Psychology Test 2 Vocab

sensation

a simple stimulation of a sense organ

perception

the organization, identification, and interpretation of a sensation in order to form a mental representation

transduction

the process whereby sense receptors convert physical signals from the environment into neural signals that are sent to the central nervous system

sensory adaptation

sensitivity to prolonged stimulation tends to decline over time as an organism adapts to current (unchanging) conditions

psychophysics

methods that systematically relate the physical characteristics of a stimulus to an observer’s perception

absolute threshold

the minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus in 50% of the trials

sensitivity

how responsive we are to the faint stimuli

aculty

how well we can distinguish two very similar stimuli

just noticeable difference(JND)

the minimal change in a stimulus (e.g., its loudness or brightness) that can just barely be detected

Weber’s law

for every sense domain, the change in a stimulus that is just noticeable is a constant proportion despite variation in intensities

signal detection law

the response to a stimulus depends both on a person’s sensitivity to the stimulus int he presence of noise and on a person’s decision criterion

retina

a layer of light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eyeball

accomodation

the process wehreby the eye maintains a clear image on the retina

cones

detect color, operate under typicall daylight conditions, and allow us to focus on fine detail

rods

become active only under low-light conditions, for night vision

forea

the area of the retina where vision is clearest and there are no rods at all

blind spot

a location int he visual field that produces no sensation on the retina

area V1

part of the occipital lobe that contains the primary visual cortex

color-opponent system

pairs of cone types (channels) work in opposition

parallel processing

the brain’s capacity to perform multiple activities at the same time

binding problem

how the brain links features together so that we see unified objects in our visual world rather than free-floating or miscombined features

illusory conjunction

a perceptual mistake whereby the brain incorrectly combines features from multiple objects

attention

the active and conscious processing of particular information

perceptual constancy

even as aspects of sensory signals change, perception remains constant

perceptual organization

the process of grouping and segregating features to create whole objects organized in meaningful ways

monocular depth cues

aspects of a scene that yield information about depth when viewed with only one eye

binocular disparity

difference int eh retinal images of the two eyes taht provides information about depth

apparent motion

perception of movement as a result of alternating signals appearing in rapid succession in different locations

biological motion perception

our ability to perceive biological motion critical for identifying individuals and socially relevant features, such as their emotional state, personality characteristics, and whether they are engaging in deceptive actions

change blindness

when people fail to detect changes to the visual details of a scene

inattentional blindness

a failure to perceive objects that are not the focus of attention

sound waves

changes in air pressure unfolding over time

pitch

how high or low a sound is

loudness

the perception of a sound’s intensity

timbre

the quality of sound that allows you to distinguish two sources with the same pitch and loudness

cochlea

a fluid-filled tube that contains cells that transduce sound vibrations into neural impulses

basilar membrane

a structure in the inner ear that moves up and down in time with vibrations relayed from the ossicles, transmitted through the oval window

inner hair cells

specialized auditory receptor neurons embedded in the basilar membrane

area A1

the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe

place code

the brain uses information about the relative activity of hair cells (e.g., which ones are more active and which are less active) across the whole basilar membrane to help determine the pitch you hear

temporal code

the brain uses the timing of the action potentials in the auditory nerve to help determine the pitch you hear

machine learning

a form of artificial intelligence in which a computer program learns from data that are input to the program and uses that information to process new data

Haptic perception

active exploration of the environment by touching and grasping objects with our hands

referred pain

occurs when sensory information from internal and external areas converges on the same nerve cells in the spinal cord

gate-control theory

signals arriving from pain receptors in the body can be stopped by interneurons in the spinal cord via feedback from the skin or from the brain

proprioception

your sense of bodily position

vestibular system

the three fluid-filled semicircular canals and adjacent organs located next to the cochlea in each inner ear

olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs)

recpeptor cells that transduce odorant molecules into neural impulses

olfactory bulb

a brain structure located above the nasal cavity beneath the frontal lobes

pheromones

biochemical odorants emitted by other members of an animal’s species that can affect its behavior or physiology

taste buds

the organs of taste transduction