Psych Ch 4

the activation of the sense organs by a source of physical energy

the sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli by the sense organs and brain

enery that produces a response in a sense organ

the study of the relationship between the physical aspects of stimuli and our psychological experience of them

the smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected

just noticable difference; the smallest level of added or reduced stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occured

a basic law of psychophysics stating that a just noticable difference is a constant proportion to the intensity of an initial stimulus rather than a constant amount

an adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure to unchanging stimuli

the part of the eye that converts the electromagnetic energy of the light to electrical impulses for transmission to the brain

thin, cylindrical receptor cells in the retina that are highly sensitive to light

light sensitive receptor cells in the retina that are responsible for sharp focus and color perception, particuarly in bright light

a bundle of ganglion axons that carry visual information to the brain

the activation od neurons in the cortex by visual stimuli of specific shapes or patterns

the theory that there are 3 kinds of cones in the retina, each of which responds primarily to a specific range of wavelengths

the movement of air molecules brought about by a cource of vibration

the part of the ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it

a coiled tube in the ear filled with fluid that vibrates in response to sound

a vibrating structure that runs through the center of the cochlea, dividing it into an upper chamber and a lower chamber and containing sense receptors for sound

tiny cells covering the basilar membrane that when bent by vibrations entering the cochlea, transmit neural messages to the brain

the theory that different areas of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies

the theory that different areas of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies

3 tubelike structures of the inner ear containing fluid that sloshes through them when the head moves, signaling rotational or angular movement to the brain

the senses of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

the theory that particular nerve receptors in the spinal chord lead to specific areas of the brain related to pain

a sesries of principles that describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes

perception that is guided by higher-level knowledge, experience, expectations, and motivations

perception that consists of the progression of reorganizing and processing information from individual components of a stimuli and moving to the perception of a whole

the ability to view the world in 3-dimensions and to percieve distance

the phenomenon in which physical objects are percieved as unvarying and consistant despite changes in their appearance or in the physical environment

physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception