Sensation and Perception Vocab Worksheet

the amount of energy in a light or sound wave, which we perceive as brightness or loudness, as determined by the wave's amplitude
the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters
a ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening
the transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina
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
in sensation and perception, the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina
retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don't respond
retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations
the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain
the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a "blind" spot because no receptor cells are located there
the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye's cones cluster
nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement
the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously
the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors—one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue—which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color
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
the organization of the visual field into objects that stand out from their surroundings
the perceptual tendency to organize stimuli into coherent groups
the ability to see objects in three dimensions although the images that strike the retina are two-dimensional; allows us to judge distance
a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals
depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes