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ap psychology > unit 3: sensation and perception > Flashcards

unit 3: sensation and perception Flashcards

1
Q

sensation

A

raw information that comes from the senses

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2
Q

perception

A

the process through which people take raw sensations from the environment and give them meaning

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3
Q

bottom-up processing

A

information processing of analyzing raw stimuli then processing it

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4
Q

top-down processing

A

information processing that draws on experience to interpret new sensory information

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5
Q

absolute threshold

A

the weakest amount of stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time

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6
Q

signal-detection theory

A

a theory that predicts how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amidst background noise

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7
Q

subliminal

A

below your absolute threshold

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8
Q

priming

A

exposure to one stimulus influencing how one responds to a subsequent stimulus

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9
Q

difference threshold

A

aka, just noticeable difference. the minimum amount of difference needed to detect a change in stimulus 50% of the time

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10
Q

weber’s law

A

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

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11
Q

fechnor’s law

A

constant increases in physical energy will produce smaller increases in perceived magnitude

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12
Q

sensory adaptation

A

our diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus

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13
Q

transduction

A

conversion of one form of energy to another

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14
Q

what does wavelength in light determine?

A

hue/color

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15
Q

what is the order of longest to shortest wave length colors?

A

red > orange > yellow > green > blue > indigo > violet

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16
Q

what does amplitude in light determine?

A

brightness of color

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17
Q

cornea

A

covers and protects the eye

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18
Q

pupil

A

opening in the eye behind the cornea which light passes through

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19
Q

iris

A

gives color to the eye and adjusts the amount of light entering it

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20
Q

lens

A

behind the pupil that focuses the light into the retina

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21
Q

retina

A

at the back of the eye which lens focuses light rays into

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22
Q

blind spot

A

the pint at which the optic nerve leaves the eye because no receptor cells are there

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23
Q

what is the path that light follows when entering the eye?

A

light ➔ cornea ➔ pupil ➔ lens ➔ retina

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24
Q

visual acuity

A

the sharpness of vision

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25
accommodation
the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus objects on the retina
26
rods
retinal receptors that detect monochrome colors. necessary for peripheral and twilight vision
27
cones
receptor cells concentrate near the center of the retina. functions in daylight and detects color
28
optic nerve
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
29
feature detectors
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of stimulus
30
parallel processing
processing of incoming stimulus simultaneously
31
what two theories explain how we see color?
the young-helmholtz trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory
32
young-helmholtz trichromatic theory
color theory that the human eye has 3 types of receptors each sensitive to one of the primary colors (red, blue, green)
33
opponent-process theory
color theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision, the opposites turning on and off (ex. red on, green off, green on, red off)
34
audition
the sense of hearing
35
what does amplitude in sound waves determine?
loudness of noise
36
what does frequency in sound waves determine?
pitch
37
pinna
ear flap
38
auditory ear canal
conducts sound through the external ear to the eardrum
39
ear drum
aka, the tympanic membrane. separates the outer ear from the middle ear, transofmrs pressure waves of sounds into mechanical vibrations
40
middle ear
made up of the hammer, anvil, and stirrup that transmits sound vibrations from the ear drum to the oval window
41
oval window
in the wall of the cochlea
42
semicircular canals
three-looped tubular channels in the inner ear that detects movements of the head and balance
43
cochlea
filled with fluids and small hairs that vibrates to incoming sounds and generate neural impulses that are transmitted to the brain
44
basilar membrane
floor of fluid that runs through the cochlea. filled with cilia (hair cells)
45
auditory nerve
nerves that carry stimuli from hair cells to the temporal lobe
46
place theory
theory that links the pitch we hear to the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
47
frequency theory
theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone
48
conductive deafness
occurs due to damage to the middle ear. can be treated with a hearing aid
49
sensorineural deafness
occurs due to damage to the inner ear. can be treated with a cochlear implant
50
gate-control theory
theory stating that there is a "gate" in the spinal cord that either lets pain impulses travel upward to the brain or blocks its progress
51
gustation
sense of taste
52
what chemical senses make up taste?
sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami
53
olfaction
sense of smell
54
kinesthesis
the system for sensing the position & movement of your body parts
55
vestibular sense
monitor's the head's position and movement. receptors are located in the semi-circular ear canals
56
selective attention
focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
57
cocktail-party effect
the ability to attend to one of several speech streams while ignoring others. also being able to hear one's name in those speech streams
58
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
59
change blindness
the inability to notice changes in the visual array between one scene to another
60
change deafness
the inability to notice changes in auditory stimuli
61
choice blindness
the inability to notice changes in choices
62
visual capture
the tendency for vision to dominate all other senses
63
stroboscopic motion
the illusion of movement produced by showing rapid progression of images or objects that are not moving at all
64
phi phenomenon
an illusion of apparent movement when two lights flash on and off in quick succession
65
perceptual constancy
the ability to maintain a perception of the properties of an object regardless of changes to the stimulus
66
perceptual set
a predisposition to perceive a stimulus in a certain way

ap psychology (15 decks)

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