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Exam 2
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Sensation | process of detecting a physical stimulus (light, sound, heat, pressure) |
| Perception | process of integrating, organizing, and interpreting sensations. |
| Transduction | process by which physical energy is converted into a coded neural signal that can be processed by the nervous system |
| Absolute threshold | smallest possible strength of a stimulus that can be detected half the time |
| Difference threshold (JND) | smallest possible difference between two stimuli that can be detected half the time; also called just noticeable difference |
| Vision | scientific term for sense of sight |
| Audition | scientific term for sense of hearing |
| Gustation | scientific term for sense of taste |
| Olfaction | scientific term for sense of smell |
| Kinesthesia | awareness of the position and movement of the parts of the body by means of sensory organs in the muscles and joints |
| Pupil | opening in the middle of the iris that changes size to let in different amounts of light |
| Retina | thin, light sensitive membrane location at the back of the eye, contains sensory receptors for vision |
| Rods | long, thin, blunt sensory receptors of the eye that are highly sensitive to light but not color |
| Cones | short, thick, pointed sensory receptors of the eye that detect color |
| Fovea | small area in the center of the retina, composed of cones, where visual information is most sharply focused |
| Periphery | the portion of visual region which is examined by the parts of the retina to the fovea |
| Optic nerve | thick nerve that exits from back of eye and carries visual information to visual cortex in the brain |
| Optic chiasm | point in the brain where the optic nerve fibers from each eye meet and partly cross over the opposite side of the brain |
| Trichromatic theory | theory that the sensation of color results because cones are especially sensitive to red light (long wavelengths), green light (medium wavelengths), or blue light (short wavelengths) |
| Opponent-processes theory | theory that color vision is the product of opposing pairs of color receptors: red-green, blue-yellow, and black-white: when one member of a pair is stimulated, the other is inhibited |
| Outer Ear (pinnae) | part of the ear that collects sound waves |
| Eardrum | tightly stretched membrane that vibrates when hit by sound waves |
| Cochlea | coiled, fluid-filled inner-ear structure that contains the basilar membrane and hair cells |
| Basilar membrane | membrane within the cochlea of the ear that contains the hair cells |
| Frequency theory | view that the basilar membrane vibrates at the same frequency as the sound wave |
| Hearing loss | damage to the hair cells is cumulative, and noise exposure, not age is the leading cause |
| Nerve deafness | damage to hair cells or auditory nerve and exposure to loud noise |
| Conduction deafness | if tiny bones of the middle ear are damaged or become brittle (in old age) |
| Feature detectors | any of various hypothetical or actual mechanisms within the human information-processing system that respond selectively to specific distinguishing features |
| Gestalt psychology | school of psychology that maintained sensations are actively processed according to consistent perceptual rules, producing meaningful whole perception (gestalts) |
| Figure-ground | gestalt principle stating that a perception is automatically separated into the figure (main element of the scene) and the ground (background) |
| Perceptual constancy | tendency to perceive objects, especially familiar objects, as constant and unchanging despite changes in sensory input |
| Perceptual set | tendency to perceive objects or situations from a particular fram of reference |
| Law of closure | tendency to fill in the gaps in an incomplete image |
| Law of similarity | tendency to perceive objects of a similar size, or color as a unit or figure |
| Law of proximity | tendency to perceive objects that are close to one another as a single unit |
| Law of good continuation | tendency to group elements as a single unit or figure when appear to flow in the same direction |
| Circadian rhythms | roughly 24-hour-long cycle of fluctuations in biological and psychological processes |
| Suprachiasmatic nucleus | tiny bundle of nerve fibers in the hypothalamus of each hemisphere |
| Sleep | state of reduced mental and physical activity, in which consciousness is altered and sensory activity is inhibited to a certain extent |
| REM | type of sleep during which rapid eye movements and dreaming usually occur and voluntary muscle activity is suppressed |
| Sleep spindles | stage 2 NREM - brief bursts of brain activity that last a second or two |
| K complex | stage 2 NREM - single high-voltage spikes of brain activity |
| Dreams | unfolding sequence of thoughts, perceptions, and emotions that typically occurs during REM sleep and is experienced as a series of real-life events |
| Psychoanalytic theory | posits that our childhood experiences and unconscious desires shape our behavior |
| Manifest content | the dream images themselves |
| Latent content | disguised psychological meaning of the dream |
| Activation synthesis | theory that brain activity during sleep produces dream images (activation), which are combined by the brain into a dream story (synthesis) |
| Neurocognitive model | model that emphasizes the continuity between waking and dreaming cognition |
| Sleep disorders | serious and consistent sleep disturbance that interferes with daytime functioning and causes subjective distress |
| Dyssomnias | collection of sleep disorders that negatively impact the quantity and quality of sleep |
| Insomnia | condition in which a person regularly experiences an inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or feel adequately rested by sleep |
| Narcolepsy | sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and brief lapses into episodes of sleep throughout the day |
| Parasomnias | category of sleep disorders characterized by undesirable physical arousal, behaviors, or events during sleep or sleep transitions (sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sleepsex, sleep-related eating disorder) |
| Sleep terrors (night terrors) | sleep disturbance involving an episode of increased physiological arousal, panic, frightening hallucinations, and no recall of the episodes |
| Sleepwalking | sleep disturbance characterized by an episode of walking or performing other actions during stage 3 NREM sleep |
| Sleep sex | people engage in sexual behaviors during sleep |
| Effects of sleep deprivation | higher risk of physical and mental issues |
| Lucid dreams | dream where the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming |
| Hypnosis | cooperative social interaction in which the hypnotized person responds to the hypnotist's suggestions with changes in perception, memory, thoughts, and behavior |
| Meditation | group of techniques that induce an altered state of focused attention and heightened awareness |
| Focused awareness | focusing on a visual image or an objects, sensation of breathing, or a sound, word, or phrase |
| Psychoactive Drugs | chemical substance that affects brain function and alters consciousness, perception, mood, or behavior |
| Depressants: Alcohol | category of psychoactive drugs that depress or inhibit brain activity |
| Opioids | category of psychoactive drugs that are chemically similar to morphine and have strong pain relieving properties; also called opiates or narcotics |
| Stimulants: Caffeine, Nicotine, Cocaine | category of psychoactive drugs that increase brain activity, arouse behavior, and increase mental alertness |
| Psychedelic drugs: Marijuana / THC | category of psychoactive drugs that create sensory and perceptual distortions, alter mood, and affect thinking |
| Club drugs: MDMA | synthetic club drug that combines stimulant and mild psychedelic effects |
| NREM | quiet, typically dreamless sleep in which rapid eye movements are absent |
Created by:
madisonnmosley
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