a point above which a stimulus is perceived and below which it is not perceived

conversion of physical energy received by the sense receptors into neural energy/impulses the brain can interpret (perception starts when transduction occurs)

anything that can trigger a physical or behavioral change. In Sensation, the stimuli is the source of the sensation

the amount of a stimulus that is needed to sense a stimulus 50% of the time

the smallest amount of a stimulus change needed in order to notice the difference a stimulus change 50% of the time. (eg.- the amount of decibel change needed to notice the volume has changed); the difference thresh

the minimum required difference between two stimuli for a person to notice change 50% of the time

an unconscious reduction in sensitivity to a stimulus after constant exposure to it

States that the size of the JND is directly proportional to the strength of the original stimulus. (eg.- carrying 1 book to 2 books will be noticed (100% increase) but 10 books to 11 books probably will not)

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

a condition in which stimulation of one sense generates a simultaneous sensation in another.Eg.- Sight and sound merge so a person’s name triggers the visual experience of seeing a certain color

the inner lining of the eye that is comprised of rods(black and white light, contrast) and cones (bright light, color)

the point on the retina where the optic nerve leaves the eye and therefore we do not see anything

Optic Nerve. The nerve that relays visual stimuli from the eye to the brain

the process of the lens thickening(close objects) or thinning(far objects) in order to send images properly to the retina. Nearsightedness and farsightedness occur when accommodation is not occurring properly.

A type of photoreceptor that processes black, white, and gray light; clustered in the retina's periphery

A type of photoreceptor that distinguishes colors and detects fine details in well-lit conditions; clustered in the fovea

(Young-Helmholtz) the theory that postulates that we process color in the retina due to having 3 types of cones; red, green, and blue. There are some females that have a fourth cone, yellow); sensory color vision

the theory that postulates that we have 3 pairs of opposite cells (red/green; blue/yellow; black/white) in our brain; perceptual color vision

densely packed region of the retina filled with cones. It is the point of highest visual acuity (accuracy). It can focus about 4to 8 inches square at about 8 feet. This is why we squint to see something with greater accuracy

the part of the optic nerve responsible for collecting visual stimuli and passing it along to the visual cortex. Transduction occurs in the ganglion cells

a form of color blindness that causes people to see with only 2 of the 3 pairs of colors. More common in men, most common is along the red/green continuum

a type of color blindness where the person sees only in blacks/whites/grays. Very rare

a visual disorder where a person cannot connect visual stimuli into an organized structure. See Oliver Sacks’ book, The Man Who mistook his Wife for a Hat, and the titled case study illustrates this quite clearly. The man could smell a rose and identify it, but when looking at it, it was a collection of geometric shapes

the ability for people that are blind to still be able to walk/move around objects without coming into contact with them. This could be associated with echolocation, see Daniel Kish

are waves changes in pressure generated by vibrating molecules. These sound waves allow for Audition: the sense or act of hearing

the distance between successive peaks in a wave motion of a given frequency

the intensity or amount of energy of a wave, reflected in the height of the wave; the amplitude of a sound wave determines a sound's loudness

an aspect of auditory perception and the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound

the theory that we perceive sound due to where the sound is processed in the cochlea (inner ear); ie- a sound is processed in a particular place

the theory that we perceive sound because sound waves trigger alternating signals in the auditory nerve allowing for an even greater range of frequency (usually seen with high pitched sounds)

the theory that postulates that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone; enabling us to sense its pitch.(usually seen with low pitched sounds)

The ability to determine the origin of a sound

sensory deafness; this occurs when the structures associated with audition are broken or impaired. Eg.- Ruptured eardrums

perceptual deafness; this is when there is a problem associated with the inner ear, cochlea, cilia, or auditory nerve

the process of receiving chemical sensations at sense receptors in the sinuses, then at the nasal epithelium(olfactory bulb) and then perceiving them in the limbic system and the brain

