SENSATION & THRESHOLDS
The process by which sensory receptors convert physical energy into neural signals.
What is transduction?
This part of the eye contains the rods and cones and is where light energy is converted into neural impulses.
What is the retina?
The perception of this characteristic of sound is primarily determined by the frequency of sound waves.
What is pitch?
When you organize a visual scene into a main object and its surrounding background, you are using this Gestalt principle.
What is figure-ground?
This stage of sleep is characterized by partial paralysis.
What is REM sleep or paradoxical sleep?
This sense provides information about the position and movement of individual body parts.
What is the kinesthetic sense?
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.
What is the absolute threshold?
These photoreceptors allow us to see in dim light and are primarily responsible for black-and-white vision.
What are rods?
The perception of this characteristic of sound is determined by the amplitude of sound waves.
What is volume/loudness?
Your ability to recognize an object as the same object even when its appearance changes because of lighting, angle, or distance.
What is object constancy?
Most vivid dreaming occurs during this stage of sleep.
What is REM sleep?
This sense helps you maintain balance and know where your body is positioned in relation to gravity.
What is the vestibular sense?
The smallest difference between two stimuli that a person can detect 50% of the time.
What is the difference threshold (just noticeable difference)?
These photoreceptors are concentrated in the fovea and allow us to see color and fine detail.
What are cones?
This structure in the inner ear contains hair cells that transduce sound vibrations into neural impulses.
What is the cochlea?
When the lens changes shape to focus light from objects at different distances onto the retina, this process is occurring.
What is accommodation?
This stage of NREM sleep is characterized by very deep sleep and slow delta waves.
What is NREM Stage 3?
These structures in the inner ear detect rotational movement of the head.
What are the semicircular canals?
This principle states that the difference threshold is a constant proportion of the original stimulus.
What is Weber's Law?
This area of the retina provides the sharpest and clearest vision.
What is the fovea?
This theory states that color vision is based on three types of cones that respond to red, green, and blue wavelengths.
What is the trichromatic theory?
You are studying while other students are talking, but you focus on your teacher's voice. This demonstrates this type of attention.
What is selective attention?
This theory proposes that dreams result from the brain trying to make sense of random neural activity occurring during REM sleep.
What is the activation-synthesis theory?
According to this theory, the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that can allow or block pain signals from reaching the brain.
What is the gate-control theory?
After entering a room with a strong smell, you eventually stop noticing the smell. This demonstrates this sensory process.
What is sensory adaptation?
There are no rods or cones where the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating this area of the visual field.
What is the blind spot?
According to this theory, the visual system processes colors in opposing pairs: red-green, yellow-blue, and black-white.
What is the opponent-process theory?
This brain region, located in the occipital lobe, is primarily responsible for processing visual information.
What is the visual cortex/occipital lobe?
A person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep and may gasp or snore loudly. This sleep disorder can cause excessive daytime sleepiness.
What is sleep apnea?
A student hurts their knee during a game but becomes less aware of the pain while focused intensely on the game. This demonstrates how attention can influence this sensory experience.
What is pain perception?