chapt. 4 Sensation and Perception Flashcards
sensation
detecting external events, turns stimuli into neural signals
perception
when sensory is processed
transduction
specialized receptors turn to physical energy from outside into neural impulses
sensory adaptation
sensory activity decreases the more you get used to an exposure
weber’s law
difference between 2 stimuly changes as a poportion to the stimulus (adding tbs sugar to a grande coffee vs a venti)
signal detection theory
whether a stimulus is percieved is based on sensory experience and decision (hearing noise in woods at night vs day)
subliminal perceptions
perception below consciousness
gestalt psychology
“individual parts are meaningless without uniting”. in regards to perception
creating our own perception from different sensory inputs
top-down processing
bottom-up processing
perceptions are influenced by previous knowledge
perceiving individual bits of sensory info (unfamiliar)
perceptual set
filter influences what we see
inattentional blindness
failure to notice obvious events due to attention elsewhere
stimulus thresholds
absolute minimum energy to notice stimulus
feature detection cells
cells in visual cortex selectively respond to stimulus
prosopagnosia
inability to recognize faces
perceptual constancy
recognizing objects as constant size/shape
