Ch.4 - Sensation and Perception Flashcards
sensation
process of detecting external events by the sense organs
transduction
process in which physical or chemical stimulation is converted into a neural impulse thats relayed to the brain
perception
involves attending to, organizing, and interpreting stimuli that we sense
absolute threshold
minimum amount of energy or quantity of a stimulus required for it to be reliably detected at least 50% of the time its presented
difference threshold
smallest detectable difference between stimuli
signal detection theory
whether a stimulus is perceived depends on both sensory experience and judgement made by the subject
subliminal stimuli (4)
- presented to a person below their conscious threshold
- we detect this without conscious awareness
- activation in certain brain regions
- effects are limited: will not make you do anything you wouldn’t normally do
figure-ground principle
objects and figures in our environment tend to stand out against a background
proximity
objects in close proximity tend to be treated as a group
similarity
objects of similar shape, colour, or orientation tend to be grouped
continuity
items seen as whole figures, even if broken into segments
closure
we fill in gaps to complete a whole
top-down processing
occurs when prior knowledge and expectations guide whats perceived
bottom-up processing
constructing a whole stimulus or concept from bits of raw sensory
selective attention
involved focusing on one particular event or task
