Foundations of Sensation and
Perception
Second edition
George Mather
Key terms
Inhoud
Chapter 1 General principles.................................................................................2
Chapter 2 The chemical senses............................................................................. 7
Chapter 3 The body senses................................................................................... 9
Chapter 4 The physics and biology of audition....................................................12
Chapter 5 Perception of sound.............................................................................17
Chapter 6 The physics of vision – light and the eye.............................................20
Chapter 7 Visual physiology................................................................................ 23
Chapter 8 Spatial vision....................................................................................... 27
Chapter 9 Shape and object perception..............................................................30
Chapter 10 Depth perception.............................................................................. 31
Chapter 11 Visual motion perception...................................................................33
Chapter 12 Color vision....................................................................................... 35
Chapter 13 Multisensory processing in perception..............................................37
Chapter 14 Individual differences in perception..................................................38
, Chapter 1 General principles
Prosopagnosia
A clinical condition resulting from brain damage, in which a patient is unable to
recognize familiar faces
Psychophysics
The scientific study of the relationship between physical stimulation and
perceptual experience
Transduction
The process by which sensory receptor cells convert environmental energy (e.g.
Light, sound) into electrical neural signals
Cerebral cortex
The outer layer of the human brain; approximately 2.5 mm thick, it contains the
millions of neurons thought to underlie conscious perceptual experience
Lesion
An abnormality in structure or function in any part of the body
Localization of function
The view that neurons underlying a specific sensory or cognitive function are
located in a circumscribed brain area
Topographic map
A spatial arrangement of neurons in a neural structure (e.g. The cortex) in which
nearby cells respond to nearby location the visual field of view
Microelectrode recording
A technique in which electrical activity is recorded from single cells in a live
animal using fine insulated wires
Feature detector
The view that individual neurons in the brain act as detectors for individual
stimulus features
Computerized tomography (CT) scan
A medical technique in which x-rays are passed through the body at different
angles, and the resulting data are processed by a computer to create detailed
images of body structure
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
A medical technique in which short bursts of powerful radio waves are passed
through the body at different angles, and signals emitted by body molecules are
processed by a computer to create detailed images of body structure
Computation
Perception
Second edition
George Mather
Key terms
Inhoud
Chapter 1 General principles.................................................................................2
Chapter 2 The chemical senses............................................................................. 7
Chapter 3 The body senses................................................................................... 9
Chapter 4 The physics and biology of audition....................................................12
Chapter 5 Perception of sound.............................................................................17
Chapter 6 The physics of vision – light and the eye.............................................20
Chapter 7 Visual physiology................................................................................ 23
Chapter 8 Spatial vision....................................................................................... 27
Chapter 9 Shape and object perception..............................................................30
Chapter 10 Depth perception.............................................................................. 31
Chapter 11 Visual motion perception...................................................................33
Chapter 12 Color vision....................................................................................... 35
Chapter 13 Multisensory processing in perception..............................................37
Chapter 14 Individual differences in perception..................................................38
, Chapter 1 General principles
Prosopagnosia
A clinical condition resulting from brain damage, in which a patient is unable to
recognize familiar faces
Psychophysics
The scientific study of the relationship between physical stimulation and
perceptual experience
Transduction
The process by which sensory receptor cells convert environmental energy (e.g.
Light, sound) into electrical neural signals
Cerebral cortex
The outer layer of the human brain; approximately 2.5 mm thick, it contains the
millions of neurons thought to underlie conscious perceptual experience
Lesion
An abnormality in structure or function in any part of the body
Localization of function
The view that neurons underlying a specific sensory or cognitive function are
located in a circumscribed brain area
Topographic map
A spatial arrangement of neurons in a neural structure (e.g. The cortex) in which
nearby cells respond to nearby location the visual field of view
Microelectrode recording
A technique in which electrical activity is recorded from single cells in a live
animal using fine insulated wires
Feature detector
The view that individual neurons in the brain act as detectors for individual
stimulus features
Computerized tomography (CT) scan
A medical technique in which x-rays are passed through the body at different
angles, and the resulting data are processed by a computer to create detailed
images of body structure
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
A medical technique in which short bursts of powerful radio waves are passed
through the body at different angles, and signals emitted by body molecules are
processed by a computer to create detailed images of body structure
Computation
