Nerve endings that respond to stimuli

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

A process that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brains integration of sensory information.

constructs perceptions from sensory input by drawing on your experience and expectations

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

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

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.

A theory predicting how and when we detect a faint stimulus amid background stimulation. assumes there is no single absolute threshold, and that detection depends partly on a persons experience, expectations, motivation, and awareness.

Below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness.

The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time.

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

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

A mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another.

The controversial claim that perception can occur apart from the sensory inputs.

The study of paranormal mental phenomena

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

The amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which influences what we perceive as brightness of loudness.

The dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

The eyes clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye where the 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 opening

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 receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.

(1.) The process by which the eyes lens changes shape to focus on near or far objects

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and grey; and are sensitive to movement.

Retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well lit conditions. They detect fine details and give rise to color sensations.

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

The point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye

The central focal point in the retina, around which, the cones cluster

Perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

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 theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green; blue-yellow; 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

Processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brains natural mode of information processing for many functions

An organized whole. Our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes

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

The perceptual tendency to organize people into coherent groups

The ability to see objects in 3 dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two dimensional, allowing us to judge distance.

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

A depth cue such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes

A depth cue such as inter-position or linear perspective, available to either eye alone

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

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

The ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field

The number of completed wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

A tones highness or lowness depending on frequency

The chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window

A coiled, bony, fluid filed tube in the inner ear

The part of the ear containing the cochlea, semi-circular canals, and vestibular sacs

hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss.

A less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts soundwaves to the cochlea

A device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory lobe with electrodes threaded into the cochlea

The theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea membrane is stimulated.

The theory that the rate of nerve impulses travelling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense it's pitch

The theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological gate that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain.

The sense of smell

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

Our sense of gravity and balance

The principle that one sense may influence another.

The influence of bodily sensations, perceptions, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements