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