Detecting physical energy from the environment and encoding it as neural signals

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

Selecting, organizing, and interpreting what comes in your window as meaningful objects and events.

Guided by higher level mental processes, such as experience, motivation, and expectations

Ability to adjust to an artificially displaced field

The study of how physical energy relates to our psychological experience

Conversion of one form of energy into another

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

See image

The minimum difference a person can detect between any 2 stimuli 50% of the time

Difference thresholds differ by a constant percentage rather than a constant amount.

Predicts when we will detect weak stimuli amid background noise. Depends on experience, expectations, motivation, and fatigue level

Stimuli below one's absolute threshold. Unconsciously sensed. Works to an extent

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

Determines Brightness; loudness

A small adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

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

Protects the eye and bends light to provide focus

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

Lens changes shape to focus near or far images on the retina

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 nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye; No receptor cells; Brain fills the "hole" without permission

The central focal point in the retina

Resolution

Too much curvature of the cornea/lens ; Near objects are more clear

Not enough curvature of the cornea/lens; Far objects are more clear

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and grey; Necessary for peripheral vision

Retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina; Detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

Nerve cells in the brain the respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angles, or movement

The processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

The eye has 3 types of color receptors (red, green, and blue); Cones work in 3's

People who lack a chemical produced by one or more types of cones

Certain neurons can be either excited or inhibited depending on the wavelength of light; Complementary wavelengths have opposite effects.

Pitch; Measured in Hz (Hertz); Determines Hue

Unit of measurement for sound; (dB)

Vibration/mechanical energy -> neural impulses

Bent by the vibrations and transduce mechanical energy to neural impulses In the cochlea

The theory that the rate of nerve impulses travelling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a sound; (Explains low-pitch)

The theory that links pitch with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated.

Caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea

Caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves

Pressure, Warmth, Cold, and Pain

The spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass onto the brain

Sweet. Salty, Bitter, Sour, Umami

Emphasize the tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

The organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings

We group nearby objects together

We group similar objects together

We perceive smooth continuous patterns rather than disconnected ones

Uniform and Linked

The ability to see objects in 3D although the images that strike the retina are 2D; Allows us to judge distance

Available to either eye alone

Parallel lines appear to converge with distance; The more they converge, the greater their perceived distance

If one object partially blocks our view of another, we perceive it as closer

If we assume 2 objects are similar in size, most people perceive the one that casts the smaller retinal image as farther away

We perceive objects higher in our field of vision as farther away

Nearby objects reflect more light to our eyes; Dimmer seems farther away

Depends on both eyes

By comparing the images from the retinas in the 2 eyes, the brain computes distance; Greater the difference/disparity the closer the object

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

Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change; Consistent shape, size, lightness, and color

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another

Claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input

One person sending thoughts to another or perceiving another's thoughts

Perceiving remote events

Perceiving future events

"Mind over matter"

The tendency for vision to dominate the other senses

Tiny bumps on the surface of the tongue covered in taste buds

Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami

Brain structure responsible for our sense of smell; Processes info about odors after receiving sensory input from the nose

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

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

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Being able to focus one's attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

Failing to notice change in the environment

Tested depth perception in infants

A branch of psychology the explore how people and machines interact and how machines and physical environments can be made safe and easy to use

The study of paranormal phenomena; Including ESP and Psychokinesis