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Glossary
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absolute threshold   The smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected (Module 8)
adaptation  An adjustment in sensory capacity following prolonged exposure to stimuli (Module 8)
difference threshold  The smallest level of stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred (Module 8)
perception   The sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli involving our sense organs and brain (Module 8)
psychophysics   The study of the relationship between the physical aspects of stimuli and our psychological experience of them (Module 8)
sensation   The processes by which our sense organs receive information from the environment (Module 8)
stimulus  Energy that produces a response in a sense organ (Module 8)
Weber's law  One of the basic laws of psychophysics, that a just noticeable difference is in constant proportion to the intensity of an initial stimulus (Module 8)
cones  Cone-shaped, light-sensitive receptor cells in the retina that are responsible for sharp focus and color perception, particularly in bright light (Module 9)
feature detection  The activation of neurons in the cortex by visual stimuli of specific shapes or patterns (Module 9)
opponent-process theory of color vision   The theory that receptor cells are linked in pairs, working in opposition to each other (Module 9)
optic nerve   A bundle of ganglion axons that carry visual information (Module 9)
retina   The part of the eye that converts the electromagnetic energy of light into useful information for the brain (Module 9)
rods  Thin, cylindrical receptor cells in the retina that are highly sensitive to light (Module 9)
trichromatic theory of color vision  The theory that there are three kinds of cones in the retina, each of which responds primarily to a specific range of wavelengths (Module 9)
basilar membrane  A vibrating structure that runs through the center of the cochlea, dividing it into an upper and a lower chamber, and containing sense receptors for sound (Module 10)
cochlea (KOKE lee uh)  A coiled tube in the ear filled with fluid that vibrates in response to sound (Module 10)
eardrum   The part of the ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it (Module 10)
frequency theory of hearing   The theory that the entire basilar membrane acts like a microphone, vibrating as a whole in response to a sound (Module 10)
gate-control theory of pain   The theory that particular nerve receptors lead to specific areas of the brain related to pain (Module 10)
hair cells  Tiny cells covering the basilar membrane that, when bent by vibrations entering the cochlea, transmit neural messages to the brain (Module 10)
otoliths   Tiny, motion-sensitive crystals within the semicircular canals that sense body acceleration (Module 10)
place theory of hearing  The theory that different areas of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies (Module 10)
semicircular canals   Three tubelike structures of the inner ear containing fluid that sloshes through them when the head moves, signaling rotational or angular movement to the brain (Module 10)
skin senses   The senses that include touch, pressure, temperature and pain (Module 10)
sound   The movement of air molecules brought about by the vibration of an object (Module 10)
top-down processing   Perception that is guided by higher-level knowledge, experience, expectations, and motivations (Module 11)
visual illusions  Physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception (Module 11)
bottom-up processing   Perception that consists of recognizing and processing information about the individual components of the stimuli (Module 11)
feature analysis  A theory of perception according to which we perceive a shape, pattern, object, or scene by reacting first to the individual elements that make it up (Module 11)
gestalt laws of organization   A series of principles that describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes (Module 11)







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