change blindness
failure to notice a change in the scene (door study)
cornea
protects the eye
pupil/iris
control light entering into the eye
lens
focuses light on the retina
fovea
area of best vision (cones here)
rods
black/white, dim light
cones
color, bright light (red, green, blue)
bipolar cells
connect rods/cones and ganglion cells
ganglion cells
create optic nerve
blind spot
occurs where the optic nerve leaves the eye
feature detectors
specialized cells that see shapes, lines, etc located in the occipital lobe
trichromatic theory of color vision
three cones for receiving color (blue, red, green); colorblindness occurs when they are missing a cone type
opponent process theory of color vision
complementary colors are processed in ganglion cells; explains why we see an after image
visual capture
visual system overwhelms all others (nauseous in an IMAX theater - vision trumps vestibular)
constancies
recognize that objects do not physically change despite changes in sensory input (size, shape, brightness)
phi phenomenon
adjacent lights blink on/off in succession- looks like movement
stroboscopic movement
motion produced by a rapid succession of slightly varying images (animations)
monocular cues
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone (1 eye); how we form 3D images from 2D images
interposition (monocular cue)
overlapping images appear closer
relative size (monocular cue)
2 objects that are usually similar in size, smaller one is farther away
linear perspective (monocular cue)
parallel lines converge with distance (railroad trakcs)
relative clarity (monocular cue)
hazy objects appear further away
texture gradient (monocular cue)
coarser objects are closer
relative height (monocular cue)
things higher in our field of vision look further away
motion parallax (monocular cue)
closer objects appear to move faster than objects that are farther
binocular cues
how both eyes make up a 3D image
retinal disparity (binocular cue)
image is cast slightly different on each retina, location of image helps us determine depth
convergence (binocular cue)
eyes strain more (looking inward) as object draw nearer
top-down processing
whole -> smaller parts (paintings w/ faces)
bottom-up processing
smaller parts -> whole (dog of bunch of dots
auditory system pathway of sound
sound -> pinna -> auditory canal -> ear drum (tympanic membrane) -> hammer, anvil, stirrup (HAS) -> oval window -> cochlea -> auditory nerve -> temporal lobes
outer ear
pinna (ear), auditory canal
middle ear
ear drum, HAS (bones vibrate to send signal)
inner ear
cochlea; cochlea - like COCHELLA (sounds 1st processed here); basilar membrane is in the cochlea
place theory of hearing
location where hair cells bend to determines sound (high pitches)
frequency theory of hearing
rate at which action potentials are sent determines sound (low pitches)
Muller-Lyer Illusion
doesn't work on cultures w/o exposure to modern architecture; perceiving to shafts depth perception
Ponzo illusion
an illusion of size in which two objects of equal size that are positioned between two converging lines appear to be different in size; also called the railroad track illusion; happens due to linear perspective
McGurk Effect illusion
see mouth saying ba or fa overrides what you actually hear (va)
touch sense pathway
mechanoreceptors-> spinal cord-> thalamus-> somatosensory cortex
vestibular sense
sense of balance (effected by semicircular canals in the inner ear)
kinesthetic sense (proprioception)
sense of body position (neurons in ligaments and body tell you this)
Pain (nociception)
Ggate-control theory: we have a "gate" to control how much pain is experienced
taste (gustation)
5 taste receptors: bitter, salty, sweet, sour, umami (savory)
smell (olfaction)
only sense that does NOT route through the thalamus 1st; goes to temporal lobe and amygdala
gestalt psychology
the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
figure-ground (gestalt principle)
organize information into objects (figures) that stand apart from surroundings (back ground)
Closure (Gestalt Principle)
mentally fill in gaps
proximity (gestalt principle)
group things together that appear near each other
similarity (gestalt principle)
group things together based off of looks
continuity (gestalt theory)
tendancy to mentally form a continuous line