click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Psychology Zino
Chapter Six OCC Zino
Answer | Question |
---|---|
Sensation | The detection of physical energy emitted or reflected by physical objects; occurs when energy in the external environment or the body stimulates receptors in the sense organs. |
Perception | The process by which the brain organizes and interperates sensory information. |
Ambiguous Figure | Figure that can be percieved two different ways. Both of which cannot be seen simultanously. |
Sense Receptors | Specialized cells that convert physical energy in the environment or the body to electrical energy that can be transmitted as nerve impulses to the brain. |
Doctrine of Specific Nerve Engines | Different sensory modalities exist because signals received by the sense organs stimulate different nerve pathways leading to different areas of the brain. |
Synethsia | A condition in which stimulation of one sense also evokes another. |
Functional Sensory Codes | Patterns of neuronal firing determine perception. (how many and at what rate) |
Absolute Threshold | The smallest quantity of physical energy that can be reliably detected by an observer. |
Difference Threshold | The smallest difference in stimulation that can be reliably detected by an observer when two stimuli are compared. Also known as Just Noticeable Difference (JND) |
Signal-Detection Theory | A psychophysical theory that divides the detection of a sensory signal into a sensory process and a decision process. |
Adaptation | The reduction or disappearance of sensory responsiveness when stimulation is unchanging or repetitious. It prevents us from having to continuously respond to unimportant information. |
Deprivation | The absence of normal levels of sensory stimulation. |
Sensory Overload | Overstimulation of the senses. |
Selective Attention | The focusing of attention on selected aspects of the environment and the blocking out of others. |