Sensation and Perception Flashcards
What is sensation?
Stimulation of a sense organ
What is perception?
The organization, identification and interpretation of a sensation in order to form a mental representation
What is transduction?
When many sensors in the body convert physical signals from the environment into encoded neural signals sent to the CNS
What is synesthesia?
The perceptual experience of one sense that is evoked by another sense
What is psychophysics?
Developed by Fechner. Methods that measure the strength of a stimulus and the observer’s sensitivity to that stimulus.
What is the absolute threshold?
The minimal intensity needed to just barely detect a stimulus 50% of the time.
What is the Just Noticeable Difference?
Minimal change in a stimulus that can just barely be detected. Not fixed, depends on sense and intensity.
What is Weber’s law?
The JND of a stimulus is a constant proportion despite variations in intensity
What is noise?
All other stimuli coming form the internal and external environment
What is signal detection theory?
The response to a stimulus depends both on a person’s sensitivity to the stimulus in the presence of noise and on a person’s decision criterion.
What is a hit?
Correctly responding “yes” to a signal
What is a false alarm?
Responding “yes” to noise
What is a miss?
Responding “no” to a signal
What is a correct rejection?
Correctly responding “no” to noise
What is sensory adaptation?
Sensitivity to a prolonged stimulation declines as you get used to it
