Fovea

bottom-up processing

visual cliff

perceptual adaptation

Frequency

phi phenomenon

pupil

transduction

sensorineural hearing loss

vestibular sense

optic nerve

iris

opponent-process theory

sensory adaptation

signal detection theory

Depth perception

difference threshold

middle ear

cochlear implant

change blindness

signal detection theory

sensory adaptaion

depth perception

inner ear

kinesthesis

Weber's law

perceptual constancy

selective attention

monocular cues

psychophysics

frequency theory

feature detectors

binocular cues

inattentional blindness

absolute threshold

subliminal

priming

wavelength

hue

intensity

lens

retina

accommodation

rods

cones

blind spot

parallel processing

Young-Helmholtz trichromatic (three-color) theory

audition

pitch

cochlea

place theory

conduction hearing loss

gate-control theory

sensory interaction

gestalt

figure-ground

grouping

retinal disparity

color constancy

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster

Analysis that begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

In vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field.

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

An illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession.

adjustable opening in the center of the eye that light enters through

conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brains can interpret.

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness

the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance

The nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.

A ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening.

The theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation.

A theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.

The MINIMUM difference between TWO stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference (JND). Ex: If you're holding a 4olb weight, how many ounces can you add before someone notices the difference?

the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (HAMMER, ANVIL, STIRRUP) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window. Also, called the OSSICLES.

a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea.

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person's experience, expectations, motivation, and alertness.

diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

The ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance.

the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs.

the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.

The principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant percentage (rather than a constant amount).

Perceiving objects as UNCHANGING (having consistent shapes, size, lightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change.

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.

depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective, available to either eye alone

The study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them.

in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch.

Nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, and movement.

Depth cues, such as RETINAL DISPARITY, that depend on the use of TWO EYES.

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time

Below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

The activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response.

The distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next.

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude.

The transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina.

the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.

The process by which the eye's lens CHANGES SHAPE to focus near or far objects on the retina.

retinal receptors that detect BLACK, WHITE, and gray; necessary for PERIPHERAL and TWILIGHT vision, when cones do not respond.

retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in DAYLIGHT or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.

The point at which the OPTIC NERVE LEAVES THE EYE and no receptor cells are located there.

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; he brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision. Contrasts with step-by-step (serial) processing of most computers and of conscious problem solving.

The theory that the retina contains three different color receptors - one most sensitive to red, one to green, and one to blue - which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color.

the sense or act of hearing

a tone's experienced highness and lowness; depends on frequency..

a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear through which sound waves trigger nerve impulses.

in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.

hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea.

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain.

The principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste.

An ORGANIZED WHOLE. These type of psychologists emphasized our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

The organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground).

The perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups.

a binocular cue for perceiving depth by comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance - the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object

Perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wavelengths reflected by the object.

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.