Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Sensation and Perception 370
Exam 1
172
Psychology
Undergraduate 4
05/14/2012

Additional Psychology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Adaption
Definition
A reduction in response caused by prior or continuing stimulation
Term
Sensory transducer
Definition
A receptor that converts physical energy from the environment into neural activity
Term
Nativism
Definition
the idea that the mind produces ideas that are not derived from external sources, and that we have abilities that are innate and not learned
Term
Dualism
Definition
the idea that both mind and body exist
Term
Monism
Definition
the idea that mind and matter are formed from, or reducible to, a single ultimate substance or principle of being
Term
Materialism
Definition
the ideea that physical matter is the only reality, and that everything can be explained through matter
Term
mentalism
Definition
the idea that the mind is the true reality and objects exist only as aspects of the mind's awareness
Term
Mind-body dualism
Definition
the idea positing the existence of two distinct principles of being in the universe: spirit/soul, matter/body
Term
Empiricism
Definition
the idea that experience from the senses is the only source of knowledge
Term
panpsychism
Definition
the idea that all matter has a consciousness--that mind exists as a property of all matter
Term
psychophysics
Definition
the science of defining quantitative relationships between physical and psychological (subjective) events
Term
two-point threshold
Definition
the minimum distance at which two stimuli (i.e., two simultaneous touches) are just perceptible as separate
Term
Just Noticeable Difference (JND)
Definition
The difference threshold--the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, or the minimum change in a stimulus that enables it to be correctly judged as different from a reference stimulus
Term
weber fraction
Definition
the constant of proportionality in weber's law
Term
Weber's Law
Definition
the principle that the difference threshold is a constant fraction of the comparison stimulus
Term
Fechner's Law
Definition
A principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation such that a magnitude of subjective sensation increases proportionally to the logarith of the stimulus intensity
Term
absolute threshold
Definition
the minimum amount of stimulation necessary for a person to detect a stimulus 50% of the time
Term
Method of Constant Stimuli
Definition
psychophysical method, many stimuli ranging from rarely to almost always perceivable (or rarely to almost always perceivably different from a reference stimulus) are presented once at a time
Term
method of limits
Definition
psychophysical method in which the particular dimension of a stimulus, or the difference between two stimuli, is varied incrementally until the participant responds different.
Term
Method of Adjustment
Definition
the method of limits for which the subject controls the change in the stimulus
Term
What are the four possible outcomes when attempting to separate signal from noise?
Definition
correct rejection, a hit, false alarm, and a miss
Term
What is the value of d'?
Definition
The sensitivity measure--the difference between the signal and the noise
Term
Receiver Operating Characteristics
Definition
in studies of signal detection, the graphical plot of the hit rate as a function of the false alarm rate. If these are the same, points fall on the diagonal, indicating that the observer cannot tell the difference between the presence and the absence of the signal. As the observer's sensitivity increases, the curve bows upward toward the upper left corner
Term
Signal Detection Theory
Definition
a psychophysical theory that quantifies the response of an observer to the presentation of a signal in the presence of noise. Measures attained from a series of presentations are sensitivity (d') and criterion of the observer
Term
magnitude estimation
Definition
a psychophysical method in which the participant assigns values according to perceived magnitudes of the stimuli
Term
Cross Modality Matching
Definition
a subject adjusts a stimulus of one sort to match the perceived magnitude of a stimulus of a completely different spot
Term
Stevens' Power Law
Definition
a principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation, such that the magnitude of subjective sensation is proportional to the stimulus magnitude raised to an exponent
Term
Compare and differentiate between the three laws of psychophysics
Definition
Weber's law involves clear objective measurement (fractions of stimuli magnitude compared to detectable changes) Fechner's law begins with same objective ideas, but adds in assumptions on how sensations work. Stevens' power law is simply rating data.
