PS261 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Stimulus Modality, Fixed Action Pattern, Psychophysics
Document Summary
Behaviour: test animals" innate responses to different stimuli, test for relevance (sign stimulus) or salience. If pigeon can still do the task we can say they can still tell between these colors and we can see how well they perceive them: this is called the titration method. Stimulus modality: what kind of stimulus is it, e. g. visual, auditory. Stimulus intensity: how strong is it, e. g. brightness, loudness. Just noticeable difference (jnd: the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that can be detected (as a proportion of the intensity) Sensory systems respond more intensely to more intense stimuli. If the stimulus is presented repeatedly, you stop sensing it: can"t smell gas leaks after a while because we are constantly smelling however our pupils are always flickering so we cannot habitual sight in a normal setting. Stimuli are better perceived when they are more distinct from their background: this is why camouflage works.
