1.

Sensation Process by which our sensory That feels good

receptors and nervous system
receive and represent stimulus
energies from our environment
2. Perception Process of organizing and I don’t see it
interpreting sensory information
3. Bottom-up Analysis that begins with the sense Less to more
processing receptors and works up to the brain’s
integration of sensory information
4. Top-Down Information processing guided by More to less
Processing higher-level mental processes, as
when we construct perceptions
drawing on our experience and
expectations
5. Psychophysics The study of relationships between Psychology + Physics
the physical characteristics of stimuli
6. Absolute The minimum stimulation needed to Toilet flush
Threshold detect a particular stimulus
7. Signal Detection Predicts how and when we detect the I barely feel it
Theory presence of a faint stimulus
8. Subliminal Below one’s absolute threshold for What are you talking
conscious awareness about?
9. Difference Minimum difference that a subject Sometimes I notice,
Threshold can detect between two stimuli 50% but not always
of the time
10 Weber’s Law The principle that, to perceive their Are they even
. difference, two stimuli must differ different?
by a constant minimum percentage
11 Sensory Diminished sensitivity as a Its happened a lot, so I
. Adaptation consequence of constant stimulation don’t really notice
anymore
12 Transduction Conversion of one form of energy Heat to Light
. into another
13 Visible spectrum Portion of the electromagnetic Rays we can see with
. spectrum that we commonly call naked eye
light
14 Wavelength Distance from the peak of one light Top to top
. or sound wave to the peak of the
next
15 Nanometer Wavelengths are measured in Measure +
. nanometers Wavelengths
16 Amplitude The height of a wavelength that Maximum of
. determines the brightness of a light wavelength
or sound
17 Hue The dimension of color that is Its blue
. determined by the wavelength of
light
18 Intensity The amount of energy in a light or That’s bright
. sound wave
19 Cornea The round, transparent area at the Round transparent area
. front of the sclera that allows light to on eye light enters
enter the eye
20 Pupil The adjustable opening in the center Light enters part in eye
. of the eye through which light enters
21 Iris A ring of muscle tissue that forms Muscle around pupil,
. the colored proportion of the eye forms eye color
around the pupil and controls the
size of the pupil
22 Lens The transparent structure behind the Focuses images
. pupil that changes shape to focus
images on the retina
23 Accommodation The process by which the eye’s lens Process which eyes
. changes shape to focus the image of change shape to focus
near objects on the retina image
24 Retina The light-sensitive inner surface of Begins processing
. the eye, containing the receptor rods visual information
and cones plus layers or neurons that
begin the processing of visual
information
25 Acuity The sharpness of vision Sharpness of vision
.
26 Nearsightedness A condition in which nearby objects Close objects are
. (myopia) are seen more clearly than distant easier to see
objects because the lens focus the
image of distant objects in front of
the retina
27 Farsightedness A condition in which faraway Far objects are easier
. (hyperopia) objects are seen more clearly than to see
near objects because the image of
near objects is focused behind the
retina
28 Rods Retinal receptors that detect black, Detect black and white
. which and gray, necessary for
peripheral and twilight vision, when
cones don’t respond
29 Cones Receptor cells are concentrated near Detect colors
. the center of the retina that function
in well-lit conditions that detect fine
detail, and give rise to color
sensations
30 Bipolar Cells Cells surrounding cones and rods Cells around cones
. and rods
31 Ganglion Cells Cells that form optic nerve Cells that make up
. optic nerve
32 Optic Nerve The nerve that carries neural Carries impulses to
. impulses from the eye to the brain brain
33 Blindspot The point at which the optic nerve Optic nerve leaves eye
. leaves the eye
34 Fovea The central focal point in the retina Focus point of retina
.
35 Visual Cortex The area of the occipital lobes that Process visual input
. process visual input
36 Optic Chiasm Optic nerve disorder Optic nerve disorder
.
37 Feature Detectors Nerve cells in the brain that respond Cells that respond to
. to specific features of the stimulus specific stimulus
38 Parallel processing The processing of several aspects of Processing of several
. a problem simultaneously aspects of problem
39 Blindsight When perception is affected by Perception affection
. something
40 Young-Helmholtz The theory that the retina contains Retina has three
. trichromatic (three three different color receptors different color
color) theory receptors
41 Color-defict vision The inability to distinguish between Inability to distinguish
. (color blindness) certain colors between certain colors
42 Afterimage effect A visual image that persists after the Image persists after its
