Perception - Sensation and Perception Flashcards
What is perception?
Way in which we acquire knowledge of our surroundings (environmental objects or events) via our senses
Process of interpreting sensation signals for conscious awareness and for action in the brain
What is sensation?
Process of transformation physical stimuli to electrical signals which are sent to the brain
What is the perceptual process?
Distal stimulus -> proximal stimulus -> sensation -> perception
What we experience is the end result of the perceptual process
What is a distal stimulus?
Stimulus as it exists at its source
What is a proximal stimulus?
Stimulus as it enters our stimulus
How is the perceptual process evolutionary useful?
Aids survival and reproduction
Help seek positive/desirable things and avoid dangerous ones
What are the five main senses?
Visual
Auditory
Gustatory = taste
Olfactory = smell
Somatosensory = touch
What are three other senses of the body?
Proprioception = sense of body position and movement
Nociception = pain
Thermoception = temperature
What energies can caribou sense that we can’t?
Light into the UV spectrum to detect camouflaged predators
What energies can elephants sense that we can’t?
Sensitive to very low frequency sounds and vibrations to communicate over large distances
What energies can snakes sense that we can’t?
Detect infrared radiations to generate “thermal image” of prey
Why would senses evolve?
Because they provide reasonably accurate information about the world - however, not always as what we see is the end result of the perception process
What are illusions?
Situations in which perception differs from reality
What are some examples of visual illusions?
Perceiving objects at locations where no visual stimulus exists
Perception of objects is systematically distorted (misperceiving objects)
Ambiguous figures/sounds
Impossible objects
What are examples of illusions where objects are perceived at locations where no visual stimulus exists?
Lilac chaser
Hermann grid illusion
