Psychology Chapter 3

The process by which a stimulated receptor (such as the eyes or ears) creates a pattern of neural messages that represent the stimulus in the brain, giving rise to our initial experience of the stimulus

A mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to the incoming sensory patterns

the lowest level of stimulation that a person can detect

the smallest change in stimulation that a person can detect

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Sensation depends on the characteristic of the stumulus, the background simulations, and the detector.

Conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.

the principle that for any change in a stimulus to be detected, a constant proportion of that stimulus must be added or subtracted

images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus is removed

measures the physical strength of the sound wave.

a think strip of hairy tissue running through the cochlea

located at the point where the optic nerce exits each eye, and the reulting is a gap in the visual field

the intensity or amplitude of light, determind by how much light reaches the retina.

primary organ for hearing located in the inner ear.

the appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation

genetic inability to distinguish differences in hue

specialized to detect the light waves we sence either as blue, red, or green.

the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

the number of observations in a given statistical category

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.

sense of taste

the sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each other

human perception of sound intensity

sense of smell

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

The meaningful product of perception

odorless chemicals that serve as social signals to members of one's species

The light-sensitive cells in the retina- the rods and cones.

the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration

a fake drug used in the testing of medication

improvement resulting from the mere expectation of improvement

the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond

the sensations of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

the distinguishing quality of a sound

idea that color vision is based on our sensitivity to three different colors: blue, green, and red

a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

The eardrum. A structure that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and vibrates in response to sound waves.

the portion of sunlight perceived by the human eye as various colors

Images that are capable of more than one interpretation. There is no "right" way to see an ambiguous figure.

Process used by the brain to combine or bind the results of many sensory operations into a single percept.

depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes

A condition in which people who are blind have some spared visual capacities in the absence of any visual awareness.

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information

when people fail to detect changes to the visual details of a scene

making you see incomplete figures as wholes by supplying the missing segments, filling in gaps, and making inferner, you mind automatically fills in the hidden parts of the face and body

Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.

a pattern or image that grabs our attention.

the school of psychology that emphasizes the tendency to organize perceptions into meaningful wholes

the backdrop against which we perceive the figure

perception can be wildly inaccurate because we misinterpret in image

failure to detect stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is focused elsewhere

a Gestalt principle of organization holding that aspects of perceptual field that move or function in a similar manner will be perceived as a unit

The most general Gestalt principle, which states that the simplest organization, requiring the least cognitive effort, will emerge as the figure.

the Gestalt principle that we tend to group objects together when they are near each other

The Gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects together in our perceptions.

The Gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuity, and common fate. These "laws" suggest how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together to form a percept

the view that perception is primarily shaped by learning, rather than by innate factors

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone.

the associated meaning

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes

determines what objects are

projects to the parietal lobe and determines and objects location.