The eardrum. A structure that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and vibrates in response to sound waves.

Sensation depends on the characteristic of the stumulus, the background simulations, and the detector.

The process by which a stimulated receptor (such as the eyes or ears) creates a pattern of neural messages that represent the stimulus in the brain, giving rise to our initial experience of the stimulus

genetic inability to distinguish differences in hue

when people fail to detect changes to the visual details of a scene

the distinguishing quality of a sound

the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration

The Gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects together in our perceptions.

projects to the parietal lobe and determines and objects location.

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.

the lowest level of stimulation that a person can detect

making you see incomplete figures as wholes by supplying the missing segments, filling in gaps, and making inferner, you mind automatically fills in the hidden parts of the face and body

Images that are capable of more than one interpretation. There is no "right" way to see an ambiguous figure.

sense of smell

the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves

odorless chemicals that serve as social signals to members of one's species

the smallest change in stimulation that a person can detect

A mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to the incoming sensory patterns

Diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation

images that occur when a visual sensation persists for a brief time even after the original stimulus is removed

the appearance of objects (or light sources) described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness (or brightness) and saturation

perceiving objects as unchanging even as illumination and retinal images change

depth cues, such as retinal disparity and convergence, that depend on the use of two eyes

perception can be wildly inaccurate because we misinterpret in image

information processing guided by higher-level mental processes

The Gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuity, and common fate. These "laws" suggest how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together to form a percept

the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain

sense of taste

the theory that the spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" that blocks pain signals or allows them to pass on to the brain. The "gate" is 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.

a sensory system located in structures of the inner ear that registers the orientation of the head

the theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green

a pattern or image that grabs our attention.

primary organ for hearing located in the inner ear.

The light-sensitive cells in the retina- the rods and cones.

human perception of sound intensity

the intensity or amplitude of light, determind by how much light reaches the retina.

Process used by the brain to combine or bind the results of many sensory operations into a single percept.

measures the physical strength of the sound wave.

the portion of sunlight perceived by the human eye as various colors

idea that color vision is based on our sensitivity to three different colors: blue, green, and red

a think strip of hairy tissue running through the cochlea

failure to detect stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is focused elsewhere

located at the point where the optic nerce exits each eye, and the reulting is a gap in the visual field

determines what objects are