Sensation And Perception Flashcards
Sensation
The activation of the sense organs by a source of physical energy
Perception
Sorting out, Interpretation, analysis of stimuli by the sense organs and brain
Stimulus
Source of energy that produces a response in a sense organ
Psychophysics
Study of the relationship between the physical aspects of stimuli and our psychological experience of them.
Absolute threshold
Smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for it to be detected
The minimum intensity of light we can see
The lowest volume of sound we can hear
Difference threshold aka..
Just noticeable difference
Difference threshold
the smallest amount by which two sensory stimuli can differ in order for an individual to perceive them as different.
Weber’s Law (JND)
JND is in constant proportion to the intensity of an original stimulus
Higher the initial stimulus, the greater the JND, proportion is constant.
Sensory Adaptation
*Behavioralists call this habituation
Adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure
“Getting used to”
Vision 👁️
(CPLR)
Cornea -> Pupils (iris) -> Lens -> Retina
Retina (receptor cells) function
Converts light to electrical impulses for transmission to the brain
Rods (receptor cells)
Sensitive to light
Night vision
Cones (receptor cells)
Sharp focus / color
Bright light
Optic Nerve
Carries visual info to brain
Optic chiasm
The point where the optic nerve splits
Smell (olfaction)
Molecules enter nasal passages and pass over receptor neurons (olfactory cells)
Responses sent to brain, recognition of smell
Taste (Gustation)
Receptor cells in the taste buds respond to five basic stimulus
Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami
Sound
Movement of air molecules brought ab by vibration (sound waves)
Eardrum
Vibrates when sound waves hit it
Semicircular canals
Movement of fluids, affects our sense of balance (middle ear)
Cochlea
Fluid vibrates in response to sound (inner ear)
Basilar membrane
Inside cochlea, covered in hair cells, when bent, send neural message to brain
Trichromatic theory of color vision
Three kinds of cones in retina
Human eyes only perceive three colors of light
Opponent process theory of color
Looking at one color for a long period of time, causes receptor cells to become fatigued.
Receptor cells are linked in pairs
Work opposite to each other
Figure ground organization
We usually perceive objects as a figure standing out against a background
Gestalt Law of Organization
gestalt = patterns
How we organize pieces of information into meaningful wholes
Closure
Fill in the gaps when an object is incomplete
Proximity
When objects are close together, they tend to be perceived as a group.