Additive color mixing
Formation of colors by superimposing lights, putting more light in the mixture than exists in any one light by itself.
Afterimage
A visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed.
Basilar membrane
A structure that runs the length of the cochlea in the inner ear and holds the auditory receptors, called hair cells.
Binocular depth cues
Clues about distance based on the differing views of the two eyes.
Bottom-up processing
In form perception, progression from individual elements to the whole.
Cochlea
The fluid-filled, coiled tunnel in the inner ear that contains the receptors for hearing.
Color blindness
Deficiency in the ability to distinguish among colors.
Comparitors
People, objects, events, and other standards that are used as a baseline for comparisons in making judgments.
Complementary colors
Pairs of colors that produce gray tones when added together.
Cones
Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and color vision.
Dark adaptation
The process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination.
Depth perception
Interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are.
Door-in-the-face technique
Making a large request that is likely to be turned down as a way to increase the chances that people will agree to a smaller request later.
Farsightedness
A visual deficiency in which distant objects are seen clearly but close objects appear blurry.
Feature analysis
The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form.
Feature detectors
Neurons that respond selectively to very specific features of more complex stimuli.
Fovea
A tiny spot in the center of the retina that contains only cones; visual acuity is greatest at this spot.
Gustatory system
The sensory system for taste.
Impossible figures
Objects that can be represented in two-dimensional pictures but cannot exist in three-dimensional space.
Lens
The transparent eye structure that focuses the light rays falling on the retina.
Light adaptation
The process whereby the eyes become less sensitive to light in high illumination.
Monocular depth cues
Clues about distance based on the image from either eye alone.
Nearsightedness
A visual deficiency in which close objects are seen clearly but distant objects appear blurry.
Olfactory system
The sensory system for smell.
Perception
The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.
Perceptual constancy
A tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input.
Perceptual set
A readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.
Phi phenomenon
The illusion of movement created by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession.
Pictorial depth cues
Clues about distance that can be given in a flat picture.
Place theory
The idea that perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different portions, or places, along the basilar membrane.
Pupil
The opening in the center of the iris that helps regulate the amount of light passing into the rear chamber of the eye.
Receptive field of a visual cell
The retinal area that, when stimulated, affects the firing of that cell.
Retina
The neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye; it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain.
Retinal disparity
A cue to the depth based on the fact that objects within 25 feet project images to slightly different locations on the left and right retinas, so the right and left eyes see slightly different views of the object.
Reversible figure
A drawing that is compatible with two different interpretations that can shift back and forth.
Rods
Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision.
Sensation
The stimulation of sense organs.
Sensory adaptation
A gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged stimulation.
Subtractive color mixing
Formation of colors by removing some wavelengths of light, leaving less light than was originally there.
Top-down processing
In form perception, a progression from the whole to the elements.
Visual illusion
An apparently inexplicable discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulus and its physical reality.
Additive color mixing
Formation of colors by superimposing lights, putting more light in the mixture than exists in any one light by itself.
Afterimage
A visual image that persists after a stimulus is removed.
Basilar membrane
A structure that runs the length of the cochlea in the inner ear and holds the auditory receptors, called hair cells.
Binocular depth cues
Clues about distance based on the differing views of the two eyes.
Bottom-up processing
In form perception, progression from individual elements to the whole.
Cochlea
The fluid-filled, coiled tunnel in the inner ear that contains the receptors for hearing.
Color blindness
Deficiency in the ability to distinguish among colors.
Comparitors
People, objects, events, and other standards that are used as a baseline for comparisons in making judgments.
Complementary colors
Pairs of colors that produce gray tones when added together.
Cones
Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in daylight vision and color vision.
Dark adaptation
The process in which the eyes become more sensitive to light in low illumination.
Depth perception
Interpretation of visual cues that indicate how near or far away objects are.
Door-in-the-face technique
Making a large request that is likely to be turned down as a way to increase the chances that people will agree to a smaller request later.
Farsightedness
A visual deficiency in which distant objects are seen clearly but close objects appear blurry.
Feature analysis
The process of detecting specific elements in visual input and assembling them into a more complex form.
Feature detectors
Neurons that respond selectively to very specific features of more complex stimuli.
Fovea
A tiny spot in the center of the retina that contains only cones; visual acuity is greatest at this spot.
Gustatory system
The sensory system for taste.
Impossible figures
Objects that can be represented in two-dimensional pictures but cannot exist in three-dimensional space.
Lens
The transparent eye structure that focuses the light rays falling on the retina.
Light adaptation
The process whereby the eyes become less sensitive to light in high illumination.
Monocular depth cues
Clues about distance based on the image from either eye alone.
Nearsightedness
A visual deficiency in which close objects are seen clearly but distant objects appear blurry.
Olfactory system
The sensory system for smell.
Perception
The selection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input.
Perceptual constancy
A tendency to experience a stable perception in the face of continually changing sensory input.
Perceptual set
A readiness to perceive a stimulus in a particular way.
Phi phenomenon
The illusion of movement created by presenting visual stimuli in rapid succession.
Pictorial depth cues
Clues about distance that can be given in a flat picture.
Place theory
The idea that perception of pitch corresponds to the vibration of different portions, or places, along the basilar membrane.
Pupil
The opening in the center of the iris that helps regulate the amount of light passing into the rear chamber of the eye.
Receptive field of a visual cell
The retinal area that, when stimulated, affects the firing of that cell.
Retina
The neural tissue lining the inside back surface of the eye; it absorbs light, processes images, and sends visual information to the brain.
Retinal disparity
A cue to the depth based on the fact that objects within 25 feet project images to slightly different locations on the left and right retinas, so the right and left eyes see slightly different views of the object.
Reversible figure
A drawing that is compatible with two different interpretations that can shift back and forth.
Rods
Specialized visual receptors that play a key role in night vision and peripheral vision.
Sensation
The stimulation of sense organs.
Sensory adaptation
A gradual decline in sensitivity to prolonged stimulation.
Subtractive color mixing
Formation of colors by removing some wavelengths of light, leaving less light than was originally there.
Top-down processing
In form perception, a progression from the whole to the elements.
Visual illusion
An apparently inexplicable discrepancy between the appearance of a visual stimulus and its physical reality.