Study Guide
Identify the correct term for each of the following definitions. Click the Show Answer button below each question to see the answer.
1.
The focusing of light waves from objects of different distances directly on the retina.
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accommodation
2.
A visual problem in which the light waves from nearby objects are focused behind the retina, blurring the images of these objects.
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farsightedness
3.
A theory of color vision that assumes that there are three types of cones, each activated only by wavelength ranges of light corresponding roughly to blue, green, and red.
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trichromatic theory
4.
The brain’s use of knowledge, beliefs, and expectations to interpret sensory information.
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top-
5.
The Gestalt perceptual organizational principle that the brain completes incomplete figures to form meaningful objects.
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closure
6.
Our sensitivity to unchanging and repetitious stimuli disappears over time.
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sensory adaptation
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7.
Hearing loss created by damage to one of the structures in the ear responsible for carrying the auditory information to the inner ear.
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conduction deafness
8.
The number of times a waveform cycles in 1 second.
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frequency
9.
The perceived magnitude of a stimulus is equal to its actual physical intensity raised to a constant power, and this constant power is different for each type of sensory judgment.
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Stevens’s power law
10.
The minimum difference between two sensory stimuli detected 50% of the time.
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difference threshold
11.
Wavelengths of light that when added together produce white.
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complementary colors
12.
A theory of pitch perception which assumes that the frequency of the sound wave is mimicked by the firing rate of the entire basilar membrane.
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frequency theory
13.
A line or shape that is perceived to be present but does not really exist. The brain creates it during perception.
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subjective contour
14.
The perceptual stability of the size, shape, brightness, and color for familiar objects seen at varying distances, different angles, and under different lighting conditions.
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perceptual constancy
15.
The process by which the rods and cones, through internal chemical changes, become more and more sensitive to light in dim light conditions.
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dark adaptation