Chapter 6 Sensation and Perception

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Across
  1. 3. the study of paranormal phenomena, including ESP and psychokinesis
  2. 6. a binocular cue for perceiving depth: By comparing images from the retinas in the two eyes, the brain computes distance---the greater the disparity (difference) between the two images, the closer the object
  3. 8. a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses
  4. 9. conversion of one form of energy into another. In sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our rain can interpret
  5. 11. information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations
  6. 13. the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one's perception, memory, or response
  7. 14. the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
  8. 15. the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance
  9. 20. the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
  10. 22. retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
  11. 23. the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance
  12. 25. the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
  13. 27. retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
  14. 28. the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the next
  15. 29. depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes
  16. 31. the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a give time
  17. 32. the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time
  18. 35. diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation
  19. 37. the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
  20. 39. a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another
  21. 40. the sense or act of hearing
  22. 41. the controversial claim that perception can occur apart from sensory input; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition
  23. 42. a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
  24. 44. the innermost part of the ear, containing the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibular sacs
  25. 46. the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity, and our psychological experience of them
  26. 48. the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
  27. 49. perceiving familiar objects as having consistent color, even if changing illumination alters the wave-lengths reflected by the object
  28. 50. the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time
  29. 51. the organization of the visual field into objects (the figures) that stand out from their surroundings (the ground)
  30. 52. nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
  31. 53. hearing loss caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea
  32. 55. the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount)
  33. 56. the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude
  34. 57. below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness
  35. 58. in psychological science, the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other states on cognitive preferences and judgements
  36. 59. the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
Down
  1. 1. the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain The "gate" is opened by the activity of pain signals traveling up small nerve fibers and is closed by activity in larger fibers or by information coming from the brain
  2. 2. the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
  3. 4. the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
  4. 5. the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
  5. 7. depth cues, such as interposition and linear perspective
  6. 10. the chamber between the eardrum and cochlea containing three tiny bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) that concentrate the vibrations of the eardrum on the cochlea's oval window
  7. 12. the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions, including vision
  8. 13. an illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession
  9. 16. in vision, the ability to adjust to an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field
  10. 17. in hearing, the theory that links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea's membrane is stimulated
  11. 18. a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
  12. 19. the principle that one sense may influence another, as when the smell of food influences its taste
  13. 21. hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; also called nerve deafness
  14. 24. a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise).
  15. 26. a tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency
  16. 30. the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts
  17. 33. in hearing, the theory that the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense its pitch
  18. 34. the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
  19. 36. the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
  20. 38. the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision
  21. 43. perceiving objects as unchanging (having consistent shapes, size, brightness, and color) even as illumination and retinal images change
  22. 45. analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
  23. 47. a device for converting sounds into electrical signals and stimulating the auditory nerve through electrodes threaded into the cochlea
  24. 54. an organized whole; tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes