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AP Psychology > Chapter 4 > Flashcards

Chapter 4 Flashcards

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0
Q

Perception

A

The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information

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1
Q

Sensation

A

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

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2
Q

Bottom-up processing

A

Starts at the sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing

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3
Q

Top-down processing

A

Construct perceptions from the sensory input by drawing on our experience and expectation

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4
Q

Selective attention

A

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

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5
Q

Inattentional blindness

A

Failing to see visible offers when our attention is directed elsewhere

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6
Q

Change blindness

A

Failing to notice changes in the environment

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7
Q

Transduction

A

Conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights into neural impulses our brain can interpret

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8
Q

Psychophysics

A

The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, and our psychological experience of them

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9
Q

Absolute threshold

A

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

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10
Q

Signal detection theory

A

A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation

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11
Q

Subliminal

A

Below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness

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12
Q

Priming

A

The activations, often unconsciously, of certain associations

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13
Q

Difference threshold

A

The just noticeable difference

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14
Q

Weber’s law

A

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage

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15
Q

Sensory adaption

A

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

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16
Q

Perceptual set

A

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

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17
Q

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

A

The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition

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18
Q

Parapsychology

A

The study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

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19
Q

Wavelength

A

The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next

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20
Q

Hue

A

The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

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21
Q

Intensity

A

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave

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22
Q

Pupil

A

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

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23
Q

Iris

A

The ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil

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24
Lens
The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
25
Retina
The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones
26
Accommodation
The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
27
Rods
Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray
28
Comes
Retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and function in the day; detect detail and color
29
Optic nerve
The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
30
Blind spot
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a blind spot because there are no receptor cells there
31
Fovea
The central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
32
Feature detectors
Nerve cells in the brain that responds to specific features of the stimulus
33
Parallel processing
The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brains natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision
34
Young-Helmholtz theory
The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors (blue, red, green)
35
Opponent-process theory
The theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
36
Gestalt
An organized whole; gestalt psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes
37
Figure-ground
The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
38
Grouping
The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
39
Depth perception
The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional
40
Visual cliff
A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
41
Binocular cues
Depth cues, such as retinal display, that depend on the use of two eyes
42
Retinal disparity
A binocular bye for perceiving depth: by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance
43
Monocular cues
Depth cues available to either eye alone
44
Phi phenomenon
An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink ok and off in quick succession
45
Perceptual constancy
Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change
46
Color constancy
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object
47
Perceptual adaptation
In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
48
Audition
The sense or act of hearing
49
Middle ear
The chamber between the eardrum and the cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup)
50
Cochlea
A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses
51
Inner ear
The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.
52
Sensorineural hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or auditory nerves
53
Conduction hearing loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
54
Cochlear implant
A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
55
Place theory
In hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
56
Frequency theory
In hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone
57
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
58
Lines thesis
A system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
59
Vestibular sense
The sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
60
Sensory interaction
The principle that one sense may influence another
61
Embodied cognition
In psychological science, the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements

AP Psychology (6 decks)

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