sensation and perception

Question 0

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

Answer 0

perception

Question 1

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent sti,ulus energies from our environment

Answer 1

sensation

Question 2

analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information

Answer 2

bottom up processing

Question 3

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

Answer 3

top down processing

Question 4

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

Answer 4

psychophysics

Question 5

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

Answer 5

absolute threshold

Question 6

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

Answer 6

signal detection theory

Question 7

below one’’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

Answer 7

subliminal

Question 8

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time

Answer 8

difference threshold

Question 9

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

Answer 9

weber’s law

Question 10

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Answer 10

sensory adaptation

Question 11

conversion of one form of energy into another

Answer 11

transduction

Question 12

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

Answer 12

wavelength

Question 13

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

Answer 13

hue

Question 14

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the waves amplitude

Answer 14

intensity

Question 15

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

Answer 15

pupil

Question 16

a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

Answer 16

iris

Question 17

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

Answer 17

lens

Question 18

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

Answer 18

accommodation

Question 19

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

Answer 19

retina

Question 20

the sharpness of vision

Answer 20

ACUITY

Question 21

a condition in which nearby objects are seen more clearly than distant objects because distant objects focus in front of the retina

Answer 21

nearsightedness

Question 22

a condition in which faraway objects are seen more clearly than near objects because the image of near objects is focused behind the retina

Answer 22

farsightedness

Question 23

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray

Answer 23

rods

Question 24

receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions

Answer 24

cones

Question 25

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

Answer 25

optic nerve

Question 26

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

Answer 26

blind spot

Question 27

the central focal point in the retina around which the eyes cones cluster

Answer 27

fovea

Question 28

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

Answer 28

feature detectors

Question 29

the processing of several aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brains natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision

Answer 29

parallel processing

Question 30

the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color

Answer 30

young-helmholtz trichromatic theory | three color theory

Question 31

the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision

Answer 31

opponent-process theory

Question 32

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

Answer 32

color constancy

Question 33

the sense of hearing

Answer 33

audition

Question 34

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

Answer 34

frequency

Question 35

a tones highness or lowness

Answer 35

pitch

Question 36

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochleas oval windows

Answer 36

middle ear

Question 37

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

Answer 37

inner ear

Question 38

a coiled, bony, fluid-filed tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses

Answer 38

cochlea

Question 39

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

Answer 39

place theory

Question 40

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

Answer 40

frequency theory

Question 41

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Answer 41

conduction hearing loss

Question 42

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerve

Answer 42

sensorineural hearing loss

Question 43

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain

Answer 43

gate control theory

Question 44

the principle that one sense may influence another

Answer 44

sensory interaction

Question 45

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Answer 45

kinesthesis

Question 46

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

Answer 46

vestibular sense

Question 47

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Answer 47

selective attention

Question 48

the tendency for vision to dominate the other senses

Answer 48

visual capture

Question 49

an organized whole

Answer 49

gestalt

Question 50

the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

Answer 50

figure-ground

Question 51

the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups

Answer 51

grouping

Question 52

the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional

Answer 52

depth perception

Question 53

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Answer 53

visual cliff

Question 54

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

Answer 54

binocular cues

Question 55

distance cues, such as linear perspective and overlapp, available to either eye alone

Answer 55

monocular cues

Question 56

a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the 2 eyeballs,, the brain disparity

Answer 56

retinal disparity

Question 57

a binocular cue for perceiving depth; the extent to which the eyes converge inward-when looking at an object

Answer 57

covergence

Question 58

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

Answer 58

phi phenomenon

Question 59

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

Answer 59

perceptual constancy

Question 60

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

Answer 60

perceptual adaptation

Question 61

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Answer 61

perceptual set

Question 62

a branch of psychology that explores how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be adapted to human behaviors

Answer 62

human factors psychology

Question 63

the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input

Answer 63

extrasensory perception (ESP)

Question 64

the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis

Answer 64

parapsychology

Question 65

telepathy

Answer 65

mind to mind communication

Question 66

clairvoyance

Answer 66

can perceive remote events

Question 67

precognition

Answer 67

can perceive future events

Question 68

opponent process theory

Answer 68

the theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision

Question 69

sensory adaptation

Answer 69

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Question 70

proximity

Answer 70

we group nearby figures together

Question 71

similarity

Answer 71

figures similar to each other we group together

Question 72

continuity

Answer 72

we perceive smooth, continuous patters rather than discontinuous ones

Question 73

connectedness

Answer 73

when they are uniform and linked we perceive spots lines or areas as a single unit

Question 74

closure

Answer 74

we fill in gaps to create a complete whole object