AP Psych Test Perception

the stimulation of sense organs

the selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input

the study of how physical stimuli are translated into psychological experience

the failure to see fully visible objects or events because our attention is focused elsewhere

the minimum amount of stimulation that can be detected by an organism for a specific type of sensory input

the smallest amount of difference in the amount of stimulation that can be detected in a sense

the size of a JND is a constant proportion of the size of the initial stimulus

sensory sensitivity depends on a variety of factors besides the physical intensity of the stimulus

gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged stimulation

sense of smell

transparent eye structure that focuses the light rays falling on the retina

opening in the center of the iris that helps regulate the amount of light passing into the rear chamber of the eye

neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye that absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain

specialized receptors that play a key role in daylight and color vision

specialized receptors that play a key role in night and peripheral vision

a tiny spot in the center of the retina that contains only cones, where visual acuity is greatest

the process in which the eyes become more sensitive to the light in low illumination

the process in which the eyes become less sensitive to light in high illumination

variety of deficiencies in the ability to distinguish among colors

the retinal area that, when stimulated, affects the firing of a particular cell

a hold in the retina where the optic nerve fibers exit the eye

neurons that respond selectively to very specific features of more complex stimuli

works by removing some wavelenghts of light, leaving less light than was originally there

works by superimposing lights, leaving more light in the mixture than in any one light by itself

proposes that the human eye has three types of receptors with differeing sesitivites to different wavelengths

pairs of colors that can be added together to produce gray tones

a visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed

proposes that color is perceived in three channels, where an either or responsive is made to pairs of antagonistic colors

a drawing compatible with 2 different interpretations that can shift back and forth

a readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way

process in which we detect specific elements in a visual input and assemble these elements into a more complex form

progression from individual elements to the whole

progression from the whole to the individual elements

inexplicable discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulus and its physical reality

illusion of movement created by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession

stimuli that lie in the distance in the world outside us

the stimulus energies that impinge directly on our sensory receptors

inference about what distal stimuli could be responsible for the proximal stimuli sensed

involves our interpretation of visual cues that tell us how near or far away objects are

clues about distance that are obtained by comparing the differing views of two eyes

clues about distance that are obtained from the image in either eye alone

tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of constantly changing sensory input

locating the source of a sound in space

fluis filled, coiled tunnel that makes up the largest part of the inner ear

membrane running the length of the cochlea that holds the actual auditory receptors called hair cells

perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different portions, or places, along the basilar membrane

perception of pitch corresponds to the rate, or frequency, at which the entire basilar membrane vibrates

groups of auditory nerve fibers fire neural impulses in rapid succession, creating volleys of impulses

sense of taste

neural activity in a cell opposes activity in surrounding cells

objects that can be represented in 2-d figures but can't exist in 3-d space

holds that incoming pain sensations pass through a gate in the spinal cord that can be opened or closed

sense that monitors the positions of the various parts of the body

system that provides sense of balance

point at which the optic nerves from the inside half of each eye cross over and then project to the opposite half of the brain

clues about distance that can be given in a flat picture

the registration of sensory input without conscious awareness

involves simultaneously extracting different kinds of information from the same input

close objects are clear but distant objects are blurry

distant objects are clear but close objects are blurry

depth cue which refers to the fact that objects within 25 feet project images to slightly different locations on your right and left retinas, so the right and left eyes see slightly different images

binocular cue which involves sensing the eyes converging toward each other as they focus on closer objects

monocular deptch cue which involves images of objects at different distances moving across the retina at different rates

perception of contours where none actually exist

people, objects, events, and other standards that are used as a baseline for comparitors in judgments

making a very large request that is likely to be turned down to increase the chances that people will agree to a smaller request

won the nobel prize for their discovery of feature detector cells in the retina

Made use of phi phenomenon to illustrate some of the basic principles of Gestalt psychology

a leading authority on taste research

Proposed a gate-control theory of pain