Term
Doctrine of specific nerve energies
Definition
a doctrine formulated by Johannes Muller stating that the nature of a sensation depends on which sensory fibers are stimulated--not on how they are stimulated
Term
absorb
Definition
to take up light, noise, or energy and not transmit it at all
Term
scatter
Definition
to disperse light in an irregular fashion
Term
reflect
Definition
to redirect something that strikes a surface--especially light, sound, or heat--usually back toward its point of origin
Term
transmit
Definition
to conver something (e.g., light) from one place or thing to another
Term
refract
Definition
(1) to alter the course of a wave of energy that passes into something from another medium, as water does to light entering it from the air (2) to measure the degree of refraction in a lens or eye
Term
image
Definition
a picture or likeness
Term
cornea
Definition
the transparent 'window' into the eyeball
Term
aqueous humor
Definition
the watery fluid in the anterior chamber of the eye
Term
transparent
Definition
allowing light to pass through with no interruption so that objects on the other side can be clearly seen
Term
crystalline lens
Definition
the lens inside the eye that enables changing focus
Term
pupil
Definition
the dark circular opening at the center of the iris in the eye, where light enters the eye
Term
iris
Definition
the colored part of the eye, consisting of a muscular diaphragm surrounding the pupil and regulating the light entering the eye by expanding and contracting the pupil
Term
vitreous humor
Definition
the transparent fluid that fills the vitreous chamber in the posterior part of the eye
Term
retina
Definition
a light sensitive membrane in the back of the eye that contains rods and cones, which receive an image from the lens and send it to the brain through the optic nerve
Term
Accommodation
Definition
the process by which the eye changes its focus (in which the lengs gets fatter as gaze is directed toward nearer objects
Term
presbyopia
Definition
literally 'old sight' the loss of near vision because of insufficient accommodation
Term
cataract
Definition
opacity of crystalline lens
Term
emmetropia
Definition
the condition in which there is no refractive error, because the refractive power of the eye is perfectly matched to the length of the eyeball
Term
myopia
Definition
a common condition in which light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina and distant objects cannot be seen sharply
Term
hyperopia
Definition
a common condition in which light entering the eye is focused behind the retina
Term
astigmatism
Definition
a visual defect caused by the unequal curving of one or more of the refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea
Term
transduced
Definition
referring to the conversion from one form of energy (e.g., light) to another (e.g., electricity)
Term
fundus
Definition
the back layer of the retinal--what the doctor sees through an ophtalmoscope
Term
photoreceptors
Definition
light sensitive receptors in the retina
Term
rods
Definition
photoreceptors specialized for night vision
Term
cones
Definition
photoreceptors secialized for day-light vision, fine visual acuity, and color
Term
duplex
Definition
in reference to the retina, consisting of two parts: the rods and cones, which operate under different conditions
Term
outer segment
Definition
the part of a photoreceptor that contains photopigment molecules
Term
inner segment
Definition
the part of a photoreceptor that lies between the outer segment at the nucleus
Term
synaptic terminal
Definition
the location where axons terminate at the synapse for transmission of information by release of a chemical transmitter
Term
chromophore
Definition
the light catching part of the visual pigments of the retina
Term
rhodopsin
Definition
the visual pigment found in rods
Term
photoactivation
Definition
activation by light
Term
hyperpolarization
Definition
an increase in membrane potential where the inner membrane surface becomes more negative than the outer membrane surface
Term
eccentricity
Definition
distance from the fovea. center of fovea is completely made of cones, rods further out, and cones drop off. No cones/rods in optic disc
Term
horizontal cells
Definition
specialized retinal cells that contact both photoreceptor and bipolar cells
Term
lateral inhibition
Definition
antagonistic neural interaction between adjacent regions of the retina
Term
amacrine cells
Definition
retinal cells found in the inner synaptic layer that make synaptic contacts with bipolar cells, ganglion cells, and one another
Term
bipolar cells
Definition
