Term
|
Definition
| The minimum amount of stimulation necessary for a person to detect a stimulus 50% of the time. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation such that the magnitude of subjective sensation increases proportionally to the logarithm of the stimulus intensity. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| When measuring a threshold, sound may or may not be present. When there is no stimulus is present you have a catch trial |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Interference with the message that occurs in the minds of the sender-receivers when their thoughts or feelings are focused on something other than the communication at hand |
|
|
Term
| Just Noticeable Difference (JND) |
|
Definition
| The smallest detectable difference between two stimuli, or the minimum change in a stimulus that enables it to be correctly judged as different from a reference stimulus. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A psychophysical method in which the participant assigns values according to perceived magnitudes of the stimuli. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The method of limits for which the subject controls the change in the stimulus. |
|
|
Term
| Method of Constant Stimuli |
|
Definition
| A psychophysical method in which many stimuli, ranging from rarely to almost always perceivable (or rarely to almost always perceivably different from a reference stimulus), are presented one at a time. Participants respond to each presentation: “yes/no,” “same/different,” and so on. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A psychophysical method in which the particular dimension of a stimulus, or the difference between two stimuli, is varied incrementally until the participant responds differently. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A chemical substance used in neuronal communication at synapses. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The science of defining quantitative relationships between physical and psychological (subjective) events. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A psychometric function describes the relationship between a parameter of a physical stimulus and the responses of a person who has to decide about a certain aspect of that stimulus. |
|
|
Term
| Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve |
|
Definition
| In studies of signal detection, the graphical plot of the hit rate as a function of the false alarm rate. If these are the same, points fall on the diagonal, indicating that the observer cannot tell the difference between the presence and absence of the signal. As the observer’s sensitivity increases, the curve bows upward toward the upper left corner. That point represents a perfect ability to distinguish signal from noise (100% hits, 0% false alarms). |
|
|
Term
| Transduction/Sensory Transducer |
|
Definition
| A receptor that converts physical energy from the environment into neural activity. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A mental process (as seeing, hearing, or smelling) resulting from the immediate external stimulation of a sense organ often as distinguished from a conscious awareness of the sensory process |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The faculty or state of being able to see |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the ability to hear; the auditory faculty |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The action or capacity of smelling; the sense of smell |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| a diverse sensory system composed of the receptors and processing centres to produce the sensory modalities such as touch, temperature, proprioception (body position), and nociception (pain) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The action or faculty of tasting |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Impairment of one of the five senses |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The ability to respond to visual stimuli without consciously perceiving them |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An inability to recognize the faces of familiar people, typically as a result of damage to the brain |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A psychophysical theory that quantifies the response of an observer to the presentation of a signal in the presence of noise. Measures attained from a series of presentations are sensitivity (d′) and criterion of the observer. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A principle describing the relationship between stimulus and resulting sensation, such that the magnitude of subjective sensation is proportional to the stimulus magnitude raised to an exponent. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| the smallest change in stimulation that a person can detect. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The constant of proportionality in Weber’s law. |
|
|
Term
| 2AFC (Two-alternative forced choice) |
|
Definition
| A psychophysical method for eliciting responses from a person about his or her experiences of a stimulus |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The process by which the eye changes its focus (in which the lens gets fatter as gaze is directed toward nearer objects). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A visual defect caused by the unequal curving of one or more of the refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The point of entry of the optic nerve on the retina, insensitive to light. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Photoreceptors specialized for daylight vision, fine visual acuity, and color. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The difference in luminance between an object and the background, or between lighter and darker parts of the same object. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Bringing eyes into alignment to focus together on an object |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Dominated by the rods when their is little light |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Dominated by cones when there is daylight |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The distance between the retinal image and the fovea. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| An acoustic, electrical, electronic, or optical device, instrument, computer program, or neuron that allows the passage of some frequencies or digital elements and blocks the passage of others. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The center-most part of the retina where the majority of the cones are located |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Retinal cells that receive visual information and transmit that information to the brain and midbrain |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Rods work hard, cones don't. See shapes, not colors. