AP Psych Unit 2 and 3

terms to remember for test

Psychophyiscs

branch of psych that studies how sensory stimuli changes thoughts

absolute threshold

smallest amount of a stimulus you can detect

difference threshold

smallest amount of change in a stimulus you can detect

Weber Law

The greater the magnitude or intensity of a stimulus; the more that stimulus must change before a person can notice it’s different

selective attention

ability to focus upon one stimulus, from among all surrounding environmental stimuli

goal-directed attention

selective attention to stimuli necessary for completing a task

change blindness

observer fails to notice a change in a visual stimulus because they are focused on something else

stimulus driven capture

larger magnitude or new stimuli are rapidly attended to

sensory adaptation

the longer a person is exposed to an unchanging stimulus; the less likely they are to detect it

signal detection theory

a person‘s emotional state, expectations and decisions making processes affect if they detect a stimulus or not

McGurk Effect

what is seen can alter what is heard

cornea

outermost and protective layer of the eyes

pupil

opening in the eye that allows light to enter

iris

colored portion of the eye that surrounds the pupil

lens

structure that focus light on the retina

accomodation

process in which muscles change the shape of the lens to better focus light

retina

where transduction occurs

photoreceptors

the cones are the first level of cells in retina

cones

activated by color and bright light

rods

activated by low light

bipolar cells

connected to several rods and only one cone

ganglion cells

bundle together to form optic nerve

optic chiasma

x-shaped structure where optic nerves cross over to the hemispheres

feature detectors

specialized neurons in the visual cortex that allow us to detect angles, shapes, edges, and movement

Trichromatic theory

Three cones, S M and L that fire in different combinations and rates to allow a range of colors to be detected

Opponent Process Theory

bipolar cells allow nerve fibers to detect complementary pairs of colors

Afterimage

when a visual sensation briefly persists after original stimulus has been removed

sound localization

ability to determine the origin of a sound by judging the relative time and intensity which sound waves reach each ear

cocktail party effect

ability to focus attention on one particular sound while filtering out other sounds

top down processing

occurs when stimuli are perceived as a whole rather than individual features

bottom up processing

analyzing individual elements

law of Pragnanz

people have tendency to being with top down processing because it has less cognitive effort than bottom up processin

perceptual organizations and grouping

unconscious mind and automatic cognitive steps taken to establish an order in what is seen heard, etc.

Gestalt Principles

the cognitive tendencies which influence the ways people organize images into patterns or wholes

Law of Common Fate

visual elements seen moving in the same direction at the same rate, are perceived as a whole unit

Law of Common Region

objects enclosed in borders or backgrounds are often perceived as a single unit

simplicity

we tend to organize stimuli in the simplest way possible

closure

tendency to fill any missing parts of a figure and see it as complete

figure-ground

your experience of automatically identifying a figure, which has more detail, standing out against a background, which has less detail

proximity

we tend to group objects that are physically close together

perceptual set

temporary readiness to perceive a stimulus as a person expects to perceive it

size constancy

ability to understand objects maintain a constant size despite the object’s distance

shape constancy

objects maintain a constant shape, despite changing angle of view

brightness constancy

ability to understand objects maintain a constant shape, despite lighting changes

motion perception

feature detectors detect image’s expansion, diminishment, or movement across the retina

depth perception

cognitive ability to perceive 3d characteristics of an objects or judge the distance of an object

monocular cues

visual info needed to perceive depth detected by one eye brain unconsciously

Relative size

small images are perceived as being further away; larger images are closer

texture gradient

objects closer to the viewer are seen with greater detail than those further away

interposition

an object obstructing the view of another is perceived as being closer

linear perspective

parallel lines appear to converge at greater distance

motion parallax

closer objects appear to move more quickly through the visual field while viewer is in motion

binocular cues

depth perception info only detected with both eyes

convergence

the eyes must converge inward to see an object that is up close

retinal disparity

each eye/retina has unique angle of view

parapsychology

The study of psychological phenomenon that can’t be scientifically validated

cold reading technique

psychic makes multiple high probability guesses about a person's background, lifestyle, fears, etc.

subliminal threshold

when stimuli are detected below the absolute threshold

transduction

conversion of energy from one to another

wavelength

distance from the peak of one sound wave to the next

hue

color we experience

parallel processing

processing many things at once

place theory

different hairs vibrate in the cochlea when they hear different pitches, so some hairs vibrate when they hear high pitches and others vibrate when they hear low ones

conduction deafness

when something goes wrong w/ the sound & vibration on the way to the cochlea

Sensorineural deafness

when hair cells in cochlea get damaged

kinesthesis

sense of position and movement of body parts

Vestibular sense

monitors body’s position and movement (semicircular canals in ear help keep balance)

Gustation

taste

papillae

bumps on our tongue

oflaction

smell receptors are located at top of nasal cavity

anosmia

loss of smell

gestalt

an organized whole

figure-ground relationship

our first perceptual decision is what in the image is the figure and what is the background

phi phenomenon

an illusion of movement created when 2 or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

perceptual constancy

perceiving objects as unchanging when illumination and retinal images are changing

extrasensory adaptation

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

inattentional blindness

failing to see objects when attention is somewhere else

heredity

genetically transmitted or transmittable from parent to offspring

environment

every nongenetic influence from conception to health

chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA that contains that genes

genes

each DNA segment of a chromosome that determines a trait

PKU

mutation

down syndrome

extra 21st chromosome

Klinefelter’s syndrone

XXY, extreme introversion and minimal sexual development

Turner’s syndrome

X, shortness and different in physical sexual development

Rosenzweig’s study

environment influences neuroplasticity

endocrine system

glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream

hormones

chemical messengers that travel through the blood

hypothalamus

endocrine gland in the brain that produces hormones that stimulate or inhibit the secretion of hormones by the pituitary

pituitary gland

produces hormones' that control growth hormone production

pineal gland

Small endocrine gland located in the brain that produces melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles and influences mood.

thyroid

produces thyroxine which regulates metabolism

adrenal

produces adrenaline (fight or flight response)

pancreas

produces insulin, helps get energy from food

ovary and testes

produces hormones necessary for reproduction (estrogen and testosterone)

nervous system

body’s speedy electrochemical communication system

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

includes all of the sensory and motor neurons, carries out orders from the central nervous system

autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary/automatic movements

sympathetic nervous system

fight or flight; prepares body for stressful situations