| A | B |
|---|
| Sensation | the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment |
| Perception | the process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information, transforming it into meaningful objects and events |
| Transduction | changing 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 |
| Absolute threshold | the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 percent of the time |
| Difference threshold | the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time. |
| Sensory adaptation | reduced sensitivity in response to constant stimulation |
| Retina | the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye; contains the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information |
| Rods | retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray, and are sensitive to movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond. |
| Cones | retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina; in daylight or well-lit conditions, cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations. |
| Opponent-process theory | the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. |
| Gestalt | an organized whole. This group of psychologists emphasize our tendency to integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes. |
| Binocular cue | a depth cue, such as retinal disparity, that depends on the use of two eyes. |
| Monocular cue | a depth cue, such as interposition or linear perspective, available to either eye alone |
| Perceptual adaptation | the ability to adjust to changed sensory input, including an artificially displaced or even inverted visual field |
| Audition | the sense or act of hearing |
| Cochlea | a coiled, bony, fluid-filled tube in the inner ear; sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses |
| Sensorineural hearing loss | hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerves; the most common form of hearing loss |
| Conductive hearing loss | a less common form of hearing loss, caused by damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the cochlea |
| Kinesthesia | the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts. |
| Vestibular sense | the sense of body movement and position, including the sense of balance. |