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| On -center is increasing light patch size increases ganglion cells then later decreases them (off-center opposite) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Magno cells involved in motion and spatial processing |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Parvo cells that responds best for fine vision |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Photons hit a particular photoreceptor and it will absorb it. Demonstrates both particle and wave properties |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Light-sensitive receptors in the retina. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The dark circular opening at the center of the iris in the eye, where light enters the eye. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The region on the retina in which visual stimuli influence a neuron’s firing rate. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Light-sensitive membrane in the back of the eye. Receives the image from the lens and send it the brain via the optic nerve. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The visual pigment found in rods. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Photoreceptors specialized for night vision. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| High degree of convergence in peripheral vision ensures high sensitivity which explains why rods are most sensitive to dim light. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Light first encounters the cornea then enters the pupil where it will control the amount of light that comes in. The lens, inside the eye, will focus the image and then the light will pass through the vitreous humor. Light will finally reach the retina in the back of the eye and seeing begins. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The location where axons terminate at the synapse for transmission of information by release of a chemical transmitter. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A measure of the finest detail that can be resolved by the eyes. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| 60 degrees nasally and 100 degrees temporally |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The smallest spatial detail that can be resolved. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A reduction in response caused by prior or continuing stimulation. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Misperception of a grating due to undersampling. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A developmental disorder that is characterized by reduced spatial vision in an otherwise healthy eye, even with proper correction for refractive error. Often referred to as “lazy eye.” |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A vertical arrangement of neurons. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A neuron whose receptive-field characteristics cannot be easily predicted by mapping with spots of light. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Referring to the opposite side of the body (or brain). |
|
|
Term
| Contrast Sensitivity Function (CSF) |
|
Definition
| A function describing how the sensitivity to contrast (defined as the reciprocal of the contrast threshold) depends on the spatial frequency (size) of the stimulus. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The smallest amount of contrast required to detect a pattern. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The amount of cortical area (usually specified in millimeters) devoted to a specific region (e.g., 1 degree) in the visual field. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Points that are adjacent on the retina and on the cortex |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The orderly mapping of the world in the lateral geniculate nucleus and the visual cortex. The right side of the world falls on the left side of the retina, whose ganglion cells project to the left lateral geniculate nucleus. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The orderly mapping of the world in the lateral geniculate nucleus and the visual cortex the right side of the world falls on the left side of the retina, whose ganglion cells project to the left lateral geniculate nucleus. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The positions in which a bar/line is presented |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Vertical arrangement of neurons in the eye |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| One cell that is used for face recognition (i.e. one cell that responds to only your grandmother, and a different one for your grandfather) |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A 1-millimeter block of striate cortex containing two sets of columns, each covering every possible orientation (0–180 degrees), with one set preferring input from the left eye and one set preferring input from the right eye. |
|
|
Term
| Hypercomplex cell (end stopping) |
|
Definition
| The process by which a cell in the cortex first increases its firing rate as the bar length increases to fill up its receptive field, and then decreases its firing rate as the bar is lengthened further |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Referring to the same side of the body (or brain). |
|
|
Term
| Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) |
|
Definition
| A structure in the thalamus, part of the midbrain, that receives input from the retinal ganglion cells and has input and output connections to the visual cortex. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The neurons in the bottom two layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus, which are physically larger than those in the top four layers. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The tendency of neurons in striate cortex to respond optimally to certain orientations, and less to others. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The neurons in the top four layers of the LGN, which are physically smaller than those in the bottom two layers. |
|
|
Term
| Primary Visual Cortex (V1) |
|
Definition
| The area of the cerebral cortex of the brain that receives direct inputs from the lateral geniculate nucleus, as well as feedback from other brain areas, and is responsible for processing visual information. Also called area 17 or striate cortex. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Population of cells that work together and depending on how each fire, gives a specific code from the stimulus |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A cortical neuron with clearly defined excitatory and inhibitory regions. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A grating with a sinusoidal luminance profile. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The number of cycles of a grating per unit of visual angle (usually specified in degrees). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A misalignment of the two eyes such that a single object in space is imaged on the fovea of one eye, and on a nonfoveal area of the other (turned) eye. |
|
|
Term
| Vental/Pavocellular Visual Pathway |
|
Definition
| The lower pasthway of the brain in the inferior temporal love. This part of the brain is responsible for object recognition. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The angle subtended by an object at the retina. |
|
|
