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Glossary Chapter 3 absolute threshold the minimal amount of energy that can produce a sensation afterimage the lingering visual impression made by a stimulus that has been removed auditory nerve the axon bundle that transmits neural impulses from the organ of Corti to the brain basilar membrane a membrane that lies coiled within the cochlea binocular cues stimuli suggestive of depth that involve simultaneous perception by both eyes bipolar cells neurons that conduct neural impulses from rods and cones to ganglion cells blind spot the area of the retina where axons from ganglion cells meet to form the optic nerve bottom-up processing the organization of the parts of a pattern to recognize, or form an image of, the pattern they compose brightness constancy the tendency to perceive an object as being just as bright even though lighting conditions change its intensity closure the tendency to perceive a broken figure as being complete or whole cochlea the inner ear; the bony tube that contains the basilar membrane and the organ of Corti color constancy the tendency to perceive an object as being the same color even though lighting conditions change its appearance common fate the tendency to perceive elements that move together as belonging together complementary descriptive of colors of the spectrum that when combined produce white or nearly white light cones cone-shaped photoreceptors that transmit sensations of color continuity the tendency to perceive a series of points or lines as having unity convergence a binocular cue for depth based on the inward movement of the eyes as they attempt to focus on an object that is drawing nearer cornea transparent tissue forming the outer surface of the eyeball dark adaptation the process of adjusting to conditions of lower lighting by increasing the sensitivity of rods and cones decibel (dB) a unit expressing the loudness of a sound desensitization the type of sensory adaptation in which we become less sensitive to constant stimuli. Also called negative adaptation dichromat a person who is sensitive to black–white and either red– green or blue–yellow and hence is partially color-blind difference threshold the minimal difference in intensity required between two sources of energy so that they will be perceived as being different extrasensory perception (ESP) perception of objects or events through means other than the recognized sensory organs feature detectors neurons in the sensory cortex that fire in response to specific features of sensory information such as lines or edges of objects flavor a complex quality of food and other substances that is based on their odor, texture, and temperature as well their taste fovea an area near the center of the retina that is dense with cones and where vision is consequently most acute frequency theory the theory that the pitch of a sound is reflected in the frequency of the neural impulses that are generated in response to the sound ganglion cells neurons whose axons form the optic nerve hertz (Hz) a unit expressing the frequency of sound waves. One hertz equals one cycle per second hue the color of light, as determined by its wavelength illusions sensations that give rise to misperceptions iris a muscular membrane whose dilation regulates the amount of light that enters the eye just noticeable the minimal amount by which a source of energy must be increased or decreased so difference (jnd) that a difference in intensity will be perceived kinesthesis the sense that informs us about the positions and motion of parts of our bodies lens a transparent body behind the iris that focuses an image on the retina monochromat a person who is sensitive to black and white only and hence color-blind monocular cues stimuli suggestive of depth that can be perceived with only one eye motion parallax a monocular cue for depth based on the perception that nearby objects appear to move more rapidly in relation to our own motion olfactory nerve the nerve that transmits information concerning odors from olfactory receptors to the brain opponentthe theory that color vision is made possible by three types of cones, some of which process theory respond to red or green light, some to blue or yellow, and some to the intensity of light optic nerve the nerve that transmits sensory information from the eye to the brain organ of Corti the receptor for hearing that lies on the basilar membrane in the cochlea perception the process by which sensations are organized into an inner representation of the world perceptual organization the tendency to integrate perceptual elements into meaningful patterns perspective a monocular cue for depth based on the convergence (coming together) of parallel lines as they recede into the distance photoreceptors cells that respond to light pitch the highness or lowness of a sound, as determined by the frequency of the sound waves place theory the theory that the pitch of a sound is determined by the section of the basilar membrane that vibrates in response to the sound presbyopia a condition characterized by brittleness of the lens proximity nearness; the perceptual tendency to group together objects that are near one another pupil the black-looking opening in the center of the iris, through which light enters the eye retina the area of the inner surface of the eye that contains rods and cones retinal disparity a binocular cue for depth based on the difference in the image cast by an object on the retinas of the eyes as the object moves closer or farther away rods rod-shaped photoreceptors that are sensitive only to the intensity of light sensation the stimulation of sensory receptors and the transmission of sensory information to the central nervous system sensitization the type of sensory adaptation in which we become more sensitive to stimuli that are low in magnitude. Also called positive adaptation sensory adaptation the processes by which organisms become more sensitive to stimuli that are low in magnitude and less sensitive to stimuli that are constant or ongoing in magnitude shape constancy the tendency to perceive an object as being the same shape although the retinal image varies in shape as it rotates signaldetection theory the view that the perception of sensory stimuli involves the interaction of physical, biological, and psychological factors similarity the perceptual tendency to group together objects that are similar in appearance size constancy the tendency to perceive an object as being the same size even as the size of its retinal image changes according to the object’s distance stroboscopic motion a visual illusion in which the perception of motion is generated by a series of stationary images that are presented in rapid succession subliminal stimulation sensory stimulation below a person’s absolute threshold for conscious perception taste buds the sensory organs for taste; they contain taste cells and are located mostly on the tongue taste cells receptor cells that are sensitive to taste texture gradient a monocular cue for depth based on the perception that closer objects appear to have rougher (more detailed) surfaces top-down processing the use of contextual information or knowledge of a pattern in order to organize parts of the pattern trichromat a person with normal color vision trichromatic theory the theory that color vision is made possible by three types of cones, some of which respond to red light, some to green, and some to blue vestibular sense the sense of equilibrium that informs us about our bodies’ positions relative to gravity visible light the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that stimulates the eye and produces visual sensations visual acuity sharpness of vision Weber’s constant the fraction of the intensity by which a source of physical energy must be increased or decreased so that a difference in intensity will be perceived