Sensation and Perception (unit 3) Vocab

Front

sensation

Back

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.

Front

perception

Back

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.

Front

bottom-processing

Back

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

Front

top-down processing

Back

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

Front

selective attention

Back

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Front

inattentional blindness

Back

falling to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

Front

change blindness

Back

failing to notice changes in the environment.

Front

transduction

Back

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 brain can interpret.

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absolute threshold

Back

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

Front

signal detection theory

Back

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