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64 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Sensation |
The process of our nervous system receiving external stimuli, usually using specialized cells |
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Perception |
The process of analyzing and interpreting received external stimuli |
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Bottom-Up Processing |
Using perceived information to form an integrated answer |
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Top-Down Processing |
A higher-level mental process whereby perceptions are formed through expectancy |
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Transduction |
The process through which one type of energy is transformed into another, then transported through the body |
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Psychophysics |
The study of the relationships between the physical world and how the mind interacts with its facets |
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Absolute Threshold |
The minimum intensity of a stimulus required for humans to detect it 50% of the time |
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Signal Detection Theory |
The theory that detection of a stimulus may be influenced by psychological factors, such as motivation, alertness, and expectation |
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Subliminal |
Below the absolute threshold for conscious awareness |
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Priming |
The activation of certain associations, possibly predisposing a memory or response |
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Difference Threshold |
The minimum difference between two stimuli to be able to perceive a difference between the two |
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Weber's Law |
The principle that when two stimuli are perceived as different, they must differ by a constant minimum percentage rather than an amount |
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Sensory Adaptation |
Diminished sensitivity that arises from constant exposure to a stimulus |
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Perceptual Set |
The mental predisposition to perceive one thing but not another |
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Wavelength |
The distance from one point on a wavelength of light to the same point on the next wavelength |
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Hue |
The dimension of colour that is determined by the light's wavelength |
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Intensity |
The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, influencing what is perceived as brightness or loudness |
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Pupil |
The adjustable opening in the center of the eye that controls how much light enters |
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Iris |
A ring of muscle tissue around the pupil, which controls its opening and closing |
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Lens |
The transparent structure behind the pupil that focuses images on the retina |
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Retina |
The light-seensitive membrane on the inside of that contains rods and cones, as well as layers of neurons, which are play a part in processing visual information |
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Accommodation |
The process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina |
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Rods |
Monochromatic retinal receptors necessary for peripheral and twilight vision |
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Cones |
Colour-sensitive retinal receptors that function well in daylight |
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Optic Nerve |
The nerve that carries electrical impulses through the thalamus to the visual cortex |
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Blind Spot |
The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, which is devoid of receptor cells |
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Fovea |
The central focal point of the retina |
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Young-Helmholtz Trichromatic Theory |
The theory that the retina has three different types of cones, red, green, and blue |
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Opponent-Process Theory |
The idea that opposing retinal processes enable colour vision |
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Feature Detectors |
Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of stimuli |
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Gestalt |
An organized whole |
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Figure-Ground |
The organization of vision into figures that stand out from the background |
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Grouping |
The tendency to organize stimuli into various groups |
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Depth Perception |
The ability to view two-dimensional objects in three dimensions |
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Visual Cliff |
A device for testing depth perception in infants and animals |
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Binocular Cues |
Depth cues that depend on binocular vision |
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Retinal Disparity |
By comparing the images from the retinas in both eyes, distance is calculated by comparing the disparity between the two images |
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Monocular Cues |
Depth cues requiring only one eye |
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Phi Phenomenon |
The illusion of movement created when 2 adjacent lights are turned on and off in quick succession |
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Perceptual Constancy |
Perceiving objects as unchanging even when visual cues are altered |
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Colour Constancy |
Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent colour, even in the presence of illumination changes |
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Perceptual Adaptation |
The ability to adjust to an artificially altered visual field |
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Audition |
The sense of hearing |
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Frequency |
The number of wavelengths that pass a certain point in a given time |
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Pitch |
A tone's experienced highness or lowness; dependent on frequency |
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Middle Ear |
The chamber between the inner ear and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the eardrum's vibrations on the cochlea's oval window |
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Cochlea |
A coiled, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves passing through the fluid trigger nerve impulses |
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Inner Ear |
The innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs |
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Sensorineural Hearing Loss |
Caused by damaging the cochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerves |
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Conduction Hearing Loss |
Caused by damaging the mechanical system that conducts sound to the cochlea |
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Cochlear Implant |
A device that converts sounds into electrical signals, stimulating the auditory nerve using electrodes threaded through the cochlea |
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Place Theory |
The theory that links pitch with the place where the cochlear membrane is stimulated |
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Frequency Theory |
The theory that the number of nerve impulses in the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone |
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Nociceptors |
Sensory receptors that enable the perception of pain in response to a potentially harmful stimulus |
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Gate-Control Theory |
The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological 'gate' that controls the flow of pain signals |
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Hypnosis |
A social interaction wherein one person suggests to another that certain perceptions, thoughts, etc. will spontaneously occur |
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Dissociation |
A split in consciousness, allowing some thoughts and behaviours to occur simultaneously with others |
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Posthypnotic Suggestion |
A suggestion made during hypnosis to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized |
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Kinaesthesia |
The system for sensing the position and movement of all the body's parts |
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Vestibular Sense |
The sense of body movement and position, including balance |
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Sensory Interaction |
The principle that one sense may influence another |
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Embodied Cognition |
In psychology, the influence of bodily sensations on cognitive judgments |
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Extrasensory Perception (ESP) |
The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input |
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Parapsychology |
The study of paranormal phenomena |