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62 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Absolute threshold |
The lowest intensity at which a stimulus can be detected 50% of the time |
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Amplitude |
The vertical size of sound waves-that is, the amount compression and expansion of the molecules in the conducting medium |
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Basilar membrane |
A sheet of tissue that runs the length of cochlea |
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Binocular depth cues |
A way of measuring depth that requires both eyes |
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Binocular disparity |
Each eye sees a slightly different image |
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Bottom-up processing |
Taking in individual elements of a stimulus and then combining them into a unified perception |
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Cochlea |
A coiled, snail-shaped tube about 3.5 centimeters in length that is filled with fluid |
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Conduction deafness |
A type of deafness that involves problems with the mechanical system that transmits sound waves to the cochlea |
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Cones |
Color receptors in the eye that function best in bright illumination |
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Convergence |
A binocular distance cue that is produced by feedback from the muscles that turn your eyes inward to view a close object |
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Critical periods |
Periods in perception during which certain kinds of experiences must occur if perceptual abilities and the brain mechanisms that underlie them are to develop normally |
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Dark adaptation |
The progressive improvement in brightness sensitivity that occurs over time under conditions of low illumination |
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Decibel (dB) |
A measure of the physical pressures that occur at the eardrum |
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Decision criterion |
A standard of how certain people must be that a stimulus is present before they will say they detect it |
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Difference threshold |
The smallest difference between two stimuli that people can perceive 50% of the time |
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Dual-process theory |
A theory that combines the trichromatic and opponent-process theories to account for the color transduction process |
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Endorphins |
The nervous system's own built-in analgesics with opiatelike properties. Also referred to as internally produced morphines. |
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Feature detectors |
Detectors that fire selectively in response to visual stimuli that have specific characteristics |
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Figure-ground relations |
Our tendency to organize stimuli into a central or foreground figure and a background |
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Fovea |
A small center of the retina that contains no rods but many densely packed cones |
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Frequency |
The number of sound waves, or cycles, per second |
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Frequency theory of pitch perception |
A theory that proposes that nerve impulses sent to the brain match the frequency of the sound wave |
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Gate control theory |
A theory that proposes that the experience of pain results from the opening and closing of gating mechanisms in the nervous system |
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Gestalt laws of perceptual organization |
Similarity, proximity, closure, and continuity |
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Gustation |
The sense of taste |
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Hering's opponent-process theory |
A theory that proposed that each of the three cone types responds to two different wavelengths |
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Hertz (Hz) |
The technical measure of cycles per second |
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Illusions |
Compelling but incorrect perceptions |
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Inattentional blindness |
A term that refers to the failure of unattended stimuli to register in consciousness |
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Kinesthesis |
The sense which provides us with feedback about our muscles' and joints' positions and movements |
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Lens |
An elastic structure in the eye that becomes thinner to focus on distant objects and thicker to focus on nearby objects |
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Menstrual synchrony |
The tendency of women who live together or are close friends to become more similar in their menstrual cycles |
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Monocular depth cues |
Depth cues that require only one eye |
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Nerve deafness |
A type of deafness caused by damaged receptors within the inner ear or damage to the auditory nerve itself |
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Olfaction |
The sense of smell |
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Olfactory bulb |
A forebrain structure immediately above the nasal cavity. |
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Optic nerve |
An axon bundle formed by synaptic connections between bipolar cells and ganglion cells |
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Organ of Corti |
A part of the ear that contains about 16,000 tiny hair cells that are the actual sound receptors |
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Perception |
The active process of organizing stimulus input and giving it meaning |
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Perceptual constancies |
Constancies that allow us to recognize familiar stimuli under varying conditions |
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Perpetual schema |
A mental representation or image containing the critical and distinctive features of a person, object, event, or other perceptual phenomenon |
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Perceptual set |
A readiness to perceive stimuli in a particular way |
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Pheromones |
Chemical signals found in natural body scents |
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Photopigments |
Rods and cones translate light waves into nerve impulses through the action of protein molecules called... |
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Place theory of pitch perception |
The specific point in the cochlea where the fluid wave peaks and most strongly bends the hair cells serves as a frequency coding cue |
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Psychophysics |
A scientific area which studies relations between the physical characteristics of stimuli and sensory capabilities |
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Retina |
A multilayered light-sensitive tissue at the rear of the fluid-filled eyeball |
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Rods |
Black-and-white brightness receptors |
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Sensation |
The stimulus detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain |
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Sensory adaptation |
The diminishing sensitivity to an unchanging stimulus |
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Sensory prosthetic devices |
Devices that can provide sensory input that can substitute for what cannot be supplied by a person's sensory receptors |
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Signal-detection theory |
A theory that is concerned with the factors that influence sensory judgments |
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Stroboscopic movement |
Illusory movement produced when a light is briefly flashed in darkness and then, a few milliseconds later, another light is flashed nearby |
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Subliminal stimulus |
A stimulus that is so weak or brief that although it is received by the senses, it cannot be perceived consciously |
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Synesthesia |
Mixing of the senses |
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Taste buds |
Chemical receptors concentrated along the tip, edges, and back surface of the tongue |
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Top-down processing |
Sensory information is interpreted in light of existing knowledge, concepts, ideas, and expectations |
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Transduction |
The process whereby the characteristics of a stimulus are converted into nerve impulses |
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Vestibular sense |
The sense of body orientation, or equilibrium |
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Visual acuity |
The ability to see fine detail |
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Weber's law |
A law which states that the difference threshold, or jnd, is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stimulus with which the comparison is being made |
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Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory |
A theory that claims that there are three types of color receptors in the retina |