Unit 4 Flashcards
(57 cards)
sensation
the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception
the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing
analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information
top-down processing
information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment
psychophysics
the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.
absolute threshold
the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
signal detection theory
a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.
subliminal
below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
priming
the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perceptions, memory, or response.
difference threshold
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (jnd).
Weber’s Law
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount)
sensory adaptation
diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
top down processing
information and perception based off of past experiences and expectations.
bottom up processing
analysis and perception based off of the sense receptors
selective attention
pereceptions about objects change from moment to moment (know what the cocktail party effect is)
inattentional blindness
inability to see an object because our attention is elsewhere
change blindness
inattentional blindness in which people don’t expect a change. when the change happens, they doubt that they perceived a change in the first place
transduction
in sensation, the transformation of stimulus energy into neural impulses
vision
phototransduction: converts light energy into neural iompulses that we can understand
wavelength (hue)
dimension of color dteremined by the wavelength of the light. wavelength is determined by the distance from one peak of a wave to another
intensity
amount of energy in a light wave determined by the amplitude (the width of the wavelength).
