Unit 2 Pysch

Absolute Threshold
The minimum amount of stimulation needed to detect a sensation 50% of the time, like the faintest sound we can hear.

Alpha Waves
Brainwaves associated with being relaxed but awake, like when you're daydreaming. Also in stage 1 of sleep.

Blind Spot
The part of the retina where the optic nerve exits, so no photoreceptor cells are there, causing a small area where we can’t see.

Bottom-Up Processing
Perception that starts with recognizing simple features (like colors or shapes) and builds up to complex ideas.

Change Blindness
Failing to notice changes in our environment, like not noticing when a friend changes their hairstyle.

Circadian Rhythm
The body’s natural 24-hour cycle that regulates sleep, energy, and alertness. It’s why we feel awake during the day and sleepy at night.

Cochlea
A spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that converts sound waves into nerve signals.

Color Constancy
The ability to recognize colors as consistent, even when lighting changes

Cone
Light-sensitive cells in the retina that detect color and work best in bright light.

Consciousness
Our awareness of ourselves and our environment. When we're conscious, we're alert and able to think and respond to things around us.

Delta Waves
Slow brainwaves that occur during deep sleep, important for feeling rested.

Dual Processing
The idea that our brain processes information on two levels simultaneously: a conscious level (aware of) and an unconscious level (automatic)

Farsightedness
A condition where distant objects are seen clearly, but close objects appear blurry.

Fovea
The center of the retina, where cone cells are concentrated, allowing for sharp, detailed vision.

Inattentional Blindness
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is focused elsewhere. Like missing someone waving because you’re looking at your phone.

Insomnia
A sleep disorder where a person has trouble falling or staying asleep.

Middle Ear
The part of the ear between the eardrum and inner ear that contains tiny bones which transmit sound vibrations.

Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder that causes sudden, uncontrollable "sleep attacks," where a person may fall asleep randomly.

Night Terrors
Episodes of intense fear and screaming that occur during deep sleep, often without memory of it.

Optic Nerve
The nerve that sends visual information from the eye to the brain.

Parallel Processing
The brain's ability to process multiple aspects of a visual scene, like color, shape, and motion, all at once.

Perception
How we organize and interpret sensory information to understand what we’re experiencing.

Priming
When exposure to one stimulus influences how we respond to another, like seeing the word "yellow" might make us quicker to recognize "banana."

REM Sleep
A sleep stage where dreaming happens, and your eyes move quickly under your eyelids.

Rod
Light-sensitive cells in the retina that detect shades of gray and work well in dim light, helping us see at night.

Selective Attention
Focusing on a specific part of your environment while ignoring others. For example, paying attention to your friend in a crowded room.

Sensation
The process of our sensory receptors detecting information, like when our eyes see light or ears hear sounds

Sensory Adaptation
Reduced sensitivity to a stimulus after constant exposure, like not noticing the sound of a fan after it’s been on for a while.

Sleep Apnea
A sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, often causing loud snoring.

Subliminal
Sensory signals that are too faint for us to consciously detect, but may still influence thoughts or behavior.

Transduction
The process of converting one form of energy into another, like sound waves turning into neural signals in the ear.

Wavelength
The distance between peaks of light or sound waves; it determines color in light and pitch in sound.

Weber’s Law
The idea that the amount of change in a stimulus needed to notice it depends on the original intensity. For example, adding a teaspoon of sugar to a cup of already sweet tea may be hard to notice.