1. Basic concepts of sensation and perception Flashcards
(26 cards)
the process of converting one form of energy into another that our brain can use
transduction
the study of the relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli
psychophysics
the bottom-up process by which your sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimuli
sensation
the top-down process by which your brain creates meaning by organizing and interpreting what your senses detect
perception
starts at your sensory receptors and works up to higher level of processing
bottom-up processing
constructs perceptions from this sensory input by drawing on your experience and expectation
top-down processing
sensory nerve ending that respond to stimuli
sensory receptors
who studied the edge of our awareness of our faint stimuli
Gustav Fechner
the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
absolute threshold
what is the name of the faint stimuli Fechner studied
absolute threshold
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation
signal detection theory
in what point your absolute threshold would be defined
50-50
what stimuli you cannot consciously detect 50 percent of the time
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
subliminal
what do researchers use to activate unconscious associations
priming
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time
difference threshold
other term for difference threshold
just noticeable difference
what increases with detectable difference
size of stimulus
what principle explains that to be be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than a constant minimum
weber’s law
is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular sound (such as an approaching bike on the sidewalk behind you) 50 percent of the time.
absolute threshold
happens when, without your awareness, your sensory system processes a sound that is below your absolute threshold.
subliminal stimulation
is the minimum difference needed to distinguish between two stimuli (such as between the sound of a bike and the sound of a runner coming up behind you) 50 percent of the time.
difference threshold
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
sensory adaptation
a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
perceptual set
