PSYC 1010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 50: Detection Theory, Absolute Threshold, Sensory Neuron

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1010
• Professor: Jublis

Document Summary

Sensation: process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Transduction: all of our senses, receive sensory stimulation, transform that stimulation into neural impulses, deliver the neural information to our brain, transduction, conversion of one form of energy into another. Absolute thresholds: the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time. Intensity in at which a person can detect a stimulus half the time. Signal detection theory: predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise). Assumes there is no single absolute threshold and that detection depends partly on a person"s experience, expectations, motivation and alertness: when we will detect weak signals. Subliminal: below one"s absolute threshold for conscious awareness, we can evaluate a stimulus even when we are not consciously aware of it and even when we are unware of our evaluation.