2.3 - Olfactory exp summary Flashcards
What does sensation refer to ?
It’s the process of sensing our environment through touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell. This information is sent to our brain in raw form.
What does perception refer to ?
Perception is the ay we interpret sensations and therefore make sense or everything around us.
What is psychophysics ?
Psychophysics is the scientific study of the relationship between stimuli (specified in physical terms) and the sensations and perceptions evoked by these stimuli.
The term psychophysics is
used to denote both the substantive study of stimulus-response relationships and the
methodologies used for this study.
Who founded psychophysics and when ?
Many of the classic techniques and theory of psychophysics were formulated in 1860 when Fechner published Elemente der Psychophysik. He coined the term “psychophysics”, describing research that he thought related physical stimuli to the
contents of consciousness such as sensations.
What do our senses recognize from the world around us ?
What we are able to, considreing our perception thresholds.
Who first systematically studied sensory thresholds ?
Ernst Weber at the university of Leipzig, where Wilhelm Wundt would later transform psychology into an experimental science.
What’s the absolute threshold ?
The absolute threshold is the point where something becomes noticeable to our senses. It is the softest sound we can hear or the slightest touch we can feel. Anything less than this goes unnoticed. The absolute threshold is therefore the point at which a stimulus goes from
undetectable to detectable to our senses.
What’s the difference threshold ?
The difference threshold is the amount of change needed for us to recognize that
a change has occurred. This change is referred to as the Just Noticeable Difference (JND).
What’s the Signal Detection Theory ?
We are often faced with the task of focusing our attention on certain things
while at the same time attempting to ignore the flood of information entering our senses. When we do this, we are making a determination as to what is important to sense and what is
background noise. This concept is referred to as signal detection because we attempt to detect what we want to focus on and ignore or minimize everything else.
What is Subliminal perception ?
Subliminal perception refers to any sensory stimulus below an individual’s threshold for conscious perception.
The term subliminal perception was originally used to describe situations in which weak stimuli were perceived without awareness.
In recent years, the term has been
applied more generally to describe any situation in which unnoticed stimuli are perceived.
What is sensory adaptation ?
This final concept refers to a stimulus which has become redundant or remains unchanged for an extended period of time.
E.g. certain smells or sounds fade into the background after a while ; Once we adapt to the perfume or the ticking of the clock, we stop recognizing it.
This process of becoming less sensitive to
unchanging stimulus is referred to as sensory adaptation.