retinal cells that synapse with either rods or cones (not both) and with horizontal cells, and then pass on signals on to galnglion cells
Term
diffuse (converging) bipolar cells
Definition
bipolar retinal cells whose processes are spread out to receive input from multiple cones
Term
sensitivity
Definition
(1) the ability to perceive via the sense organs (2) extreme responsiveness to radiation, especially in light of a specific wavelength (3) the ability to respond to transmitted signals
Term
visual acuity
Definition
a measure of the finest detail that can be resolved by the eyes
Term
midget bipolar cells
Definition
small cone bipolar cells in the central retina that receive input from a single cone
Term
ON bipolar cells
Definition
bipolar cells that respond to an increase in light captured by cones
Term
OFF bipolar cells
Definition
bipolar cells that respond to a decrease in light captured by the cones
Term
ganglion cells
Definition
retinal cells that receive visual information from photoreceptors via two intermediate neuron types (bipolar cells and amacrine cells) and transmit information to the brain and midbrain
Term
receptive field
Definition
the region on the retina in which visual stimuli influence a neuron's firing rate
Term
On-center cell
Definition
a cell that depolarizes in response to an increase in light intensity in its receptive field center
Term
Off-center cell
Definition
A cell that depolarizes in response to a decrease in light intensity in its receptive field center
Term
filter
Definition
a biological function that allows the passage of some frequencies and blocks the passage of others
Term
contrast
Definition
the difference in luminance between an object and the background, or between lighter and darker parts of the same object
Term
cycle
Definition
for a grating, a pair consisting of one dark bar and one bright bar
Term
visual angle
Definition
the angle subtended by an object at the retina
Term
sine wave grating
Definition
a grating with a sinusodial luminance profile
Term
aliasing
Definition
misperception of a grating due to undersampling--cycle falls on single cone, so detect it is the same (cannot resolve)
Term
spatial frequency
Definition
the number of cycles of a grating per units of visual angle (usually specified in degrees)
Term
cycles per degree
Definition
the number of dark and bright bars per degree of visual angle
Term
contrast sensitivity function
Definition
a function describing how the sensitivity to contrast (defined as the reciprocal of the contrast threshold) depends on the spatial frequency (size) of the stimulus
Term
Contrast threshold
Definition
the smallest amount of contrast required to detect a pattern
Term
lateral geniculate nucleus
Definition
a structure in the thalamus, part of the mid-brain, that receives input from the retinal ganglion cells and has input and output connections to the visual cortex (C I? I C I C!)
Term
Magnocellular Layers
Definition
the neurons in the bottom two layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus, which are physically larger than those in the top four layers
Term
parvocellular layers
Definition
the neurons in the top four layers of the LGN which are physically smaller than those in the bottom two layers
Term
topographical mapping
Definition
the orderly mapping of the world in the lateral geniculate nucleus and the visual cortex
Term
Primary Visual Cortex (V1, Striate Cortex)
Definition
the area of the cerebral cortex of the brain that receives direct inputs from the lateral geniculate nucleus, as well as feedback from other brain areas, and is responsible for processing visual information
Term
Cortical Magnification
Definition
the amount of cortical area (usually specified in millimeters) devoted to a specific region in the visual field (e.g., more cortical magnification for the fovea)
Term
Receptive fields in the striate cortex
Definition
concerned with stripes, not spots
Term
Orientation Tuning
Definition
the tendency of neurons in the striate cortex to respond optimally to certain orientation, and less to others
Term
Ocular dominance
Definition
the property of the receptive fields of the striate cortex neurons by which they demonstrate a preference, responding somewhat more rapidly, when a stimulus is presented to one eye than when a stimulus is presented in one eye than when it is presented in the other
Term
Simple Cell
Definition
A cortical neuron, with clearly defined excitatory and inhibitory regions
Term
Complex Cell
Definition
A neuron whose receptive field characteristics cannot be easily predicted by mapping the spots of light. Prefers moving lines? And is not phase sensitive.
