PSY 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Neural Adaptation, Sensory System, Psychophysics

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 102
• Professor: William Huggon

Document Summary

Illusion: perception in which the way we perceive a stimulus doesn"t match its physical reality. Sensation: detection of physical energy by sense organs (eyes, ears, skin, nose, and tongue), which then send information to the brain. Perception: the brain"s interpretation of raw sensory inputs. Sensation first allows us to pick up signals in environments, and perception then allows us to assemble these signals into something meaningful. We assume: our sensory systems are incapable of making mistakes and that our perceptions are perfect representations of the world around us: na ve realism: we see the world exactly as is is wrong. Brain relies on expectations and prior experiences to fill in the gaps and simplifying us- simplifying the world processing. If we didn"t engage in sensory adaptation, we"d be attending to everything around us. Involves placing a rubber hand on top of a table with the precise positioning that a subject"s hand is placed under the table, out of her view.