Sensation/Perception
The process by which sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent energy from the environment.
sensation
These photoreceptors detect color and fine detail in bright light.
cones
The snail-shaped structure in the inner ear where transduction occurs.
cochlea
The five main taste sensations are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and this savory one.
umami
The continued perception of sensations from a limb that has been amputated.
phantom limb
The conversion of sensory information into neural impulses the brain can interpret.
transduction
The area of the retina responsible for sharp central vision.
fovea
The number of sound wave cycles per second that determines pitch.
frequency
Chemical substances that influence the behavior of others of the same species.
pheromones
This theory proposes that a “gate” in the spinal cord controls whether pain signals reach the brain.
gate control theory
The smallest change in a stimulus that can be detected 50% of the time.
just-noticeable difference (JND)
The theory that color vision is based on red, green, and blue cone types.
trichromatic theory
This theory explains how different areas of the basilar membrane detect different pitches (especially high ones).
place theory
The bumpy structures on the tongue that contain taste buds.
papillae
Specialized sensory receptors that detect pain.
nociceptors
This law states that the perceived difference in a stimulus must be proportional to the original intensity.
Weber’s Law
The lens changes shape to focus light on the retina during this process.
accommodation
The perceived loudness of a sound is determined by this property of the sound wave.
amplitude
The brain structure that processes smell information after signals leave the nasal cavity.
olfactory bulb
The sense that helps you maintain balance and spatial orientation using the inner ear.
vestibular sense
When you use prior knowledge and expectations to interpret sensory information, rather than starting from the raw data.
top-down processing
The inability to recognize familiar faces, even one’s own, due to damage in the visual processing areas.
prosopagnosia
Hearing loss due to damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve is known as this.
sensorineural deafness
The structure in the nasal cavity where odor molecules bind to receptors and transduction occurs.
olfactory epithelium
Awareness of the position and movement of your body parts without looking at them.
proprioception