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Sensation and Perception

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Question
Answer
sensation   the experience of sensory stimulation  
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perception   the process of creating meaningful patterns from raw sensory information  
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receptor cell   a specialized cell that responds to a particular type of energy  
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absolute threshold   the least amount of energy that can be detected as a stimulation 50 percent of the time  
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adaptation   an adjustment of the senses to the level of stimulation they are receiving  
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difference threshold (just noticeable difference - jnd)   the smallest change in stimulation that can be detected 50 percent of the time  
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Weber's law   the principle that the jnd for any given sense is a constant fraction or proportion of the stimulation being judged  
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cornea   the transparent protective coating over the front part of the eye  
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pupil   a small opening in the iris through which light enters the eye  
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iris   the colored part of the eye  
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lens   the transparent part of the eye inside the pupil that focuses light onto the retina  
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retina   the lining of the eye containing receptor cells that are sensitive to light  
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blind spot   the place on the retina where the axons of all the ganglion cells leave the eye and where there are no receptors  
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fovea   the area of the retina that is the center of the visual field  
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light   the small segment of the electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive  
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rods   receptor cells in the retina responsible for night vision and perception of brightness  
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cones   receptor cells in the retina responsible for color vision  
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bipolar cells   neurons that have only one axon and one dendrite; in the eye, these neurons connect the receptors on the retina to the ganglion cells  
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visual acuity   the ability to distinguish fine details visually  
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dark adaptation   increased sensitivity of rods and cones in darkness  
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light adaptation   decreased sensitivity of rods and cones in bright light  
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afterimage   sense experience that occurs after a visual stimulus has been removed  
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ganglion cells   neurons that connect the bipolar cells in the eyes to the brain  
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optic nerve   the bundle of axons of ganglion cells that carries neural messages from each eye to the brain  
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optic chiasm   the point near the base of the brain where some fibers in the optic nerve from each eye cross to the other side of the brain  
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feature detectors   specialized brain cells that only respond to particular elements in the visual field such as movement or lines of specific orientation  
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hue   the aspect of color that corresponds to names such as red, green, and blue  
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saturation   the vivdness of richness of a hue  
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brightness   the nearness of a color to white as opposed to black  
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subtractive color mixing   the process of mixing pigments, each of which absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects others  
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additive color mixing   the process of mixing light of different wavelengths to create new hues  
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trichromatic theory   the theory of color vision that holds that all color perception derives from three different color receptors in the retina (usually red, green, and blue receptors)  
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trichromats   people who have normal color vision  
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color blindness   partial or total inability to perceive hues  
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dichromats   people who are blind to either red-green or yellow-blue  
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monochromats   people who are totally color-blind  
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opponent-process theory   theory of color vision that holds that three sets of color receptors (yellow-blue, red-green, black-white) respond to determine the color you experience  
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sound   a psychological experience created by the brain in response to changes in air pressure that are received by the auditory system  
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sound waves   changes in pressure caused when molecules of air or fluid collide with one another and then move apart again  
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frequency   the number of cycles per second in a wave; in sound, the primary determinant of pitch  
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hertz (Hz)   cycles per second; unit of measurement for the frequency of sound waves  
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pitch   auditory experience corresponding primarily to frequency of sound vibrations, resulting in a higher or lower tone  
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amplitude   the magnitude of a wave; in sound, the primary determinant of loudness  
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decibel   unit of measurement for the loudness of sounds  
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overtones   tones that result from sound waves that are multiples of the basic tone; primary determinant of timbre  
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timbre   the quality or texture of sound; caused by overtones  
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hammer, anvil, stirrup   the three small bones in the middle ear that relay vibrations of the eardrum to the inner ear  
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oval window   membrane across the opening between the middle ear and inner ear that conducts vibrations to the cochlea  
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basilar membrane   vibrating membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear; it contains sense receptors for sounds  
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organ of Corti   structure on the surface of the basilar membrane that contains that receptor cells for hearing  
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place theory   theory that pitch is determined by the location of greatest vibration on the basilar membrane  
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frequency theory   theory that pitch is determined by the frequency with which hair cells in the cochlea fire  
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volley principle   refinement of the frequency theory; it suggests that receptors in the ear fire in sequence, with one group responding, that a second, third, and co on, so that the complete pattern of firing corresponds to the frequency of the sound wave  
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olfactory epithelium   nasal membranes containing receptor cells sensitive to odors  
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olfactory bulb   the smell center in the brain  
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pheromones   chemical molecules that communicate information to other members of a species, and influence their behavior  
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vomeronasal organ (VNO)   location of receptors for pheromones in the roof of the nasal cavity  
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taste buds   structures on the tongue that contain the receptor cells for taste  
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papillae   small bumps on the tongue that contain the taste buds  
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kinesthetic senses   senses of muscle movement, posture, and strain on muscles and joint  
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stretch receptors   receptors that sense muscle stretch and contraction  
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golgi tendon organs   receptors that sense movement of the tendons, which connect muscle to bone  
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vestibular senses   the sense of equilibrium and body position in space  
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vestibular sacs   sacs in the inner ear that sense gravitation and forward, backward, and vertical movement  
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gate control theory   the theory that a "neurological gate" in the spinal cord controls the transmission of pain messages to the brain  
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biopsychosocial theory   the theory that the interaction of biological, psychological, and cultural factors influence the intensity and duration of pain  
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placebo effect   pain relief that occurs when a person believe a pill or procedure will reduce pain; the actual cause of relief seems to come from endorphins  
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figure   entity perceived to stand apart from the background  
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ground   background against which a figure appears  
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perceptual constancy   a tendency to perceive objects as stable and unchanging despite changes in sensory stimulation  
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size constancy   the perception of an object as the the same size regardless of the distance from which it is viewed  
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shape constancy   a tendency to see an object as the same shape no matter what angle it is viewed from  
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color constancy   an inclination to perceive familiar objects as retaining their color despite changes in sensory information  
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monocular cues   visual cues requiring the use of one eye  
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binocular cues   visual cues requiring the use of both eyes  
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aerial perspective   monocular cue to distance and depth based on teh fact that more distant objects are likely to appear hazy and blurred  
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texture gradient   monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that objects seen at greater distances appear to be smoother and less textured  
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linear perspective   monocular cue to distance and depth based on the fact that two parallel lines seem to come together at the horizon  
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motion parallax   monocular distance cue in which objects closer that the point of visual focus seem to move in the direction opposite to the viwer's moving head, and objects beyond the focus point appear to move in the same direction as the viewer's head  
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stereoscopic vision   combination of two retinal images to give a three-dimensional perceptual experience  
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retinal disparity   binocular distance cue based on the difference between the imagegs cast on the two retinas when both eyes are focused on the same object  
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convergence   a visual depth cue that comes from muscles controlling eye movement as the eyes turn inward to view a nearby stimulus  
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monaural cue   cue to sound location that requires just one ear  
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binaural cue   cue to sound location that involves both ears working together  
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autokinetic illusion   the perception that a stationary object is actually moving  
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stroboscopic motion   apparent movement that results from flashing a series of still pictures in rapid succession, as in a motion picture  
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phi phenomenon   apparent movement caused by flashing lights in sequence, as on theater marquees  
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perceptual illusion   illusion due to misleading cues in stimuli that give rise to inaccurate or impossible perceptions  
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