Term
End stopping
Definition
the process by which a cell in the cortex first increases its firing rate as the bar length increases to fill up its receptive fields, and then decreases its firing rate as the bar is lengthened further
Term
Middle (mid-level) vision
Definition
a loosely defined stage of visual processing that comes after basic features have been extracted from the image (early vision) and before object recognition and scene understanding (high-level vision)
Term
Illusory contour
Definition
a contour that is perceived, even though nothing changes from one side of the contour to the other in the image
Term
structuralism
Definition
a school of thought believing that complex objects or perceptions could be understood by analysis of the components
Term
Gestalt
Definition
school of thought stressing that the perceptual whole could be greater than the apparent sum of the parts
Term
gestalt grouping rules
Definition
a set of rules describing which elements in an image will appear to group together. The original list was assembled by members of the gestalt school of thought
Term
good continuation
Definition
a gestalt grouping rule stating that two elements will tend to group together if they seem to lie on the same contour
Term
Occlusion
Definition
Assumption that if contour completion, something is likely occluding object
Term
Texture segmentation
Definition
carving an image into regions of common texture properties
Term
similarity
Definition
a gestalt grouping rule stating that the tendency of two features to group together will increase as the similarity between them increases
Term
proximity
Definition
gestalt grouping rule stating that the tendency of two features to group together will increases as the distance between them decreases
Term
parallelism
Definition
a rule of figure ground assignment stating that parallel contours are likely to belong to the same figure
Term
symmetry
Definition
a rule for figure-ground assignment stating that symmetrical regions are more likely to be seen as a figure
Term
common region
Definition
a gestalt grouping rule stating that two features will tend to group together if they appear to be part of the same larger region
Term
connectedness
Definition
a gestalt grouping rule stating that two items will tend to group togetehr if they are connected
Term
ambiguous figure
Definition
a visual stimulus that gives rise to two or more interpretations of its identity or structure
Term
Necker cube
Definition
an outline that is perceptually bi-stable. Unlike the situation with most stimuli, two interpreations continually battle for perceptual dominance
Term
pragnanz
Definition
ever stimulus is seen as simply as possible--if ambiguous, pick most simple
Term
accidental viewpoint
Definition
a viewing position that produces some regularity in the visual image that is not present in the world (i.e., something lines up perfectly in your view that confuses your evaluation)
Term
figure ground assignment
Definition
the process of determining that some regions of an image belong to a foreground object (figure) and other regions are part of the background (ground)
Term
surroundedness
Definition
a rule for figure ground assignment stating that if one region is entirely surrounded by another, it is likely that the surrounded region is the figure
Term
common fate
Definition
things that are moving together get grouped togetehr
Term
relatability
Definition
the degree to which two line segments appear to be part of the same contour
Term
non-accidental feature
Definition
a feature of an object that is not dependent on the exact (or accidental) viewing position of the observer
Term
What are some challenges of object perception?
Definition
inverse projection, segmentation (differing object from background), completion (occlusion yet still see), viewpoint invariance (objects look different from different viewpoints, but somehow we see them as the same object), differentiating illumination edges dfrom reflectance edges, and the binding problem
Term
why does the 3D nature of the world pose a problem for our visual system
Definition
it's back to the ill-posed problem--we receive 2-D, inverse images on our eyes, yet somehow we orient these into informative, 3-D interpreations
Term
segmentation
Definition
his idea of figure-ground assignment--differing objects
Term
differentiating illumination
Definition
we recognize that light comes from a above direction, different shading, it helps us deterimine basic imagery
Term
neurons respond maximally to gestalt principles....
Definition
good continuation and similarity
Term
why does the 3D nature of the world pose a problem for our visual system
Definition
it's back to the ill-posed problem--we receive 2-D, inverse images on our eyes, yet somehow we orient these into informative, 3-D interpreations
Term
segmentation
Definition
his idea of figure-ground assignment--differing objects
Term
differentiating illumination
Definition
we recognize that light comes from a above direction, different shading, it helps us deterimine basic imagery
Term
neurons respond maximally to gestalt principles....
Definition
good continuation and similarity
Term
why does the 3D nature of the world pose a problem for our visual system
Definition
it's back to the ill-posed problem--we receive 2-D, inverse images on our eyes, yet somehow we orient these into informative, 3-D interpreations
Term
segmentation
Definition
his idea of figure-ground assignment--differing objects
Term
differentiating illumination
Definition
we recognize that light comes from a above direction, different shading, it helps us deterimine basic imagery
Term
neurons respond maximally to gestalt principles....
Definition
good continuation and similarity
Term
common fate
Definition
things that are moving together get grouped togetehr
Term
relatability
Definition
the degree to which two line segments appear to be part of the same contour
Term
non-accidental feature
Definition
a feature of an object that is not dependent on the exact (or accidental) viewing position of the observer
Term
What are some challenges of object perception?
