Lecture 15 - Module 18 - Sensory and Perceptual Processing
Terms to Learn:
● Wavelength is the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the
next.
- Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long
pulses of radio transmissions.
● Hue is the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we
know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
● Intensity is the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave, which influences what
we perceive as brightness or loudness.
- Intensity is determined by the wave’s amplitude (height)
● Retina is the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, which contains the receptor rods and
cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
● Accommodation is the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far
objects on the retina
Light Energy:
● Waves vary in wavelength, the distance between successive peaks.
● Frequency, the number of complete wavelengths that can pass a point in a given time,
depends on the length of the wave
● Waves vary in amplitude, the height from peak to trough (top to bottom).
- Wave amplitude determines the brightness of colors (and the loudness of sounds).
Eye Terms:
● Rods are retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray and that are sensitive to
movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision when cones don’t respond.
● Cones are retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that
function in daylight or in well-lit conditions.
- Cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.
● Optic nerve is the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
● Blind spot the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot
because no receptor cells are located there.
● Fovea the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster.
Depth Perception:
● The ability to see objects in three dimensions, although the images that strike the retina
are two dimensional
- Allows us to judge distance
Terms to Learn:
● Wavelength is the distance from the peak of one light or sound wave to the peak of the
next.
- Electromagnetic wavelengths vary from the short blips of cosmic rays to the long
pulses of radio transmissions.
● Hue is the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we
know as the color names blue, green, and so forth
● Intensity is the amount of energy in a light wave or sound wave, which influences what
we perceive as brightness or loudness.
- Intensity is determined by the wave’s amplitude (height)
● Retina is the light sensitive inner surface of the eye, which contains the receptor rods and
cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information
● Accommodation is the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far
objects on the retina
Light Energy:
● Waves vary in wavelength, the distance between successive peaks.
● Frequency, the number of complete wavelengths that can pass a point in a given time,
depends on the length of the wave
● Waves vary in amplitude, the height from peak to trough (top to bottom).
- Wave amplitude determines the brightness of colors (and the loudness of sounds).
Eye Terms:
● Rods are retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray and that are sensitive to
movement; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision when cones don’t respond.
● Cones are retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that
function in daylight or in well-lit conditions.
- Cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations.
● Optic nerve is the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain.
● Blind spot the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a “blind” spot
because no receptor cells are located there.
● Fovea the central focal point in the retina, around which the eye’s cones cluster.
Depth Perception:
● The ability to see objects in three dimensions, although the images that strike the retina
are two dimensional
- Allows us to judge distance
