Chapter 5 Flashcards
Sensation
The detection of physical energy emitted or reflected by physical objects. When energy in the external environment or the body stimulates receptors in the sense organs
Perception
The process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information
Smell, Pressure, Pain, and Temperature Receptors
Sense Signals
Various stimuli (light, mechanical pressure, chemical molecules) are converted into electrical impulses
Bottom-Up Processing
Analysis that begins with the sense receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information
Top-Down Processing
Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes. As when we draw
Psychophysics
Study of the relationship between physical characteristics of our stimuli and our psychological experience of them. Light - brightness, sound - volume
Absolute Threshold
Minimum amount of stimulus energy that must be present for the stimulus to be detected 50% of the time
Difference Threshold
The smallest difference a person can detect reliably (Just Noticeable Difference)
Weber’s Law
The principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount) to be perceived as different
Signal Detection Theory
Separate the detection task into sensory processes (stimuli intensity) and decision processes (observer’s response bias)
Subliminal
When stimuli are below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness
