Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

ap psychology > Sensation & Perception > Flashcards

Sensation & Perception Flashcards

(86 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

sensation

A

the process of detecting physical energy and transforming it into neural signals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

perception

A

selecting, organizing, and interperting situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

bottom up processing

A

sensation to perception; details to big picture

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

absolute threshold

A

the minimum amount of stimulation you can sense

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

priming

A

the brief effect subliminal messages have

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

do subliminal messages have a lasting outcome ?

A

no

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

difference threshold/just noticeable difference (jnd)

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Weber’s Law

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what matters if not the direct amount of stimuli ?

A

the percentage; ratio of the second stimulus to the first

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

sensory adaptation

A

diminished sensitivity as a result of constant stimulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

habituation

A

type of adaptation that occurs when we stop having an interest in a stimulus or stop paying attention to it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

phototransduction

A

conversion of light energy into neural signals the brain can understand

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

wavelength

A

the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

light can behave as..

A

a wave or a particle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

hue (color)

A

dimension determined by the wavelength of light

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

intensity

A

amount of energy in a wave, determined by amplitude

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

cornea

A

outer covering

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

iris

A

muscle that controls the pupil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

pupil

A

adjustable opening in center of eye

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

lens

A

transparent structure behind the iris that changes shape to focus images

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

retina

A

inner surface of the eye; contains receptor rods and cones, a bunch of other neurons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

rods

A
  • peripheral retina
  • detect black, white, and gray
  • twilight or low light (more sensitive in the dark)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

cones

A
  • near center of retina
  • fine detail and color vision
  • daylight or well-lit conditions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

nearsightedness

A

nearby objects are seen more clearly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
farsightedness
faraway objects are seen more clearly
26
optic nerve
carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
27
fovea
central point in the retina, where the eye's cones cluster
28
bipolar cells
one of the main retinal interneurons
29
ganglion cells
final output neurons of the vertebrate retinas
30
parallel processing
processing several visual aspets simultaneously
31
blindsight
seeing without seeing
32
Trichromatic Theory (Young-Helmholtz)
since any color can be created by combinations of red, blue, and green light, the eye must have three types of receptors for these three colors
33
what are the three different types of cones ?
red, green, and blue
34
what do cones respond to ?
the amount of light hitting them
35
how are color processing cells grouped together ?
* red/green * blue/yellow * black/white
36
who proposed the Opponent-Process-Theory ?
Ewald H. Hering
37
Opponent Process Theory
we process four primary colors combined in pairs of red/green, blue/yellow, and black/white
38
color constancy
color perception of familiar objects remains constant; color perceived depends on context
39
what causes sound ?
when molecules bump into each other at different rates, causing small changes in air pressure; changes are converted to neural impulses that are known as sound
40
tympanic membrane (eardrum)
sound passes through this part of the ear, causing it to vibrate
41
auditory ossicles
to transmit and amplify sound and to convert sound waves into pressure waves in the perilymph and endolymph
42
what are the three small bones in the middle ear ?
hammer, anvil, and stirrup
43
basilar membrane
vibrates at different locations when the three bones of the ear vibrate
44
cochlea
the fluid inside this will ripple due to vibrations
45
hair cells
convert ripples into neural messages which are sent to the brain
46
conduction hearing loss
issues with the hammer, anvil, and stirrup
47
sensorineural hearing loss
problems with hair cells
48
touch
mixture of pressure, warmth, cold, and pain
49
what did Ian Waterman propose ?
there are no sense receptors for light, touch, body position, and movement
50
pain
a product of the body and the brain
51
Gate Control Theory
we can reduce pain by stimulating nerve fibers that override the pain stimulus (why does scratching an itch work)
52
gustatory
concerned with tasting or the sense of taste
53
super tasters
have the most taste buds; everything is intense
54
what are the five taste sensations ?
1. sweet 2. sour 3. salty 4. bitter 5. umami
55
how can one's sensitivity to taste decline ?
* smoking heavily * consuming large amounts of alcohol * growing older
56
synesthesia
when you hear music, but you see shapes
57
olfaction
the sensation of smell that results from the detection of odorous substances aerosolized in the environment
58
how does smell change over one's lifetime ?
it peaks in early adulthood and then declines
59
kinesthesis
sense of movement and location of body in space
60
vestibular sense
balance
61
selective attention
* we focus on only a small amount of our experience at a time * but we can rapidly shift our attention, so it feels like we are able to focus on many things at once
62
inattentional blindness
we miss things because our attention is directed elsewhere
63
change blindness
when our vision is interrupted, we have a more difficult time noticing changes
64
choice blindness
difficulty to detect differences between a choice and its outcome and a tendency to justify choices which were never made
65
figure and ground
help you recognize that objects (ex: faces) are separate from their surroundings
66
grouping
* proximity * similarity * continuity * connectedness * closure
67
depth perception
ability to see objects in three dimensions
68
retinal disparity
each eye, and therefore each retina, receives a slightly different image
69
binocular cues
two eyes
70
relative size
object that casts the smaller retinal image is farther away (if similar in size)
71
relative clarity
hazy objects look farther away
72
relative height
objects higher in our field of view are perceived as farther away
73
interposition
if one object blocks our view of another, we see it as closer
74
texture gradiet
a change from distinct texture to indistrict texture implies distance
75
motion parallax
objects closer to us appear to moving faster than those that are far away
76
motion perception
relative motion
77
stroboscopic movement
apparent motion of a series of separate stimuli occurring in close consecutive order, as in motion pictures
78
phi phenomenon
illusion of movement that arises when stationary objects are placed side by side and illuminated rapidly one after another
79
perceptual constancy
* shape/size * size/distance * lightness
80
perceptual set
readiness to detect a particular stimulus in a given situation
81
extrasensory perception
* telepathy * clairvoyance * precognition * psychokinesis
82
telepathy
mind to mind communication
83
clairvoyance
ability to sense distant events
84
precognition
telling the future
85
psychokinesis
ability to move objects with your mind
86
parapsychology
study of mental phenomena which are excluded by orthodox scientifiec psychology

ap psychology (14 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions