Studied by 25 people
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
Note 
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