Unit 3: Part 1: Sensation and Perception Flashcards
Sensation
the process by which sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies in our environment - physical
Perception
the process or organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to reorganize meaningful objects and events - mental interpretation
Bottom-Up Processing
starts at sensory receptors and works up to higher levels of processing (what you’re seeing) - senses to the brain
Top-Down Processing
constructs perceptions from sensory input by drawing on your experiences and expectations (something you’ve seen before) - brain to senses
Selective Attention
focused awareness on a particular stimulus
Inattentional Blindness
failing to see visible objects when attention is elsewhere
Change Blindness
so focused don’t see changes in the environment
Sensory Adaptation
get used to things as a consequence of constant stimulation
Transduction
converting energy from one form to another
Receive sensory stimulation -> transform stimulation to neural impulses -> deliver neural impulse information to our brain
Sensory Transduction
stimulus = sense receptors
physical = sensory
Absolute Threshold
smallest amount of energy that will produce a sensation about 50% of the time
Difference Threshold (JND)
the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time
JND
just noticeable difference - smallest amount of change in a stimulus that will produce change in sensation
Weber’s Law
physical proportion of change necessary before we “sense” the change; actual/perceived change
Ernest Weber
Ex: dating ages, turning down music, noticing a haircut
Signal Detection Theory
assumes there is no absolute threshold
when we detect the presence of a stimulus, it depends on our experience, expectations, motivation and alertness
