Sensation & Perception Flashcards
What is sensation?
Occur in organism when physical energy produces a change in specialized elements of the nervous system called receptors (I see a spot of light, I hear a buzz)
What is perception?
The results of psychological processes in which sensations are interpreted and organized to give meaning to objects and events that produced the sensations (I see the moon, I hear a fire alarm)
What is transduction?
The process in which one form of energy is converted into another
What is psychophysics?
The study of relationship between physical stimuli and the resulting psychological experiences
What is the difference between an absolute threshold and the just noticeable difference?
AT: Refers to the minimum intensity of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time
JND: the smallest amount that something has to change in order for the difference to be detected 50% of the time.
What are response biases?
Two brains receive the same information from sensory neurons but make different decisions
What is Weber’s law?
The just noticeable difference in the intensity of a stimulus is proportional to the intensity of the standard stimuli
What is signal detection theory?
Accounts for sensitivity and bias
State of world - signal was or was not presented - there is a yes or no response
Hit
Signal was presented - response correct
Miss
Signal was presented - response incorrect
False alarm
Signal was not presented - incorrect
Correct rejection
Signal was not presented - correct
What is adaption?
Adopt new behaviors that allow us to cope with change
