Myers' Psychology for AP*: AP Psychology Unit 4 Flashcards
sensation
process which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception
process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works ip to the brain's integration of sensory information
top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
inattention blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity and our psychological experience of them
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time
signal detection theory
predicts when we will detect weak signals; measured as our ratio to "hits" to "false alarms"
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
difference threshold
"noticeable difference" is the minimum difference a person can detect between any two stimuli half the time
Weber's Law
the principal that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)
sensory adaptation
our demising sensitivity to an unchain stimulus
pupil
the adjustable opening in the center fo the eye through which light enters
iris
ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
lens
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
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
accommodation
the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
rods
retinal receptors that detect black, white and grey; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
cones
retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. Gives fine detail and give rise to color sensations
optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
blind spot
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, no receptor cells are located there
fovea
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
feature detector
ability to respond to a scene's specific feature
parallel processing
processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
Young-Helmholtz (three color) theory
the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors
opponent-process theory
the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision
audition
the sense or act of hearing
frequency
the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time
pitch
a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
middle ear
the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window
cochlea
a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses
inner ear
the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
place theory
in hearing the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
frequency theory
in hearing, the theory that the rates of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
conduction hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts soul waves to the cochlea
sensorineural hearing loss
hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness
cochlear implant
a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
conduction hearing loss
problems with the technical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
sensorineural hearing loss
damage to the cochlea's hair cell receptor or their associated nerves
kinesthesis
your sense of the position and movement of your body part
vestibular sense
the sense of body movement and position including the sense of balance
gate-control theory
the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain
sensory interaction
the principle that one sense may influence another
gestalt
an organized whole. these psychologist emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
figure-ground
the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
grouping
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
proximity
groups of nearby figures
similarity
group similar figures together
continuity
perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
connectedness
we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones
closure
we fill in gaps to create a complete whole object
depth perception
seeing object in three dimension, enables us to estimate their distance from us
visual cliff
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
binocular cues
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
retinal disparity
provides on important binocular cue to the relative distance of different objects
monocular cues
depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective available to either eye alone
phi phenomenon
an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blind on and off in quick succession
perceptual constancy
perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change
color constancy
perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths selected by the object
perceptual adaptation
in vision, the ability to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
perceptual set
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
extrasensory perception (ESP)
the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
parapsychology
the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis