Glossary

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Saccade(also: Saccadic Eye Movement)

A rapid, ballistic eye movement that shifts the point of gaze from one fixation location to another. Saccades typically last 20 to 200 milliseconds, and visual processing is largely suppressed during these movements. In accessibility and eye-tracking research, saccade patterns…

Semantic Listening

A mode of listening, identified by composer and theorist Pierre Schaeffer, in which the listener focuses on decoding a coded audio signal to arrive at its intended message — for example, understanding a musical motif as representing a particular region or culture. Semantic…

Sensorimotor(also: Sensorimotor System, Sensorimotor Control)

Relating to the integration of sensory input (proprioception, vision, touch) with motor output (muscle activation and coordinated movement). Sensorimotor processes let people plan, execute, and correct movements in real time, usually without conscious effort. Neurological and…

Sensory Adaptation(also: Habituation, Olfactory Fatigue)

Sensory adaptation is the diminishing response of a sensory system to a constant or repeated stimulus over time. Classic examples include no longer noticing a steady smell, becoming accustomed to ambient noise, or losing awareness of clothing pressed against the skin. In…

Sensory Compensation(also: Cross-Modal Plasticity, Sensory Substitution)

The phenomenon whereby the loss of one sense leads to enhanced abilities in remaining senses, driven by neuro-plasticity — the brain's capacity to reorganise its neural pathways. Research shows that blind individuals, particularly those blind from birth or early childhood,…

Sensory Processing(also: Sensory Integration, Sensory Processing Differences)

Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives, organizes, and responds to sensory input from the environment, including sound, light, touch, smell, taste, and movement. When sensory processing works differently — as is common in autistic individuals and people…

Sensory Saltation(also: Cutaneous Rabbit Effect, Tactile Saltation)

A perceptual phenomenon in which a series of rapid taps delivered at discrete locations on the skin are perceived as a continuous movement or hopping sensation across the surface between the tap points. In assistive technology, sensory saltation is exploited in haptic interfaces…

Sensory substitution(also: Cross-modal substitution, Sensory Substitution Device, SSD)

The technique of conveying information normally received through one sense via a different sensory channel, such as converting audio cues into vibrotactile feedback or visual signals. Sensory substitution is a foundational concept in assistive technology, enabling people who are…

Simulator Sickness(also: VR Sickness, Cybersickness, Motion Sickness in VR)

A form of motion sickness experienced in virtual reality caused by a mismatch between visual perception of movement and the vestibular system's sense of physical motion. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, disorientation, and eye strain. Simulator sickness can be triggered by…

Simultaneous Color Contrast(also: Simultaneous Contrast)

A perceptual phenomenon where the appearance of a colour is influenced by the colours surrounding it, causing the same colour to look different when placed against different backgrounds. For example, a grey square appears lighter against a dark background and darker against a…

Situational Visual Impairment(also: SVI, Situational Visual Impairments)

A temporary reduction in a person's effective vision or reading performance caused by the environment or context rather than by a medical condition. Common examples include trying to read a phone screen in bright sunlight, while walking or on a moving vehicle, in low light, or…

Skilled Vision(also: Vernacular Vision, Professional Vision)

Skilled vision is a concept from visual culture and anthropology that describes the process of learning to see and interpret visual information in specialized ways within a particular community of practice. Originally applied to professional fields (e.g., radiologists learning…

Sound Awareness(also: Sound Awareness Technology, Environmental Sound Awareness)

The ability to perceive, identify, and respond to sounds in one's environment, and the assistive technologies designed to support this ability for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Sound awareness encompasses both safety-critical sounds (fire alarms, sirens, approaching…

Sound localization(also: Auditory localization, Spatial hearing)

The ability to identify the direction and distance of a sound source, relying on cues such as interaural time differences, intensity differences, and spectral filtering by the outer ear. Sound localization is critical for spatial awareness, safety, and immersive experiences in…

Spatial Reasoning

The cognitive process of understanding where objects are, how they are oriented, and how they relate to each other in three-dimensional space. Spatial reasoning is central to tasks like assembling products, navigating environments, reading diagrams, and manipulating tools. Blind…

Spatiotemporal Saliency(also: Spatiotemporal Saliency Estimation, Spatio-Temporal Saliency)

A computer vision technique that estimates, for each pixel in a video, how visually important it is at a given moment by combining spatial contrast (features that stand out within a frame) with temporal contrast (regions that change or move differently from their recent…

Speech Reading(also: Lip Reading, Lipreading, Visual Speech Perception)

The practice of understanding speech by visually interpreting a speaker's lip movements, facial expressions, gestures, and body language. Speech reading is used by many Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals as a communication strategy, often in combination with residual hearing…

Speechreading(also: Lipreading, Lip Reading)

A communication method that relies on observing visual and contextual cues, primarily the movements of a speakers lips, face, and body, to understand spoken language. Speechreading is used by many d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals as a supplement to other communication…

Subitizing

The rapid, accurate perception of the number of items in a small group without counting, typically for quantities up to about four or five. Subitizing is considered a core numerical ability that contributes to number sense development. Individuals with dyscalculia often have…

Synaesthesia(also: Synesthesia)

Synaesthesia is a perceptual phenomenon in which a stimulus in one sensory modality automatically and involuntarily triggers an additional experience in a different modality or sub-modality - for example, seeing specific colours when hearing musical notes (chromesthesia),…

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