PSY 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Precognition, Clairvoyance, Ames Room
28 Jun 2018
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PSY – Chapter 4 – Sensation and Perception
Illusion – perception in which the way we perceive a stimulus doesn't match its physical reality
Sensation – detection of physical energy by sense organs, which then send information to the
brain
Perception – the brains interpretation of raw sensory inputs
We use available sensory information to make sense of what's missing and thereby identify
incomplete objects (we blend real with the imagined)
Transduction – the process of converting an external energy or substance into electrical activity
within neurons
Sense receptor – specialized cell responsible for converting external stimuli into neural activity
for a specific sensory system
Sensory adaptation – activation is greatest when a stimulus is first detected (sound is loudest
when you first hear it)
Psychophysics – the study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their physical
characteristics (measuring the barely detectable)
Absolute threshold – lowest level of stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a
change 50% of the time
Just noticeable difference (JND) – the smallest change in the intensity of a stimulus that we can
detect
Weber’s law – there is a constant proportional relationship between the JND and original
stimulus intensity
The stronger the stimulus the bigger the change needed for a change in stimulus intensity to be
noticeable
Signal detection theory – (David Green and John Swets) theory regarding how stimuli are
detected under different conditions
Synesthesia – a condition in which people experience cross-modal sensations (hearing sounds
when you see colours)
Selective attention – process of selecting one sensory channel and ignoring or minimizing
others
Inattentional blindness – failure to detect stimuli that are in plain sight when our attention is
focused elsewhere
Iris – coloured part of the eye, controls hos much light enters the eye
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Document Summary
Psy chapter 4 sensation and perception. Illusion perception in which the way we perceive a stimulus doesn"t match its physical reality. Sensation detection of physical energy by sense organs, which then send information to the brain. Perception the brains interpretation of raw sensory inputs. We use available sensory information to make sense of what"s missing and thereby identify incomplete objects (we blend real with the imagined) Transduction the process of converting an external energy or substance into electrical activity within neurons. Sense receptor specialized cell responsible for converting external stimuli into neural activity for a specific sensory system. Sensory adaptation activation is greatest when a stimulus is first detected (sound is loudest when you first hear it) Psychophysics the study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their physical characteristics (measuring the barely detectable) Absolute threshold lowest level of stimulus needed for the nervous system to detect a change 50% of the time.
