Sensation & Perception

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions related to sensation and perception, aiding in comprehensive understanding for exam preparation.

Sensation

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

Perception

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

Top-Down Processing

Information processing that begins with cognitive factors, such as our expectations or prior knowledge, to interpret sensory information.

Bottom-Up Processing

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

Transduction

The process of converting one form of energy into another, such as transforming light energy into neural impulses.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum level of stimulus intensity needed to detect a stimulus half the time.

Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

The minimum difference in stimulation that a person can detect 50% of the time.

Weber's Law

The principle that for two stimuli to be perceived as different, they must differ by a constant minimum percentage.

Sensory Adaptation

Reduced sensitivity to stimulation when an organism is presented with constant levels of stimulation.

Perceptual Constancy

The ability to perceive objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change.

Color Constancy

The ability to see consistent color in changing illumination.

Shape Constancy

The ability to perceive objects as having a constant shape despite receiving different sensory images.

Size Constancy

The ability to perceive objects as the same size even when the image on the retina changes due to distance.

Binocular Cues

Depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes.

Monocular Cues

Depth cues available to either eye alone, such as interposition and relative size.

Sound Waves

Vibrations in the air that are sensed by the auditory system.

Auditory Nerves

Nerves that carry sound signals from the inner ear to the brain.

Frequency Theory

Theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, which enables the perception of pitch.

Place Theory

Theory that different frequencies stimulate different locations on the basilar membrane, leading to pitch perception.

Pain Circuit

The pathway through which signals of pain travel to the brain, interpreted as pain.

Gate-Control Theory

Theory suggesting that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that either allows or blocks pain signals to the brain.

Synaesthesia

A condition in which the stimulation of one sense leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sense.