TEST BANK For Sensation and Perception,10th Edition
by Goldstein & Brockmole
Explain the following terms?
sensation - ANSWER: the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous
system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception - ANSWER: the process of organizing and interpreting sensory
information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing - ANSWER: analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and
works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
top-down processing - ANSWER: information processing guided by higher-level
mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and
expectations
psychophysics - ANSWER: the study of relationships between the physical
characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity , and our psychological experience of
them
absolute threshold - ANSWER: the minimum stimulation needed to detect a
particular stimulus 50% of the time
signal detection theory - ANSWER: predicts how and when we detect the presence of
a faint stimulus (signal) amid back round stimulation (noise).
subliminal - ANSWER: below one's absolute threshold for conscience awareness
priming - ANSWER: the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus
proposing one's perception, memory, or response
difference threshold - ANSWER: the minimum difference between two stimuli
required for detection 50% of the time
weber's law - ANSWER: the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli
must differ by a constant minimum %; rather than a constant amount
sensory adaption - ANSWER: diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant
stimulation
transduction - ANSWER: the conversions of forms of energy; a process where one
thing is converted into another
, wavelength - ANSWER: the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the
peak of the next
hue - ANSWER: the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light;
what we know as the colors names blue, green, and so forth
intensity - ANSWER: the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we
perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the waves amplitude
pupil - ANSWER: the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light
enters
iris - ANSWER: a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye
around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
lens - ANSWER: the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to
help focus images on the retina
accommodation - ANSWER: the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to
focus near or far objects on the retina
retina - ANSWER: 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
acuity - ANSWER: the sharpness of vision
nearsightedness - ANSWER: a condition where nearby objects are seen more clearly
than distant objects (in front of the retina)
farsightedness - ANSWER: a condition where far objects are seen more clearly than
near objects (behind the retina)
rods - ANSWER: retinal receptor cells that are responsible for night-time; peripheral
vision
cones - ANSWER: retinal receptor cells that are responsible for visions during the
day; color vision; detail
optic nerve - ANSWER: the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the
brain
blind spot - ANSWER: the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a
blind spot because no receptor cells are located there
fovea - ANSWER: the central focal point in the retina, around which they eye's cones
cluster
by Goldstein & Brockmole
Explain the following terms?
sensation - ANSWER: the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous
system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment
perception - ANSWER: the process of organizing and interpreting sensory
information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events
bottom-up processing - ANSWER: analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and
works up to the brain's integration of sensory information
top-down processing - ANSWER: information processing guided by higher-level
mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and
expectations
psychophysics - ANSWER: the study of relationships between the physical
characteristics of stimuli, such as their intensity , and our psychological experience of
them
absolute threshold - ANSWER: the minimum stimulation needed to detect a
particular stimulus 50% of the time
signal detection theory - ANSWER: predicts how and when we detect the presence of
a faint stimulus (signal) amid back round stimulation (noise).
subliminal - ANSWER: below one's absolute threshold for conscience awareness
priming - ANSWER: the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus
proposing one's perception, memory, or response
difference threshold - ANSWER: the minimum difference between two stimuli
required for detection 50% of the time
weber's law - ANSWER: the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli
must differ by a constant minimum %; rather than a constant amount
sensory adaption - ANSWER: diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant
stimulation
transduction - ANSWER: the conversions of forms of energy; a process where one
thing is converted into another
, wavelength - ANSWER: the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the
peak of the next
hue - ANSWER: the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light;
what we know as the colors names blue, green, and so forth
intensity - ANSWER: the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we
perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the waves amplitude
pupil - ANSWER: the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light
enters
iris - ANSWER: a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye
around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
lens - ANSWER: the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to
help focus images on the retina
accommodation - ANSWER: the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to
focus near or far objects on the retina
retina - ANSWER: 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
acuity - ANSWER: the sharpness of vision
nearsightedness - ANSWER: a condition where nearby objects are seen more clearly
than distant objects (in front of the retina)
farsightedness - ANSWER: a condition where far objects are seen more clearly than
near objects (behind the retina)
rods - ANSWER: retinal receptor cells that are responsible for night-time; peripheral
vision
cones - ANSWER: retinal receptor cells that are responsible for visions during the
day; color vision; detail
optic nerve - ANSWER: the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the
brain
blind spot - ANSWER: the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a
blind spot because no receptor cells are located there
fovea - ANSWER: the central focal point in the retina, around which they eye's cones
cluster
