Psych 101 chapter 6

The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory info, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information

info processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing  on our experience and expectations

conversion of one form of energy into another. in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret

the study of relationships btw the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them

the minimum simulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

a theory predicting 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, motivation and alertness

below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness

words or pictures not consciously perceived but supposedly influence people's judgements, attitudes, and behaviors

the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perceptions, memory, or responses

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time.  we experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (ind)

the principle that, to be perceived as difference, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

adjustable opening in center of eye through which light enters

a ring of muscle tissue (colored portion of eye) controls size of pupil opening

transparent structure behind pupil that changes shape to help focus images on retina

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin processing of visual info

the process by which the lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

retinal receptors that detect black, white, gray. necessary for peripheral and twilight vision when cones don't respond

retinal receptors that area concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions.  the cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

the nerve that carries neural impulses from eye to brain

the point at which optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there

the central focus point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

nerve cels in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus such as shape, angle, or movement

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously, the brain's natural mode of info processing for many functions, including vision. contests ith the step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and conscious problem solving

receptor rods and cones-->bipolar cells-->ganglion cells

the theory that the retina contains 3 different color receptors (red, blue, green) which when stimulated in combination can produce perception of any color

theory that opposing retinal process (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision.

an organized whole.  Gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of info into meaningful whole

the organization of visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike retina are 2-d.  allows us to judge distance

laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

depth cues, such as retinal disparity that depend on the use of two eyes

a binocular cue for perceiving depth.  by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance. greater disparity=closer object

• relative height
• relative motion
• relative size
• interposition
• linear perspective
• light and shadow

depth cues available to either eye alone

an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, sizes, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change

perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wave-lengths reflected by the object

in vision, ability to adjust an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

the sense or act of hearing

number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency

chamber between eardrum and cochlea.  contains hammer, anvil, stirrup.  concentrates vibrations of eardrum on cochlea's oval window

coiled bony fluid filled tube in inner ear.  sound waves trigger nerve impulses

innermost part of ear containing cochlea, semicircular canals and vestibular sacs

AKA nerve deafness.  damage to cochlea's receptor cells or to auditory nerves

damage to mechanical system that conducts sound waves to cochlea

device which converts sounds into electrical signals , stimulates auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into cochlea

in hearing, theory that links pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated

in hearing, theory that links rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch

the 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

the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the small of food influences its taste

in psychological science, the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements

the system for sensing position and movement of individual body parts

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance