sensory systems Flashcards
sensory systems
identifies different stimuli in the environment
organise and interpreting sensory input and attach meaning or give an appropriate response
-auditory
-visual
-gustatory
-kinastethic
-olfactory
Sensation
physiological process of receiving a raw physicaal energy from stimuli
Perception
psychological process of the sensory neurological signals that reach the brain are selected, organised and interpreted so that we can attach meaning to the sensation
Transduction
sub process of converting/transforming the raw physical energy into a sensory neurological signal
Agnosia
breakdown between sensation and perception
-visual= cannot recognise something by just seeing
Perception depends on:
- the functionality of our an individual’s sensory system
- the different types of stimuli that an individual is exposed to in their environment
- the individual’s context and experiences (what stimuli the individual is used to by now)
Threshold
point at which a stimulus will trigger a response
stimulus has to be strong enough to be detected
Different types of threshold:
absolute threshold
difference threshold
Absolute threshold
the weakest detectable stimulus - just noticeable
Just noticeable difference (JND)
JND= difference threshold
Difference threshold
aims to identify what the lowest intensity of the stimulation is that can create a noticeable difference
Why is JND subjective?
people have differing perceptions
Signal Detection Theory
various factors affects the detection of a stimulus besides the intensity of it
Other factors influencing the detection of the stimulus:
- personal experiences
- biases
- expectations
- degrees of motivation
- previous exposure
- personal sensitivity
- level and ability of alertness
- willingness and confidence to respond
- personal strengths
Perceptual set
creates a shift in how one interprets sensory input
- visual perception is subjective because although seeing the same thing, it could be perceived differently and still be an accurate perception of visual stimuli
- relies on what people focus their attention on
Feature analysis
detecting specific elements in a visual stimulus and assembling them into more complex forms
-lines are assembled into shapes
Physiological perception
remember sensation is a physiological process
dependant on vision
Psychological perception
perception is a psychological process
dependent on cognitive association based on memory
2 ways in which the axons leave the back of each eye from the optic nerve:
1) project visual info to the thalamus
2) optic pathways travel from the thalamus to the primary visual cortex (occipital lobe)
optic nerve criss crosses at the optic chasim
Optic chasim
fibres of each retina will cross over to the opposite side of the visual cortex
