Sensation and Perception - psychophysics

Question 1

what does sensation mean?

Answer 1

when sense organs get stimulated by sensory input
- ex: light enters the eyes and stimulates retina.

Question 2

what does perception mean?

Answer 2

when you make sense of the sensory inout
- ex: brain interprets light as a familiar object like recognizing a tree.

Question 3

what does psychophysics study?

Answer 3

• it examines the translation from physical stimuli to psychological experience.

Question 4

Just Noticeable Difference (JNC)

Answer 4

• the smallest difference in intensity between 2 stimuli that a person can detect.
  ex: if you increase volume slightly, JND is the smallest increase in volume before you notice the difference.

Question 5

Thresholds

Answer 5

• a type of JND
• the minimum level of intensity that a stimulus must reach for it to be detected by a person 50% of the time.
• Ex: the point at which a stimulus goes from undetectable to detectable.

Question 6

what is subliminal perception?

Answer 6

• registering sensory input without conscious awareness.
  (registering something as a stimulus below the threshold - you are not conscious of the stimulus)

Question 7

Sensory adaption (2 types:)
1. autonomic process
2. changed prioritized over constants.

Answer 7

process where sensitivity to a constant stimulus decreases over time.

ex: staying in a room with a bad snell for too long will eventually make you stop noticing the smell, even though the smell is still there.

Question 8

what is the study of subliminal perception

Answer 8

James Vicary - an early researcher would flash “have popcorn” in the muddle of a movie and without the person watching the movie knowing it, their brain would process the message and find themselves buying popcorn.

Question 9

autonomic process

Answer 9

• a sensory adaption where you ignore unimportant sensations (ex: feeling of your clothes)

Question 10

changed prioritized over constants

Answer 10

• a sensory adaption where your brain prioritizes change over constants.

ex: you stop noticing a bad smell but notice a new stronger odour.