Psychology chapter 5-6
AP
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- depth perception
- the ability to see objects in 3-D although the 2 images that strike the retina are 2-D; allows us to judge distance
- inattentional blindness
- failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
- waveleght
- the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next. Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long pulses of radio transmission.
- vestibular sense
- the sense of body movement and positionnn, including the sense of balance
- cones
- retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine details and give rise to color sensation
- subliminal
- below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
- priming
- the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.
- blind spot
- the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there.
- opponent-process theory
- theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, b-w)enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimuated by green and inhibited by red and others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
- acuity
- sharpness of vision
- grouping
- the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
- retina
- the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
- feature detector
- nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
- gestalt
- an organized whole. Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of info into meaningful wholes
- audition
- the sense or act of hearing
- gate-control theory
- theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The Gate is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by info coming from the brain.
- transduction
- conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, that transforming of stimulus energies, such as sightss, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret.
- difference threshold
- the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference.
- intensity
- the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we percieve as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude.
- random
- random (answer): 8% diff intensity for lights, 2% diff in weight, and .3% diff between 2 tones. This are the ab. threshold for stimulus
- pressure, warm, cold, pain
- __, __, __, __ are the four distinct skin senses
- farsightedness
- condition where far away objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects in focused behind the retina
- retinal disparity
- binocular cue for percieving depth, by comparing images from 2 eyebballs, the brain computed distance-the greater the disparitybetween the 2 images, the closer the objects
- parallel processing
- (pretty much means doing several things at once) processing of several aspects of a problem simulataneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with the step-by-step processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving
- iris
- a ring of muscle tissue thatt forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
- cochlea
- a coiled, bony, fluid-like tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger never impulses
- perceptual constancy
- percieving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
- selective attention
- the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus, as in the cocktail party effect(the ability to zone in on 1 voice)
- color consistancy
- percieving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.
- acomodation
- the process where the eye's lens change shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
- frequency
- number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time(for example, per second)
- Signal detection theory
- predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus(signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivations, and level of fatigue.
- conduction hearing loss
- hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
- Red is the only color not absorbed by the tomatoe (red is rejected whereas all the other colors are accepted)
- objects appear to have colors because (Answering this question: why is a tomatoe red?)
- Weber's law
- the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constart minimum percentage (rather than a constart amount)
- Sensory Adaption
- diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constart stimulation
- psychophysics
- the study of relationships between the physical charecteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our pyschological experience of them.
- fovea
- the central focal point in the retina, around which the eyes cones cluster.
- phi phenomenon
- an illusion of movement created when 2+ adjacent lights blink on and off in nquick succession
- additive color mixing
- process of adding wavelengths, like when green blue and red lights are shined, it appears white
- sensation
- the process where our sensory receptors and nervous system recieve and represent stimulus energies from our environment
- sensineural hearing loss
- hearing loss caused by damage to the chochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness
- decibels
- measuring ubit for sound energy
- absolute thresholds
- the mimimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.
- 30 minutes
- how long before people's ability to catch a faint signal diminishes?
- perception
- the process of organizing and interpreting sensory info, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
- binocular cues
- depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depends on the use of 2 eyes
- bottom-up processing
- analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory info.
- Subtractive color mix
- mixing paint is _________ because it subtracts wavelengths from the reflected lights.
- prosopagnosia
- a condition where one has complete sensation but incomplete perception
- visula capture
- the tendency for vision to dominate the other senses (like bracing ur self for a rollar coaster before its moving, or watching a movie where the sound is far away from screen but seeing noise coming from there)
- place theory
- in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
- middle ear
- chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window.
- frequency theory
- in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
- kinesthesis
- the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
- nearsightedness
- a condition where nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina
- pupil
- small adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
- pitch
- a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
- figure-ground
- the organization of visual field into objects (figures) that stand out against their surroundings (ground)
- cornea
- protects the eye and bends light to provide focus
- optic nerve
- the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
- hue
- the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of lights; aka blue, green, red, etc
- top-down processing
- info processing guided by higher-level mental processing, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
- random hearing
- ears transform the vibrating air into nerve impulses, which our brain decondes as sound.
- rods
- retinal receptors that detect black, white and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones dont respond
- Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic (3-color) theory
- theory that the retina contains three different color receptors-one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue-which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color.
- lens
- transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
- cochlear implants
- a device for converting sounds into rlrctrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electroeds threaded into the cochlea