The system that processes smell

the system that processes taste. There is a sensory interaction with smell. The 5 basic sensations will be present, but without smell, the specifics of each will be overly generalized (ie.- sweet is present without smell, but distinction between types of sweet will be diminished/eliminated

tastes that are an energy source

tastes that are potentially toxic acid

offers a needed substance for physiological processes

tastes that are a potential poisons

tastes that are meaty/rich; proteins needed for tissue repair

fats for energy, insulation, and cell growth

the muscle in the mouth that receives begins the process of taste

sensory cells located in the taste buds on our tongues that allow us to perceive different tastes. They can detect five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami

More sensitive to certain bitter and sweet substances. Tend to have better health habits than nontasters, because of their sensitivity to certain tastes. Most common in women

has an average ability to sense different flavors

a non-taster is someone who has less taste perception. This does NOT mean they do not taste

olfaction and gustation are both chemical senses. They are interconnected

our tactile sense; warmth/cold; pressure; pain

the body’s way of telling us that there is something wrong. There is a sensation of pain (the initial feeling of pain) and a perception of pain (based on prior experience)

(proposed by Melzak and Walls) that we have neurological “gates” in our spinal cord that block/allow pain signals to pass to the brain

the sensation felt by people without limbs that makes them feel pain or movement in their missing limb; indicates that with pain, as with sights and sounds, the brain can misinterpret the spontaneous central nervous system activity that occurs in the absence of the normal sensory input

ur balance sense; associated with the inner ear (semicircular canals); a part of knowing where we are in space, balance, movement, and positioning

our movement sense; our system that allows for sense receptors in our joints to indicate/sense movement of body parts

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

perception that is based on prior knowledge and experience (more perceptual)

perception that is based on more sensational interpretation, takes longer and is more step by step

mental frameworks that guide thinking

a predisposition to perceive or notice some aspects of the available sensory data and ignore others

a type of psychology that basis its understanding of psychological principles on the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; perception is based on perceiving the whole

gestalt principle that indicates that we will be more likely to see objects as complete not missing pieces; sees the big picture even when an element of that picture may be missing

the organization of the visual field by separating an object (figure) from its surroundings (ground)

objects that are close together are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group

we tend to group similar-looking items together in our perceptions

The processing through cognition of a select portion of all the info that is coming to our senses

in a group or party you may be talking with one person, attention focused on one conversation in a room full of conversations. We are aware of other conversations, however, and our attention can shift if the appropriate stimuli is presented, ie. Someone saying our name

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

visual perception that involves both eyes

the difference between the images received by each retina

a binocular cue for perceiving depth

visual cues perceived by 1 eye

monocular cue, Objects that appear sharp, clear, and detailed are seen as closer than more hazy objects; vie versa, the idea that the more blurry an image is, the further away from us the image is perceived to be

People see objects that make a smaller image on the retina as farther away and objects that make a larger image as closer

Smaller objects that are more thickly clustered appear farther away than objects that are spread out in space

Parallel lines that converge appear far away. The more the lines converge, the greater the perceived distance

a type of monocular cue in which one object partially obscures or covers another object, giving the perception the object that is partially covered is farther away

the tendency of animals and humans to see familiar objects as having standard shape, size, color, or location regardless of changes in the angle of perspective, distance, or lighting

perceive movement where it isn't. - an optical illusion where a STATIONED object appears to have MOVED. - ex. Stroboscopic Movement and Phi Phenomenon

focusing on one task while ignoring another

failing to see changes in the environment (a form of inattentional blindness)

Associated with our sense of body awareness found in our parietal lobe. In conjunction with the vestibular sense, kinesthetic sense, and vision, proprioception allows the brain to know where/what a body part is and is doing with attentive awareness on that part

white light is an example of this mixing; works by adding wavelengths of light together

the color black is an example of this mixing; works by removing the visible wavelengths present

stimuli that lie in the distance from your eye

the image that the eye actual senses

the point at which the optic nerves from the inside half of each eye cross over and then project to the opposite half of the brain