PGS 101 Chapter 3

The magnitude of the stimulus needed, on average, for an observer todetect it half the time it is present

The act of focusing on particular information, which allows it to be processed morefully than what is not attended to.

Processing that is triggered by physical energy striking receptorcells

The effect of not being aware of other people’s conversationsuntil your name is mentioned and then suddenly hearing it

Cone-shape retinal receptor cells that respond most strongly to one of three wavelengthsof light; the combined signals form cones that are most sensitive to differentwavelengths play a key role in producing color vision

The transparent covering over the eye, which (along with the lens) focuses lightonto the back of the eye

A procedure in which participants hear different stimuli presentedseparately to each of the two ears (through headphones) and are instructed tolisten only to sounds presented to one ear

The ability to perceive and know things without using theordinary senses

A set of perceptual characteristics (such as shape, color, texture) that typically correspond to an object

The small, central region of the retina with the highest density of cones and the highest resolution

The number of light waves or sound waves that move past a given point per second

The mechanism that allows top-down processing to inhibit interneurons that send pain signals to the brain

Inperception, the background

The receptor cells with stiff hairs along the basilar membrane of the inner ear; when hairs are moved, they produce neural signals that are sent to the brain and underlie auditory sensation

The circular muscle that adjusts the size of the pupil

The size of the difference in a stimulus characteristic neededfor a person to detect a difference between two stimuli or a change in a singlestimulus

The sense that registers the movement and position of the limbs

A type of deafness that typically occurs when the hair cells aredestroyed by loud sound

sense of smell

The result of neural processes that organize (such as by specifying a particularshape) and interpret (such as by identifying the object) information conveyed by sensory signals

The sum of assumptions and beliefs that lead a person to expect to perceive certain objects or characteristics in particular contexts

How high or low a sound seems; higher frequencies of pressure waves produce theexperience of higher pitches

In hearing, the theory that different frequencies activate different places along the basilar membrane

The field in which researchers study the relations between physical events and thecorresponding experience of those events

The opening of the eye through which light passes

A sheet of tissue at the back of the eye containing cells that convert light to neural signals

The result of neural responses that occur after physical energy stimulates a receptor cell (such as those at the back of the eye, in the ear, on the skin) but before the stimulus is organized and interpreted by the brain

In signal detection theory, corresponds to the amount of information required to detect a signal, with greater sensitivity indicating that less information is required

The point at which stimuli activate receptor cells strongly enough to be sensed

Processing that is guided by knowledge, expectation or belief

The process whereby physical energy is converted by a sensory receptor cell into neural signals

The distance between the arrival of peaks of a light wave or sound wave; shorterwavelengths correspond to higher frequencies

The rule that the same percentage of a magnitude must be present in orderto detect a difference between two stimuli or a change in a single stimulus