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Pysch Chapter 4
Chapter four for Intro to Psych Exam 2
54
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
10/23/2011

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Term
Psychophysics
Definition
The branch of psychology that studies the effects of physical stimuli on sensory perceptions and mental states.
Term
Absolute Threshold
Definition
The intensity of a stimulus that allows an organism to just barely detect it
Term
Signal detection analysis
Definition
Technique used to determine the ability of the perceiver to separate true signals from background noise
Term
Difference Threshold (or just noticeable difference; JND)
Definition
The change in a stimulus that can just barely be deteced by the organism.
Term
Weber's Law
Definition
Just noticeable difference of a stimulus is a constant proportion of the original intensity of a stimulus.
Term
Subliminal Stimulus
Definition
Stimuli that are below the absolute threshold and of which we are not conscious
Term
Blindsight
Definition
A condition brought on by damage to the visus cortext, in which people are unable to consciously report on visual stimuli but nevertheless are able to accurately answer questions about what they are seeing.
Term
Wavelength
Definition
The distance between on wave peak and the next wave peak.
Term
Cornea
Definition
A clear covering that protects the eye and begins to focus the incoming light
Term
Pupil
Definition
The small opening in the center of the eye that allows light to enter.
Term
Iris
Definition
The colored part of the eye that controls the size of the pupil by constricting or dilating in response to light intensity.
Term
Lens
Definition
A structure that focuses the incoming light on the retina.
Term
Retina
Definition
The layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains photoreceptor cells.
Term
Accomodation
Definition
The change of an existing scheme on the basis of new information.
Term
Optic Nerve
Definition
A collection of millions of ganglion neurons that sends vast amounts of visual information, via the thalamus, to the brain.
Term
Rods
Definition
visual neurons that specialize in detecting black, white, and gray colors.
Term
Cones
Definition
Visual neirons that specialized in detecting fine detail and colors.
Term
Fovea
Definition
The central point of the retina.
Term
Feature detector neurons
Definition
Specialized neurons, located in the visual cortex, that respond to the strength, angles, shapes, edges, and movements of a visual stimulus.
Term
hue
Definition
color conveyed by the wavelength of the light that enters the eye.
Term
Young-helmholtz trichromatic theory
Definition
The theory of color perception that proposes what color we see depends on the mix of signals from the three types of colors
Term
Color blindness
Definition
The inability to detect either green and/or red colors
Term
Opponent-process color theory
Definition
The theory of color perception that proposes that we analyze sensory information in three sets of "opponent colors" : red-green, yellow-blue, and white-black.
Term
Gestalt
Definition
A meaningful organized whole.
Term
Depth perception
Definition
The ability to perceive three-dimensional space and to accurately judge distance.
Term
visual cliff
Definition
A mechanism that gives the perception of a dangerous drop-off, in which infants can be safely tested for their perception of depth.
Term
Depth cues
Definition
Messages from our bodies and the external environment that supply us with information about space and distance.
Term
Binocular depth cues
Definition
Depth cues that are created by retinal disparity -that is, the space etween our eyes. And thus require the coordination of both eyes.
Term
Convergence
Definition
The inward turning of our eyes that is required to focus on objects that are less than about 50 feet away from us.
Term
Monocular depth cues
Definition
Depth cues that help us perceive depth using only one eye.
Term
Beta effect
Definition
The perception of motion that occurs when different images are presented next to each other in succession
Term
Phi phenomenon
Definition
The perception of motion caused by the appearance and disappearance of objects that are near each other.
Term
Frequency
Definition
The wavelength of a sound wave
Term
Pitch
Definition
the perceived frequency of a sound
Term
Amplitude
Definition
The height of a sound wave
Term
Loudness
Definition
The degree of sound volume
Term
Decibel
Definition
The unit of relative loudness.
Term
Pinna
Definition
The external and visible part of the ear
Term
Tympanic membrane (eardrum)
Definition
The membrane at the end of the ear canal that relays vibrations into the middle ear.
Term
Ossicles
Definition
The three tiny bones in the ear (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that relay sound from the eardrum to the cochlea
Term
Cochlea
Definition
A snail-shaped liquid-filled tube in the inner eart that contains the cilia
Term
Oval window
Definition
the membrane covering the opening of the cochlea
Term
Frequency theory of hearing
Definition
A theory of pitch perception that proposes that nerve impulses corresponding to the pitch of a sound are sent to the auditory nerve.
Term
Place theory of hearing
Definition
A theory of pitch erception that proposes that different areas of the cochlea respond to different sound frequencies.
Term
What's in the cochlea
Definition
Cochlea > 16,000 hair cells > bundles of fiber on each tip known as cilia.
Term
Proprioception
Definition
the ability to sense the position and movement of our body parts.
Term
Vestibular system
Definition
A set of liquid-filled areas in the inner ear that monitors the head's position and movement, maintaining the body's balance.
Term
Gate control theory of pain
Definition
A theory of pain proposing that pain is determined by the operation of two types of nerve fivers in the spinal cord.
Term
Sensory interaction
Definition
The working together of different sense to create experience.
Term
Selective attention
Definition
The ability to focus on some sensory inputs while tuning out others.
Term
Sensory adaptation
Definition
A decreased sensitivity to a stimulus after prolonged and constant exposure
Term
Perceptual Constancy
Definition
the ability to perceive a stimulus as constant despite changes in sensations.
Term
Illusion
Definition
When the perceptual processes that normally help us correctly perceive the world around us are fooled by a particular situation so that we see something that doesn't exist or that is incorrect.
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