AP Psychology
Sensation & Perception
Spring 2015
Barron’s Book
Chapter 4 (97-117)
Wavelength
Hue
Intensity
Pupil
Iris
Lens
Retina
*Cornea*
Rods
Sensation & Perception
(6-8% of Test)
Chapter 6 (229-285)
Basic Principles
Sensation
Subliminal Stimulation
Perception
Priming
Bottom-Up Processing
Difference Thresholds
Top-Down Processing
Weber’s Law
Psychophysics
Sensory Adaptation
Absolute Threshold
Transduction
Signal Detection Theory
Vision
Cones
Optic Nerve
Blind Spot
Fovea
Feature Detectors
Parallel Processing
Trichromatic Theory
Afterimages
Opp.-Process Theory
Gestalt
Figure-Ground
Grouping Principles
-Proximity
-Similarity
-Continuity
-Connectedness
-Closure
Sensation
Hearing
Audition
Frequency
Pitch
Middle Ear
Cochlea
Inner Ear
Place Theory
Frequency Theory
Conduction hearing loss
Sensorineural hearing loss
Cochlear implant
Touch
Kinesthesis
Vestibular Sense
Pain
Gate-Control theory
Perception
Depth Perception
Motion
Taste
Sensory Interaction
Perceptual
Constancies
Stroboscopic Movement Shape Constancy
Phi Phenomenon
Size Constancy
Brightness Constancy
Color Constancy
Visual cliff
Binocular cues
-Retinal Disparity
-*Convergence*
Monocular Cues
-Relative Height
-Relative Size
-Interposition
-Linear Perspective
-Relative Motion
-Light & Shadow
-*Texture Gradient*
-*Relative Clarity*
Other
Perceptual Adaptation
Extrasensory Perception
Concepts Perceptual Set
Parapsychology
Smell
Sensation
Vision:
 What type of energy is being transduced?
 What are the parts of the eye (and the types of receptor cells) & how does it all function?
 Where in the brain are visual stimuli processed? What role do feature detectors & parallel processing play?
 Understand the two theories of color vision (Trichromatic & Opponent Process) & what causes colorblindness?
Hearing:
 What type of energy is being transduced?
 What are the parts off the ear & how does it function?
 Where in the brain are auditory signals processed?
 How do we perceive loudness & how do we perceive pitch (place theory & frequency theory)?
 What allows us to locate sounds?
 What are the different causes of hearing loss?
Touch:
 What are the 4 types of nerve endings for touch?
 What is the Kinesthetic Sense and the Vestibular Sense?
 How is pain valuable to us?
 Understand gate-control theory.
 How to psychological influences and social-cultural influences affect our perception of pain?
Taste:
 What is the sense of taste detecting?
 Know the five different types of receptor cells (taste buds). What is the evolutionary function of each of them?
 Understand the role of sensory interaction in perceiving flavor.
 What is Synesthesia?
Smell/Olfaction:
 What is an olfactory bulb & what do its receptor cells detect?
 What is the relationship between the sense of smell & memory?
Wrap up Question
 Which of the 5 senses are energy senses, chemical senses, & body position senses?
Perception:
 Understand Gestalt organizational concepts (Figure-Ground & Grouping Principles)
 What is the purpose of the visual cliff test?
 Understand how depth perception works & the different binocular cues and monocular cues.
 Understand the different ways our brain perceives motion.
 How do perceptual constancies create a stable awareness of the external world?
 What is perceptual adaptation?
 Understand how perceptual sets and context effects can influence perception.
 What role do Emotion & Motivation play in Perception?
Extrasensory Perception:
 What does the scientific community think about Extrasensory Perception?
 Be able to challenge common beliefs in parapsychological phenomenon.