. removal of stimulation removal
43 Opponent-process The theory that, opposing retinal Opposing retinal
. theory process enable color vision process = color vision
44 Color Constancy Perceiving familiar objects as having Familiar objects have
. consistent color consistent color
45 Audition The sense of hearing Hearing
.
46 Frequency The number of complete Number of
. wavelengths that pass a point in a wavelengths that pass
given time point in given time
47 Pitch A tone’s highness or lowness: Tones highness or
. depends on the frequency lowness
48 Decibels The measuring unit of sound Measuring unit of
. intensity sound
49 Outer ear Includes the pinna, the oddly shaped Ear
. flap of skin and cartilage we
commonly call the ear
50 Auditory Canal Little tube inside or ear Tube inside ear
.
51 Eardrum Also called the tympanic membrane; Separates inner and
. a membrane separating the outer and outer ear
inner ears that vibrate in response to
sound waves that strike it
52 Middle ear The chamber between the eardrum Chamber in ear
. and the cochlea containing three tiny containing three bones
bones that concentrate the vibrations
of the eardrum on the cochlea’s oval
window
53 Hammer One of three tiny bones, or ossicles, Bone in ear
. or the middle ear
54 Anvil One of three tiny bones, or ossicles, Bone in ear
. or the middle ear
55 Stirrup One of three tiny bones, or ossicles, Bone in ear
. or the middle ear
56 Inner ear The innermost part of the ear, Innermost part of ear
. containing the cochlea, semicircular
canals, and the vestibular sacs
57 Cochlea A coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in Sounds wave trigger
. the inner ear through which sound neural impulses here
waves trigger nerve impulses
58 Basiliar membrane Sends sound signals to brain Sound signals to brain
.
59 Place Theory In hearing, the theory that links pitch Links pitch to
. we hear with the place the cochlea’s cochlea’s membrane
membrane is stimulated
60 Frequency Theory In hearing, the theory that the rate of Neural impulses travel
. nerve impulses traveling up the up auditory nerve
auditory nerve matches the
frequency of a tone, thus enabling us
to sense a pitch
61 Volley Principle The theory of pitch perception that Theory pitch
. (Theory) assumes that sound waves of perception fir in
particular frequencies induce frequencies
auditory neurons to fire in volleys
with one volley following another
62 Conduction Hearing loss caused by damage to Hearing loss caused by
. hearing loss the mechanical system that conducts damage to mechanical
(conduction sound waves to the cochlea system
deafness)
63 Sensorineural Hearing loss caused by damage to Hearing damage due
. hearing loss (nerve the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the to auditory nerve
deafness) auditory nerves damage
64 Cochlear implant Implant to help hearing damage of Helps hearing
. auditory nerves damaged by auditory
nerve damage
65 Phantom limb The ability to feel sense in a limb I still feel my arm
. sensation which is no longer present
66 Tinnitus A disease of the spinal cord Spinal cord disease
.
67 Gate-control theory Theory that the spinal cord contains Pain receptors
. a neurological “gate” that blocks
pain signals
68 Taste buds (taste Allow us to taste things and Taste
. receptors) bitterness and sourness
69 Sensory interaction The principle that one sense may Senses influence other
. influence another senses
70 Olfaction The ability of the body to feel Body feels changes
. changes
71 Kinesthesis The system for sensing the position Sensing movement of
. of movement of individual body individual body parts
parts
72 Vestibular sense The sense of body movement and Sense of body
. position, including the sense of movement and balance
balance
73 Semicircular canals Send information to spinal cord Sends info to spinal
. cord
74 Vestibular sacs Sense body movement and position Sense body movement
. and position

Sensing the world: Some Basic Principles

There are many stimuli and many different things that respond to specific stimuli,
and there are signals that are based on threshold and absolute threshold. Senses are very
well at adapting and can also be fooled very easily and other senses have more influence
then some senses

Vision
Transduction affects vision a lot. The eye is very complex with many structures
that all have specific functions. There are multiple processes involved in the processing
of visual information. Eyes can be fooled easily. Color vision has to do with cones. The
eyes adapt well.

Hearing
The ear is very confusing with many different parts that relate to hearing and how
loud something appears to sound to us and the pitch of a sound. Hearing is lost as you age
and there are two ways hearing can be affected

The Other Senses

Touch is overshadowed by others senses. Pain is triggered by “gate” that allows
signals that tell you to feel pain. Smell and taste sense go hand in hand often and people
will perceive something smells as it tastes. There is a very concrete process on how the
body feels differences.