absolute threshold | The smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected (Module 8)
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adaptation | An adjustment in sensory capacity following prolonged exposure to stimuli (Module 8)
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difference threshold | The smallest level of stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation has occurred (Module 8)
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perception | The sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli involving our sense organs and brain (Module 8)
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psychophysics | The study of the relationship between the physical aspects of stimuli and our psychological experience of them (Module 8)
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sensation | The processes by which our sense organs receive information from the environment (Module 8)
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stimulus | Energy that produces a response in a sense organ (Module 8)
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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)
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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)
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feature detection | The activation of neurons in the cortex by visual stimuli of specific shapes or patterns (Module 9)
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opponent-process theory of color vision | The theory that receptor cells are linked in pairs, working in opposition to each other (Module 9)
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optic nerve | A bundle of ganglion axons that carry visual information (Module 9)
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retina | The part of the eye that converts the electromagnetic energy of light into useful information for the brain (Module 9)
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rods | Thin, cylindrical receptor cells in the retina that are highly sensitive to light (Module 9)
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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)
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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)
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cochlea (KOKE lee uh) | A coiled tube in the ear filled with fluid that vibrates in response to sound (Module 10)
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eardrum | The part of the ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it (Module 10)
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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)
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gate-control theory of pain | The theory that particular nerve receptors lead to specific areas of the brain related to pain (Module 10)
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hair cells | Tiny cells covering the basilar membrane that, when bent by vibrations entering the cochlea, transmit neural messages to the brain (Module 10)
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otoliths | Tiny, motion-sensitive crystals within the semicircular canals that sense body acceleration (Module 10)
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place theory of hearing | The theory that different areas of the basilar membrane respond to different frequencies (Module 10)
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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)
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skin senses | The senses that include touch, pressure, temperature and pain (Module 10)
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sound | The movement of air molecules brought about by the vibration of an object (Module 10)
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top-down processing | Perception that is guided by higher-level knowledge, experience, expectations, and motivations (Module 11)
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visual illusions | Physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception (Module 11)
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bottom-up processing | Perception that consists of recognizing and processing information about the individual components of the stimuli (Module 11)
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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)
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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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