Sensation and Perception Psychology, Chaper 8 Vocabulary

Front

sensation

Back

what occurs when a stimulus activates a receptor

Front

perception

Back

the organization of sensory information into meaningful experiences

Front

psychophysics

Back

the study of the relationships between sensory experiences and the physical stimuli that cause them

Front

absolute threshold

Back

the weakest amount of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time

Front

difference threshold

Back

the smallest change in a physical stimulus that can be detected half the time

Front

perceive

Back

to notice or be aware of

Front

ratio

Back

relationship between two or more values

Front

signal-detection theory

Back

the summary of people’s tendencies to make correct judgments in detecting the presence of stimuli

Front

pupil

Back

the opening in the iris that regulates the amount of light entering the eye

Front

retina

Back

the innermost coating of the back of the eye, containing the light-sensitive receptor cells