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Chapter 4
N/A
59
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
12/11/2010

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Sensation
Definition
detection of physical energy by sense organs which then send information to the brain
Term
perception
Definition
the brain's interpretation of raw sensory inputs
Term
transduction
Definition
the process of converting an external energy or substance into nerual activity
Term
sense receptor
Definition
specialized cell responsible for converting external stimuli into nerual activity for a specific sensory system
Term
absolute threshold
Definition
lowest level of a stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a change 50% of the time.
Term
Just Noticeable difference
Definition
the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect
Term
subliminal perception
Definition
the procession of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness
Term
subliminal persuasion
Definition
we can't engage in much, if any, in depth processing of the meaning of subliminal stimuli. as a result these stimuli probably can't produce large scale or enduring changes in our attitudes, let alone our every day decisions.
Term
perceptual set
Definition
the relation between a stimulus and its context
Term
perceptual constancy
Definition
the process by which we perceive stimuli consistently across varied conditions
Term
selective attention
Definition
process of selecting one sensory channel and ignoring or minimizing others
Term
hue
Definition
color of light
Term
brightness
Definition
intensity of reflected light that reaches our eyes
Term
pigments
Definition
the chemicals responsible for eye colour
Term
optic nerve
Definition
transmits impulses from the retina to the rest of the brain
Term
retina
Definition
innermost layer of the eye, where incoming light is converted into nerve impulses
Term
lens
Definition
transparent disk that focuses light rays for near or distant vision
Term
cornea
Definition
curved, transparent dome that bends incoming light
Term
iris
Definition
coloured area containing muscles that control the pupil
Term
pupil
Definition
opening in the centre of the iris that lets in light
Term
accommodation
Definition
changing the shape of the lens to focus on objects near and far
Term
retina
Definition
membrane at the back of the eye responsible for converting light into neural activity
Term
fovea
Definition
central portion of the retina
Term
acuity
Definition
sharpness of vision
Term
rods
Definition
receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in low levels of light
Term
cones
Definition
receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in colour
Term
cones
Definition
receptor cells in the retina allowing us to see in colour
Term
blind spot
Definition
part of the visual field we can't see because of an absence of rods and cones
Term
Gestalt Principles
Definition
1) proximity
2) similarity
3) good continuation
4) closure
5) symmetry
6) figure-ground
Term
Trichromatic theory
Definition
the idea that we base our colour vision on three primary colours - blue, green and red.
Term
colour blindness
Definition
inablility to see some OR all colours
Term
depth perception
Definition
ability to judge distance and three demensional relations
Term
monocular depth cues
Definition
stimuli that enables us to judge depth using only one eye
Term
binocular depth cues
Definition
stimuli that enable us to judge depth using both eyes
Term
inattentional blindness
Definition
failure to perceive an event when our attention is directed elsewhere
Term
motion blindness
Definition
a serious disorder in which patients can;t seamlessly string still images processed by their brains into the perception of ongoing motion
Term
visual agnosia
Definition
a defecit in perceiving objects. a person with his agnosia can tell us the shape and colour of an object but can't recognize it.
Term
blindsight
Definition
the remarkable phenomenon in which people with cortical blindness resulting from damage in V1 can make correct guesses about things in their environment even though they cant see them
Term
pitch
Definition
the frequency of the waves of soung that we hear
Term
loudness
Definition
measured in decibels, the amplitude or height of the sound wave corresponds to this.
Term
timbre
Definition
complexity or quality of sound that makes musical instruments, human voices or other sources sound unique
Term
cohclea
Definition
bony, spiral shaped sense organ used for hearing
Term
organ of corti
Definition
tissue containing the hair cells necessary for hearing
Term
basilar membrane
Definition
membrane supporting the organ of Corti and hair cells in the cochlea
Term
ear canal
Definition
conducts sound waves to the eardrum
Term
Pinna
Definition
flexible outer flap of the ear, which channels sound waves into the ear canal
Term
vestibule
Definition
fluid filled cavity that detects head position
Term
eustachian tube
Definition
connects the middle ear to the back of the nose and controls air pressure in the ear
Term
cochlear nerve
Definition
transmits nerve impulses from the inner ear to the brain
Term
vestibular nerve
Definition
carries information concerning balance to the brain
Term
olfaction
Definition
our sense of smell
Term
gustation
Definition
our sense of taste
Term
somatosensory
Definition
our sense of touch, temperature and pain
Term
somatosensory
Definition
our sense of touch, temperature and pain
Term
proprioception
Definition
our sense of body perception
Term
vestibular sense
Definition
our sense of equilibrium sense
Term
pheromones
Definition
odouless chemicals that serve as social signals to members of one's species
Term
phantom pain
Definition
pain or discomfort felt in an amputated limb
Term
semicircular canals
Definition
three fluid filled canals in the inner ear responsible for our sense of balance
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