Definition
inverse projection, segmentation (differing object from background), completion (occlusion yet still see), viewpoint invariance (objects look different from different viewpoints, but somehow we see them as the same object), differentiating illumination edges dfrom reflectance edges, and the binding problem
Term
problem of univariance
Definition
the fact that an infinite set of different wavelength-intensity combinations can elicit exactly the same response from a single type of photoreceptor type cannot make color discriminations based on wavelength
Term
trichromacy
Definition
the theory that the color of any light is defined in our visual system by the relationships of three numbers; the outputs of three receptors types now known to be the three cones
Term
metamers
Definition
different mixtures of wave-lengths that look identical. More generally, any pair of stimuli that are perceived as identical in spite of physical differences
Term
Additive color mixture
Definition
a mixture of lights. If light A and light B are both reflected from a surface to the eye, in the perception of color and effects of those two lights add together
Term
subtractive color mixture
Definition
a mixture of pigments. If pigments A and B mix, some of the light shining on the surface will be subtracted by A, and some by B. Only the remainder contributes to the perception of color
Term
Color Space
Definition
the three-dimensional space, established because color perception is based on the outputs of three cone types that describes the set of all colors (hue, saturation, brightness)
Term
Hue
Definition
the chromatic (colorful) aspect of color
Term
saturation
Definition
the chromatic strength of a hue; white has zero saturation, pink is more saturated, and red is fully saturated
Term
brightness
Definition
the distance from black (zero brightness) in color space
Term
opponent color theory
Definition
the theory that perception of color is based on the output of three mechanisms, each of them based on an opponency between two colors; red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white
Term
color-opponent cell
Definition
a neuron whose output is based on a difference between sets of cones
Term
afterimage
Definition
a visual image seen after the stimulus has been removed
Term
adapting stimulus
Definition
a stimulus whose removal produces a change in visual perception or sensitivity
Term
negative afterimage
Definition
an afterimage whose polarity is the opposite of an original stimulus. light stimuli produce dark negative afterimages. Colors are complementary, for example, red-green, yellow-blue
Term
neutral point
Definition
the point at which an opponent color mechanism is generating no signal. If red-green and blue-yellow mechanisms are at their neutral points, a stimulus will appear achromatic (over shoot with negative afterimages)
Term
achromatopsia:
Definition
inability to perceive colors that is caused by damage to the central nervous system
Term
deuternape
Definition
an individual who suffers from color blindness that is due to the absence of M-cones
Term
protanope
Definition
an individual who suffers from color blindness that is due to abscend of L cones
Term
tritanope
Definition
an individual who suffers from color blindness that is due to abscend of S cones
Term
color anomalous
Definition
a better term for what is usually called 'color-blind'. Most color blind individuals can still make discriminations based on wavelength. Those discriminations are different from the normal--that is anomalous. Flatter color experience
Term
cone-monochromate
Definition
an individual with only one cone type. Truly colorblind
Term
rod monochromat
Definition
an indivudal with no cones. Badly visually impaired in bright light
Term
agnosia
Definition
a failure to recognize objects in spite of the ability to see them. Agnosia is typically due to brain damage
Term
anomia
Definition
an inability to name objects in spite of the ability to see and recognize them (as shown by usage). Anomia is typically due to brain damage
Term
Cultural relativism
Definition
in sensation and perception, the idea that basic perceptual experiences (e.g., color perceptions) may be determined in par by the cultural environment
Term
unrelated color
Definition
a color that can be experienced in isolation
Term
related color
Definition
a color, such as brown or gray, that is seen only in relation to other colors. A 'gray' patch in complete darkness appears white
Term
illuminant
Definition
the light that illuminates a surface
Term
spectral reflectance function
Definition
the function relating the wavelength of light to the percentage of that wavelength that is reflected from a surface
Term
spectral power distribution
Definition
the physical energy in a light as a function of wavelength
Term
color constancy
Definition
the tendency of a surface to appear the same color under a fairly wide range of illuminants
Term
reflectance
Definition
the percentage of light hitting a surface that is reflected and not absorbed into the surface. Typically, reflectance is given as a function of wavelength
Supporting users have an ad free experience!